Motivational Case Studies
Mark Webber
Related tags: Sports
Date Added: Thu, 26 Mar 2009
Formula One's 2003 World Championship proved to be one of the most exciting for years and the 2004 season is just as exciting - if you discount Michael Schumacher. Although he is again proving to be the class of the field heading to a record seventh World Championship title, the season is demonstrating that a new generation is just waiting around the corner to take his crown.
One driver who is impressing the crowds this season is Australian Mark Webber. After a debut year with Minardi, he joined Jaguar in 2003 season where he achieved all but one of the team's overall points helping the team finish seventh in the constructors championship. This season he's stayed with the Jaguar team and is looking to build on last season's successes.
Mark is establishing himself as a driver in demand. He finished 10th in the drivers championship last season and mastered Formula One's new single lap qualifying rules to an impressive degree, regularly putting the Jaguar at the sharp end of the grid.
These days, the supreme fitness of Formula One drivers is well documented. Outstanding fitness and endurance are not simply desirable, they are imperative to get car and driver to the end of the race in the quickest possible time. And fitness is another area where Webber excels.
A great believer in the benefits of indoor rowing, Mark includes it as an integral part of his preparation for Formula One. "There's no cutting corners with your training schedule," explains Mark. "It could become quite dangerous if you're not up to driving a Grand Prix car for up to two hours. You could make some very costly mistakes for yourself or your fellow competitors if you start to fall apart because physically and mentally you're not strong enough."
Mark spends up to two hours doing physical training every day and only spends three days out of 10 Formula One testing. Aside from the expenses involved in track testing, physical and mental training is just as important. Immense pressure is put on numerous areas of your body which you need to be able to deal with.
"You need to have a very strong back. Abdominally you need to be strong, with lats and shoulders to give support for your neck which is probably under the biggest load with the G-forces."
Spending a lot of time exercising can become boring and tiresome but at 28, Mark is at his fitness peak and needs to maintain that level to continue and to improve his racing performances. It is important that he enjoys his training otherwise he won't get the best out of his workouts. Mark sings the praises of the Concept 2 and considers it an important tool in his fitness programme. "Quite simply, it's a great all round body exercise machine."
"It's one of those machines which always wins. I would say it's the best exercise machine in terms of value for money and reward if you do well. I really, really enjoy training on the rowing machine because you get a result every two or three seconds on how you're performing. It's streets ahead of other workout equipment."
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