Sweat sessions in a hot box and altitude chamber has sparked a winter hot streak for popular jockey Ben Allen.
Allen, who credited family and fun fitness to his recent form in the saddle, started the new workout regime about six months ago and drawn a crowd in doing so.
Allen has introduced fellow jockeys, including Zac Spain, Jake Noonan, Emily Pozman and Dakotah Keane, to high-energy and intensity gym classes in Murrumbeena.
“Training is very boring, so when it is fun it makes it a lot easier,” Allen said.
“I’ve been doing heaps of training, going to a gym down at Murrumbeena called Pulse 8 and training in an altitude chamber and it just seems to help with the weight.
“It’s quite hot in there and tough training and just seems to work for me.”
Allen, like a lot of jockeys, must work extremely hard to manage his weight.
Tough 45-minute sessions in the gym has worked best for Allen, mentally and physically.
“There’s a lot of running, ski machine, on the bike, it’s a little bit like F45,” Allen said.
“A lot of high intensity, a minute on, a minute off, sort of stuff.
“You’re always rotating, it’s just a hard 45 minutes.”
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Jockeys tend to rely on distance running, cycling, saunas and starvation to manage weight.
Allen has up to three rides on Saturday at Caulfield, including Miss Icelandic and last start winner Gottabesavvy.
First emergency Baraqiel needs a scratching to gain a start in the 1200m Benchmark 84.
Allen has ridden 13 winners from 61 starts in June, striking at 20 per cent, including three on the metropolitan circuit.
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The 25-year-old has a personal best 16.5 per cent overall winners to runners strike rate this season, including 18 from the past 100 starts.
“I’ve had a good run,” Allen said.
“I’ve got to give a shout out to my sister, I keep forgetting in my (post-race) interviews, my sister Mandy manages me and does a super job.
“I’m not an easy one to manage because weight is obviously a difficult thing but she does a good job and a lot of the credit has got to go to her.”
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Allen wants to build on the current momentum, with spring on the horizon.
“It’s only two months away before the big races start so it’d be nice to keep the form going and hopefully we can get some good rides.”
Originally published as Jockey Ben Allen credits family, fitness to winter hot streak