Take it from a pair of nitro-class champions from Kalitta Motorsports. It’s smart during this global health-related situation to practice social distancing from other individuals – but not from your fitness routine.

Funny Car’s JR Todd and Top Fuel’s Shawn Langdon don’t want this temporary racing shutdown to leave them unable to squeeze into the cockpits of their race cars. They have been proactive, working out and incorporating an exercise routine into their daily lives.

Todd, driver of the DHL Toyota Camry Funny Car and 2018 champion of his class, said, “Over the last few years, I’ve believed the training I’ve done in the gym has helped me with my success. We do a lot of high-intensity circuit training mixed with reaction work to try to simulate me being inside the car and see how I perform.”

Before stay-at-home orders went into effect, he began planning his work-at-home regimen.

“I try to make it part of my daily routine to do something, whether it’s on the stationary bike, rowing, bands, core, or just getting outside and walking around the neighborhood,” Todd said. 

He shared some fitness tips with fans, as well:

Make use of whatever workout equipment you have access to. If you don't have any equipment, take advantage of what you may have around the house. A 32-ounce bottle of water can be the same as a two-pound barbell.
Get outside whenever you can for a walk, a bike ride, or even sitting in the sun. Fresh air and sunshine can provide a lot of health benefits, and it feels good just to get out of the house.
Try to eat healthy and not sit around on the couch, watching Netflix and eating junk food - and when you are  inside watching TV, try to do some stretching, twists, crunches, etc.  It helps burn some calories. And if you're stretching, you're not eating.
 
Langdon is the 2013 Top Fuel titlist, said he “can’t wait to get back in” the DHL Toyota Dragster and knows he can’t goof off during this free time.

“Every pound counts on the race car, and I am definitely watching what I eat,” he said. “I am cooking more at home, which is cutting down on the fast-food meals. I wasn’t eating a lot to begin with, but home cooking is better for everyone, I think.”

But he knows exercise is an equal partner in the health aspect of racing.

“I have some personal workout equipment in my basement, so I have been able to exercise at home since my regular gym is closed,” Langdon said.” I am doing my usual workout routine as much as I can. I have a little more time to exercise, which is good and also helps to break up the day. I just try and stay mentally and physically sharp.”

Both competed in the Pros Vs. Joes Practice Tree Challenge that sportsman star and track manager/promoter Kyle Seipel organized to keep drivers razor-sharp and raise funds for Racers for Christ. In addition to helping raise more than $4,000 for the organization, Todd and Langdon kept their reaction-time reputations intact as they joined Antron Brown, Bo Butner, Ron Capps, Jeg Coughlin Jr., Erica Enders, and Alex Laughlin to compose the Pros contingent. In the drag-racing version of the Spike TV show Pros Vs. Joes, the “Joes” were sportsmen standouts Peter Biondo, Luke Bogacki, Johnny Ezell, Cory Gulitti, John Labbous, Scotty Richardson, Jeff Verdi, and Gary Williams. Each driver got five turns at the electronic Christmas Tree in the elimination-style bracket.

It was a relevant way to keep racers in touch, for in drag racing, a thousandth of a second can determine a winner.

“It was a really cool way to test everybody’s reaction times and see where you rank,” Todd said. “I recently just purchased an iRacing sim rig and have been spending a lot of time on there, learning about it. Things like that definitely keep your eye-hand coordination sharp, which I believe helps.”

“I did the Pros Vs. Joes Reaction Time Challenge,” Langdon said, “and that was a lot of fun. That was probably the closest thing to a drag race I have done since the break started. The Joes were pretty awesome, which was to be expected, and Kyle Seipel did a great job organizing that event. I am hoping he does it again, because I have been spending more time on my practice tree, for sure. I am trying to continue to keep my mind sharp, and it is really about attitude.”

He said, “Luckily, I have been doing more iRacing and really trying to stay sharp. It isn’t close to the same experience as being in my DHL Toyota Top Fuel dragster, but it keeps the competitive juices flowing, and you can work on hand-eye coordination. The iRacing also gives me the chance to highlight some of my sponsors, like Kalitta Air, DHL, Mac Tools, Toyota and Wix Filters.”

It hasn’t always been training-training-training for Todd and Langdon. They’ve had some fun, too.

I’ve just been trying to stay active on social media, keeping engaged with our fans and all of our great sponsors, including DHL and Toyota. I hope to see everybody really soon back at the racetrack. In the meantime, we all need to do our part and stay safe,” Todd said.

For Langdon, he said “the biggest thing about the down-time his how I have started to do all the things I have been putting off for a long time. I have actually been very busy around my house, which is a good thing.”

Cleaning closets and making home repairs burn calories, too.