 Rider: Quinn Wentzel Photo: Zachary C. Bako Joel YounkinsHigh Performance Coach I’ve seen a lot of fads come and go in the last 15+ years of training motocross athletes. But one thing that just won’t seem to die is the obsession with circuit training as the go-to strength training method for racers.
Let’s break that down. What is Circuit Training? Circuit training is typically a series of exercises—strength movements, cardio drills, or calisthenics—performed in sequence with little to no rest. Think 30–45 seconds of effort, 15 seconds of rest, repeated across multiple stations. The idea is to keep your heart rate elevated while training multiple muscle groups, often under fatigue. It’s a sweaty grind, and for many, it feels like racing a dirt bike: breathing hard, muscles burning, never catching a break. I get why that sounds appealing—but here’s the problem. Training isn’t about mimicking the sport. It’s about breaking down the components of performance—strength, endurance, power, recovery, mobility—and developing them in focused ways that all come together on race day. Everything Works… At First The good news? Circuit training does work—at first. The bad news? Everything works when you’re untrained. Circuit-style workouts can quickly whip someone with a low fitness base into better shape. That’s why "boot camp classes" and general fitness classes use them—they’re economical, simple, and provide a fast return early on. But once you move beyond that beginner phase—especially if you’re a trained athlete--circuit training hits a wall. It stops producing real strength gains. It stalls endurance development. It becomes a jack-of-all-trades workout that limits your potential across the board. Give a pro-level rider a few weeks of high-volume circuit training, and you'll watch their strength drop and their conditioning plateau. The return on investment just isn’t there. Quality Always Beats Quantity The issue with circuits isn’t that they’re hard. It’s that they force everything into one session—at the cost of quality. If push-ups are part of your circuit, and you're gassed halfway through, your form and output drop. Now you’re just grinding for the sake of sweat, not actually getting stronger. If you’d rested properly between sets, you could’ve pushed heavier, cleaner, and actually improved. This applies across the board—whether it’s power work, aerobic capacity, or mobility. Trying to do it all in one fatigued state ends up doing none of it particularly well. Want mental toughness? Earn it through disciplined training, not junk reps in a blurry circuit. Train Smarter Than the Sport Motocross is a complex, high-demand sport. That doesn’t mean your workouts need to look chaotic too. That’s like training a fighter by having them spar every day instead of drilling footwork, power, timing, and conditioning separately. If it’s time to build strength—then build strength. If it’s time to improve aerobic capacity—then do that with intent. Train qualities, not chaos. If you want to replicate racing, then go ride your dirt bike. Final Thought Circuit training might feel productive, but if you're serious about performance, you need more than just a hard workout. You need smart training—targeted, focused, and progressive. Remember: Being “tired” doesn’t mean you’re getting better. Being better means you can ride harder, recover faster, and perform at your best—lap after lap, race after race. Train with purpose, not just pain.
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