F1 Fitness Challenge

[Moose]

Climbing a stair burns 0.17 kcal. A flight of stairs has 15 steps (typically). Thus, a flight of stairs is roughly 2.5kcal. An F1 driver typically burns 2000 kcal per race. That means a race is 800 flights of stairs, not 44. You need to climb 18 flights of stairs every minute and a half, or one flight every 5 seconds continuously for an hour and a half to roughly simulate the amount of work F1 drivers do. That's basically jogging up stairs continuously for one and a half hours.

[Moose]

Climbing a stair burns 0.17 kcal. A flight of stairs has 15 steps (typically). Thus, a flight of stairs is roughly 2.5kcal. An F1 driver typically burns 2000 kcal per race. That means a race is 800 flights of stairs, not 44. You need to climb 18 flights of stairs every minute and a half, or one flight every 5 seconds continuously for an hour and a half to roughly simulate the amount of work F1 drivers do. That's basically jogging up stairs continuously for one and a half hours.

As an aside - this rather answers the question about which is fitter - an F1 driver or a Footballer. Footballers have to jog continously for an hour and a half. F1 drivers have to jog continuously *up stairs* for an hour and a half. F1 drivers are fitter.

[NathanOlder]

Footballers do have to do sudden bursts of flat out running so its not all jogging. But totally agree with the rest of it Moose.

[roon]

I wonder how MotoGP and WSB compare. More body movement per lap, across a shorter race time.

Football to F1 is apples to oranges. The types of movement, the conditions they operated in, the task being done, the mentality, are all different. If jogging is the metric than surely marathon runners are the 'most fit.' But that would be a simplification of what is meant by fitness.

Climbing a stair burns 0.17 kcal. A flight of stairs has 15 steps (typically). Thus, a flight of stairs is roughly 2.5kcal. An F1 driver typically burns 2000 kcal per race. That means a race is 800 flights of stairs, not 44. You need to climb 18 flights of stairs every minute and a half, or one flight every 5 seconds continuously for an hour and a half to roughly simulate the amount of work F1 drivers do. That's basically jogging up stairs continuously for one and a half hours.

In a race suit, no less. Which is part of the equation, is it not? There is a metabolic component to the body trying to cool itself, but I don't know if this would account for a significant percentage of total calories used. Footballers are in open air, in shorts and short sleeves. F1 drivers may simply be running hotter.

As an aside - this rather answers the question about which is fitter - an F1 driver or a Footballer. Footballers have to jog continously for an hour and a half. F1 drivers have to jog continuously *up stairs* for an hour and a half. F1 drivers are fitter.

What's heavier: a tonne of bricks, or a tonne of feathers? How many calories does a footballer consume per match?

[NathanOlder]

Id imagine the G forces in cornering and braking in F1 are extremely hard work and the bikers don't have as much of this. But having to hang on rather than being strapped in must be a hell of a job.

[Moose]

What's heavier: a tonne of bricks, or a tonne of feathers?

The tonne of feathers, because you also have to carry the weight of what you did to those poor birds.

[Big Tea]

What's heavier: a tonne of bricks, or a tonne of feathers?

The tonne of feathers, because you also have to carry the weight of what you did to those poor birds.

And the extra bags

[zonk]

Racing Form - why F1 drivers are the fittest athletes on earth

Author: Channel 4 website

Source: Autoindustry

Publication Date: 15th June 2005

Fitter than footballers and leaner than athletes: the word on the Formula One circuit is that racing car drivers possess the most finely tuned bodies on earth.

Medical studies consent. During a race a driver must remain calm, focused and in constant communication with a technical team whilst perfectly manoeuvring a highly complex vehicle around an unfamiliar track alongside competitors travelling at speeds of up to 300 kilometres per hour.

All this in an environment where one wrong move can cost lives calls for a sportsman at the very peak of physical – and mental – strength. Fifteen years ago drivers achieved this by visiting the gym twice a week. These days they know better.

The heart

A fit human being has a resting heart rate of around 60 beats per minute, rising to around 150 during a run on the treadmill.

David Coulthard has a resting heart rate of 40 beats per minute rising to 198 beats per minute during a two hour race, a figure - roughly the same as that of a Marathon runner crossing the finishing line – which initially stunned medical researchers.

Dr Riccardo Ceccarelli, from Italian sports medicine clinic Formula Medicine explains why a high speed drive can be as challenging as a 26 mile run: "The difference is one of mental stress. There is no sport that demands such intense concentration. A huge amount of adrenalin is being pumped, and this - as well as the physical strain - causes the high heart rate.”

The body’s ability to cope with such extremes is a result of intensive workout, and so drivers undergo cardiovascular exercise for up to four hours a day – jogging, cycling, even rollerblading.

This also helps to keep weight in check - drivers such as Heinz-Harald Frentzen and David Coulthard maintain a body fat ratio of 7%, similar to that of a runner at the start of a race.

The neck

"I know of no other sport that places such big demands on the neck muscles,” says Riccardo Ceccarelli. “A head and F1 helmet together weigh about 6kg. Add about 4G-Force as experienced when cornering in a Grand Prix, and the neck has to support 24kg."

The neck, then, is a driver’s most important muscle. During training, large elastic bands are used to simulate the demands of high G-Force. Drivers also incorporate resistance work into their exercise regime – rowing and weight lifting.

But they have to be careful not to go overboard: Formula One cockpits are very small and don’t accommodate someone with the physique of a weight lifter.

Diet

Formula One drivers eat much like track and field athletes – carefully regulating their carbohydrate and protein intake. In the lead up to a big race they’ll gorge on carbs – pasta and bread – for energy.

Immediately before the race and sometimes throughout, drivers absorb huge amounts of water. Failure to do so could bring on dehydration through sweating – the extreme heat found in a Formula One cockpit means drivers can sweat off up to 3kg of their body weight during the course of a race.

Mental health

Racing car drivers don’t just take pristine care of their bodies; they look after their mental health too. Many teams work with sports psychologists to ensure that a driver can exert unwavering mind control during a race.

Methods include reviewing track maps, visualising a route and a perfect lap, in order for the driver to feel he has driven the course many times before he even arrives there.

Drivers also learn breathing techniques to stay calm at crucial moments, and techniques for shutting out the outside world – a driver getting into a car surrounded by a medical team, technical staff and thousands of screaming fans and members of the press may use the click of the seat belt as a trigger to block these distractions and get to work.

Formula One - vital stats:

A racing car driver has to be in peak physical condition. This calls for:

A resting heart rate of around 40 beats per minute (the average, healthy human has a resting heart rate of around 60bpm)

Being able to maintain a heart rate of up to 200bpm for the duration of a two hour drive (the average healthy human has a heart rate of around 150bpm during an intense gym workout)

A constant body fat ratio of around 7%, similar to that of a marathon runner just before a big race.

Neck muscles able to support up to 24kg when rounding corners at high speed.

Hydration levels able to compete with the 3kg in weight a driver has been known to sweat off during a race.

[NathanOlder]

Thankyou very much Zonk.

[godlameroso]

I’m sorry, the notion of not needing to be ‘that’ physically fit and still be an F1 driver is a nonsense surely!

Unless they’re all knocking out triathlons and 100km bike rides in their training time out of boredom? Then looking exhausted after a race for a laugh, since apparently it’s the same physical exertion as running up some stairs!

Seriously, find me a racing driver that even remotely agrees with this assertion, because it sounds like an idea of someone who has no idea what level of fitness is actually required.

You're always welcome to take the challenge and prove me wrong.

I also race a car with some aero and slicks at Sebring, and other nearby tracks, granted it's no F1 car, but it does pull well over 1.7g's in the corners, a 30 min session is a workout, however I find it more straining to jog up 44 flights of stairs or jog 5km. One thing, driving the car makes you thirsty, much thirstier than running, the adrenaline contributes to dehydration.

[NathanOlder]

however I find it more straining to jog up 44 flights of stairs .

I'd say this is true, IF you had to run up 44 flights of stairs without stopping. But having a 1min 30sec break after each set is surely a joke ?? At the weekend, I will do this challenge with my heart rate monitor and see what happens. I go jogging regularly and my average heart rate is about 160bpm , thats running constant for 40mins average. No way can running for 5 seconds with 90 second break in between come anywhere near that.

[3jawchuck]

however I find it more straining to jog up 44 flights of stairs .

I'd say this is true, IF you had to run up 44 flights of stairs without stopping. But having a 1min 30sec break after each set is surely a joke ?? At the weekend, I will do this challenge with my heart rate monitor and see what happens. I go jogging regularly and my average heart rate is about 160bpm , thats running constant for 40mins average. No way can running for 5 seconds with 90 second break in between come anywhere near that.

You could try it in hard mode (Austria), 71 flights, 70 seconds per flight, while playing some brain teaser game on your phone or something. Maybe that'd make you at least feel something, but I doubt it.

[CMSMJ1]

I did an event in London's Natwest Tower - (Tower 42) a few years back. called Vertical Rush it was a race up the stairs..

42 flights - took me just over 10mins first time
year after it was 8m20

pretty sure the winner was knocking on 5 minutes and was elite level athlete

I can tell you now, that running up stairs is harsh - but I doubt it is as hard as driving an F1 car*.

*I also used to race bikes - that was bloody hard and was only at a low level with 6-12 lap races!

[Moose]

8 minutes 20 for 42 flights is 11.9 seconds per flight. 5 minutes is 7.14 seconds per flight. As covered above, the exertion level of an F1 race is the equivalent of one flight every *5* seconds, continuously for 800 flights. So you've got to more than double your pace, and keep it up for 20 times longer, and you'll be at the level of an F1 driver.

[NathanOlder]

yeah, I think the problem here is the original post is saying you need to do 44 flights of stairs over 75 minutes (easy)

800 flights over 66 minutes....... near impossible!!