Motocross
Train like a Pro: Justin Barcia
Justin Barcia reveals how he prepares for the extreme demands of motocross racing.
Nicknamed “Bam Bam” for his full-throttle style, Justin Barcia, 29, races motocross and supercross for the Troy Lee Designs/GASGAS team. That approach means his body takes a beating during high-intensity races. “If I’m going full-out, my heart rate is at 185 or 190 for the full 20 minutes,” he says. Muscling a 200-pound bike through corners and over jumps requires strength, endurance and flexibility.
Growing up, Barcia wasn’t interested in team sports. “My parents wanted to sign me up for soccer, and I got freaked out,” he says. The individualism of motocross appealed to him. Barcia turned pro at age 16 and promptly won the AMA’s Rookie of the Year award. Since then, he’s amassed an impressive haul of results, including multiple wins at Supercross de Paris. In 2021, racing his first season with Troy Lee Designs/ GASGAS, he won two supercross races in the 450s. Despite such successes, Barcia is surprised at how far he’s progressed: “I just started racing locally and got better and better.”
On that front, he’s always looking for new ways to pursue victory. “I feel like our sport is a big puzzle, and I’m putting all these pieces together to be the best I can be,” he says. “I’m always trying to figure out the next step.”
SPEED
“It’s not possible to go easy on the bike”
“On a normal day at the track, I go out for a 15- or 20-minute warm-up. I want to get comfortable with the track and find the right lines. Then I do a specific workout. The other day, I did 12-lap motos, where I do a start and 12 laps. A lap is around a minute, so it’s about 12 minutes. So I did three motos total. After each one, I take a break while the mechanic looks over the bike. Then I go out and do another moto. No matter what I do, the intensity will be high.”
TECHNIQUE
“It’s not just hammering laps”
“If you’re not learning or adapting to the next level, you probably shouldn’t race anymore. It’s not just going out there and hammering laps. You gotta work on your technique. Being in a better position on the bike or using less clutch in a corner or getting on the throttle earlier—that’s where I can always try to be faster. Sometimes I’ll pick a couple sections on the track and break it up. I’m always practicing starts. When I’m on the starting gate, I try to visualize getting the holeshot, and I go through the track in my head.”
Justin Barcia is nicknamed "Bam Bam" for his full-throttle style.
© Chris Tedesco/Red Bull Content Pool
“I like to eat gluten-and-dairy-free."
“I always make pancakes before a race. That’s my thing. All the guys laugh at me on the team because at 7 a.m. I’m out in the kitchen, making pancakes. I’ve done a bunch of different diets over the years, and what I’ve found is best for me, is to eat gluten-free and dairy-free. I definitely love snacks, all kinds of trail mixes and gluten-free toast with almond butter. I love going into Whole Foods and finding new snacks.”
CARDIO
“Running makes you tough”
“When you get on the motorcycle, you can’t really control the intensity. If I wanted to get my training just on the motorbike, I would probably only be able to do two days—it’s just way too intense. I use my road bicycle to train all the heart-rate zones that I hit on my dirt bike. Sometimes, I do an indoor ride on Zwift because I can control the power and work specific zones. On weekends, I usually go on a long bike ride, maybe two-and-a-half hours. I love trail running, too. I don’t like to go for more than 40 minutes. It’s just brutal.”
STRENGTH
“You have to be really strong to handle the bike”
“I race a 450, and the bikes nowadays are so fast that you have to be really strong to handle the bike. I have to do so many exercises to make my whole body strong. I go to the gym twice each week to lift. Pretty much, our weight workouts are always circuits. Obviously, my legs have to be really strong. You can’t go wrong with squats. I’ve had some lower-back issues over the years, so I try to make my core as strong as possible. I always go on YouTube because I can find so many core workouts. I’m always switching it up.”
Keep up with Justin: @justinbarcia
