2022 marked 20 years since I raced my first Roof of Africa back in 2002 so I thought it was a cool idea to enter the Roof again. It had been 10 years since my last Roof in 2012 and due to injuries and general life I hadn’t managed to get around to any serious riding for a while. In that time the level of riding had also stepped up significantly and required more fitness than ever before.
Now in my late 40s (Masters Class), the mind still thinks I’m fast but the body doesn’t seem to keep up like it used to, so there was some work to do. I had done personal training for enduro in the past, and they had been great, but they required a lot of dedication of time and normally on a rigid schedule which wouldn’t work now with a family and busy corporate job.
Then I came across Gareth and Hard Enduro Factory on one of the enduro Facebook groups and decided to give it a try.
It started with a thorough assessment of my current state and any injuries I was carrying, which was a herniated disk and severe sciatica at the time. I signed up for the 12 week Roof prep program and started sweating.
Firstly the Fitness app that HEF use is awesome. It shows you your routine for the week and day. Each exercise is explained in a one click video and the virtual trainer is your workout companion that counts you in and helps you manage your work throughout. After each exercise you can update the app with your reps and weights so you can measure your progress over time. This combined with good fitness devices, like a watch and smart scale, and you have everything you need to be successful.
The workout programs created by HEF were on point and considered things like my age, injuries and what my riding goals were and also every other week we would have a connect to discuss progress and how things are working for me.
This approach suited me perfectly because I could keep flexible training times and even if I wasn’t near a gym or at home I could still do most of the exercises.
I soon saw results in the hard enduro races that I was doing. It no longer became a case of just survival but I really started enjoying my riding more and the results showed this. By the time the 2022 Roof came along I was 10 kgs down, carrying much more lean muscle and more than ready for the Bronze route and managed it without much bother.
If you live a busy life like me but want to enjoy your riding and want to train on your terms then HEF is an excellent option. Thanks to Gareth and the HEF team for their investment in my riding.
