British GT - Fitness

Team Modena driver Ben de Zille Butler tells PH how to stay fit for racing...

By Oli S / Thursday, 14 August 2008 / Loading comments

Ben de Zille Butler

So far during this season of the Avon Tyres British GT Championship we have looked at the importance of setting up the car correctly but there is one component that also needs to be finely tuned - the driver. Racing drivers' bodies are put through large amounts of mental and physical strain and the effects can be reduced with intensive training. Here Team Modena driver Ben de Zille Butler tells us why fitness is important to racing and how training may even help you get the most out of track days. We have also included Ben's two week fitness regime at the bottom...

Why is it important to be physically fit for racing?
The physical demands of racing are more than most would imagine and in particular the G forces that the body is put through in cornering, accelerating and braking. It can also be physically demanding controlling the car without a rest, although a well set up GT car can sometimes be relatively effortless to drive.

At some circuits where there are long straights and you may get a chance to relax briefly but on most you don’t and so a key reason for keeping fit is to maintain your concentration levels. As the body starts to tire the brain gets tired too and your reaction time slows down. This means you will generally start to make mistakes and the lap times will normally start to increase making you less competitive.

How often do you train?
I try to train 6 days a week with one day's rest (to give the body a chance to recover) but need to fit my training in around spending time with the family and running a business. As it is general fitness that is needed I will run, cycle, row or swim all six days in some form. Three days a week I run 10km or more and 3 days a week I train in the gym (www.carrefour.uk.com) doing 40mins of weights and 30mins of interval cycling, running, rowing or swimming.

The only time I don’t train so hard is on a race week as you need to conserve your energy for the racing. I will usually head to the circuit on Thursday night ready for the Friday test sessions and so will train Monday to Thursday with 2 steady 60 minute cardio sessions and 2 light 60 minute weights based sessions.

Fitness can improve concentration

Are there any key areas of fitness that you work on?

All round fitness is a must but in particular cardiovascular fitness is essential as it can be hot in the car and the heat drains your energy very quickly. The fitter you are the more controlled your heart and lungs and therefore the more efficiently you will feed oxygen to the muscles. Muscle strength is less important than muscle endurance and so bulking up will not mean you will be able to control the car better.

Diet is a also massive part of my training and without it taking on the right fuels I would not achieve my fitness goals as easily. I try to eat very healthily all the time as this gives you much higher and more balanced energy levels. I also use a range of nutritional and training supplements supplied by one of my sponsors ‘Reflex – Nutrition’ (www.reflex-nutrition.com)

How does fitness help drivers mentally prepare?
If you know that you are physically fit then you will be mentally confident and you will have the edge over the other drivers. The brain needs to be strong all the time to reduce the risk of you becoming tired and making mistakes, therefore the fitter you are the stronger you will be over a race distance.

Fitness also makes you feel good – having a strong body has the same ‘feel good factor’ as being out in the sun. When I train I get a real buzz and it motivates me to push harder and when I am running I spend a lot of time thinking about the next race and how I am going to get the best from myself and the car.

Is there different fitness needs for GT drivers compared to single seater drivers?
You need a certain level of fitness to drive any car at its limit but some single seaters are generally quicker so the body is put under more G force loading. In particular the F3s that we run alongside at the meetings have huge down force to help cornering and are also much lighter and so accelerate and brake much quicker than the heavier GT’s. This means you may need to work more on your neck and back strength to combat this extra loads on the body.

What do the drivers do at the track to keep fit?
On a race weekend you need to save as much energy as possible for the race so any exercise should be light to just maintain a strong heart and lungs. I will always try to run a couple of laps of the circuit the night before or morning of a race just to keep everything lose. The most important thing on a race weekend is what you eat and drink. As with your training you should be targeting those fuels that help your bodies endurance so plenty of water during the weekend is a must and eating small high energy meals is essential with plenty of protein too.

I will generally have cereal and fruit for breakfast and some fruit mid morning. Lunch is usually a small portion of chicken and pasta or rice and similar for dinner. I will snack on fruit and energy bars during the day and will usually drink 5-6 litres of water throughout the day. My main source of protein comes from Reflex’s new product called ‘WHEY REFRESH’ as it also helps to keep me hydrated.

Ben battling in the British GT

If I'm a track day regular what are the main areas of physical fitness that I should be considering?

General endurance fitness to avoid mental fatigue and ensure you get the most from every lap and don’t make any mistakes. Running and cycling are ideal for this and two or three 30-40 minute sessions per week will do wonders for improving your fitness. If you can get to the gym and do some light weights too that is great but if not just try doing press-ups and sit-ups at home on the days you don’t run or cycle.

What training programme would you recommend to a budding racing driver/sport driver?
The best way to train is by varying what you do. This way the body does not get used to what you are doing which can sometimes slow down your rate of improvement. Get out and run or cycle at least 3-5 times a week. Ideally you want to be doing as much cardio work as you can fit into your schedule.

Then work on muscle endurance and core stability. I find working with the punch bag and skipping great for strength, endurance and overall fitness. Mixing up your weights between fixed resistance cable machines and free weights will again help your rate of improvement. I could spend a month or so going through all the things that you can do but below I have put down a brief complete body workout schedule to get someone started.

WEEK ONE

DAY	CARDIO	WEIGHTS
MONDAY	30 minute fast run	3x12reps flat bench press - chest
		3x12reps cable cross overs - chest
		3x12reps incline dumbell fly - chest
		3x12reps rope pushdown - triceps
		3x12reps body dips - triceps
		3x20reps fitball crunches - abs
		3x50reps medicine ball twists - abs

TUESDAY	60 minute steady cycle	NONE

WEDNESDAY	30 minute interval run	3x12reps dumbell press - shoulders
		3x12reps dumbell fly - shoulders
		3x12reps upright row - shoulders
		3x12reps dumbell shrugs - shoulders
		3x20reps fitball crunches - abs
		3x20reps ab ladder crunches - abs

THURSDAY	30 minute steady row	NONE
	30 minute steady swim

FRIDAY	30 minute interval cycle	3x12reps lat pull down - back
		3x12reps bent over dumbell row - back
		3x12reps low row - back
		3x12reps dorsal raises - back
		3x12reps dumbell hammer curl - biceps
		3x12reps barbell curl - biceps
		3x12reps ab ladder - abs
		3x12reps leg raises - abs

SATURDAY	60 minute steady run	NONE

SUNDAY	REST

WEEK TWO

DAY	CARDIO	WEIGHTS
MONDAY	30 minute fast cycle	3x12reps barbell curl - biceps
		3x12reps bentover barbell row - back
		3x12reps barbell press - shoulders
		3x12reps overhead barbell press - triceps
		3x12reps press ups - chest
		3x30 reps ab cradle crunches - abs


TUESDAY	60 minute fartlek run	NONE

WEDNESDAY	30 minute interval cycle	5 x 3 minutes on the punch bag
		3x20reps press ups
		3x20reps tricep body dips
		3x10reps underarm pull ups
		3x20reps fit ball crunches
		10 minutes skipping

THURSDAY	30 minute steady row	NONE
	30 minute steady run

FRIDAY	30 minute swim	3x12 bench press - chest
		3x12 upright row - shoulders
		3x12 seated row - back
		3x12 preacher curl - biceps
		3x12 cable pushdown - triceps
		3x20 leg raises - abs
		3x20 medicine ball twists - abs


SATURDAY	60 minute steady run	NONE

SUNDAY	REST