EAGLE RIVER - People usually go to the gym to get strong or lose weight. But you normally don't see people training to drive a motorcycle.
"When a person buys a bike, they don't realize how big it is and how out of control it can be," said Dave Sixel of Sixel's Circuit Fit Eagle River.
Sixel has been riding motorcycles since he was 16 and three years ago, he got a 916 lb. Harley Road Glide. He knows just how heavy the bike can feel because it's about five times his own bodyweight.
"I'm really working on my flexibility trying to come up and over and you need strength also," said Sixel.
Now, he's hoping to help other riders through a Biker Fit program.
"If it starts going one way, you really need to catch yourself and it really takes a lot of leg muscles in that direction. A lot of people workout forward and backwards, but not off to the side," said Sixel.
The specific workouts are designed to help people balance big bikes and drive through rough areas.
"If you're in the sand, grass, or whatever and you need to push that bike forward or say you're on an incline, this is a great exercise to strengthen those muscles," said Sixel.
Sixel's wife, Vicki, used to work at Aspirus Wausau Hospital as a surgical tech and saw how frequent people got hurt while riding.
"A lot of times people would come in with road rash all over them," said Vicki. "The stability and knowing your surroundings again and the strength in your legs [are necessary]. It's easy for a big piece of machinery to wipe out like that."
Luckily, Sixel has been involved in fitness since he was just nine years old and knows daily fitness routines are more than just about looking good.
"Exercises that we do are really to strengthen the exact kind of movements you will run into in an everyday bike situation," said Sixel.
And that's daily strength you can take along on the open road.
For more information on Sixel's Circuit Fit, click on the link below.
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Sixel's Circuit Fit Eagle River
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