The Athlete

When Helio decided to pursue his dream of becoming a racecar driver, he knew it would require 110% dedication and a serious workout program. Castroneves follows a strict exercise regimen designed by his trainer, Carlos Bailly, to ensure he is physically and mentally prepared for the challenges of open-wheel racing. In addition to the following, Castroneves enjoys playing tennis either with friends or as a participant in charity fundraisers.

SIT-UPS WITH A TWIST: While Castroneves does sit-ups lying on a stability ball he is reading and calling out information on charts in front of him. This helps him work on maintaining concentration while doing physical activity which is paramount during a race. Bailly will even try distracting him by yelling or bouncing a ball for an added challenge.

THE TORNADO: This exercise serves to strengthen the abs, arms and shoulders. Castroneves stands against a wall and swings an eight-pound medicine ball attached to a rope side-to-side for about 20 seconds for multiple reps.

SWIMMING: While Castroneves didn’t like swimming when he was growing up, he now realizes it is a good low impact exercise that uses the whole body. He swims a 500-meter warm-up followed by 20 sprints of 25 meters with half a minute of rest in between. This helps get Castroneves’ heart rate up then slow down similar to what might occur during a road/street course race.

BOXING: Boxing is a good way for Castroneves to work on quickly processing and reacting to information. Bailly has him spar five two-to-three-minute rounds with a minute of rest in between. A number is given to each of the punches (e.g., two might be a left hook, four a right jab). Bailly calls them out in random order and changes sequences to produce different combinations that Castroneves has to follow.

RUNNING: Castroneves enjoys early morning runs on the beach. He will either run three miles in the sand at 81⁄2-minutes per mile or six miles on the boardwalk at 63⁄4-minutes per mile. This often serves as a warm-up to the rest of his workout.

GO KARTING: Even when Helio Castroneves is not racing at the IndyCar tracks, during the offseason he does not neglect his physical conditions.

One of Helio's favorite activities is the Go-Kart. Though he hasn't been racing Go-Karts for quite some time, it is known that this practice is highly recommended for professional race car drivers like himself. It improve reflexes, conserves fitness and maintain high levels of concentration, which are vital characteristics for his profession.

For Castroneves, pre-season is always filled with commitments with the team, media and sponsors; however, he organizes his agenda in order to dedicate some time to practice Go-Karts, either in the US or while in Brazil. As you can see, even when officially on vacation, the Team Penske driver continues to speed through tracks.