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What are some of the things you try to accomplish with your warm-up session?
Most cyclists incorporate some form of warm-up and cool down into their training, especially
if they anticipate a strenuous start to a race.
They do this to help avoid stiff muscles, prevent muscle injury and improve performance.
These are worthwhile benefits, so it is important to have a basic understanding of the various
techniques and physiological processes involved in warm-up and cool down routines.
Benefits of Warming Up
Theoretically, the following physiological changes, which take place
during warm-up, should enhance performance:
- Increased Muscle Temperature -
The temperature increases within muscles that are used during a warm-up routine. A warmed
muscle both contracts more forcefully and relaxes more quickly. Therefore, both speed and strength
should be enhanced; thus, the likelihood of muscles being forcefully overstretched and causing
injury is reduced.
- Increased Blood Temperature -
The temperature of blood increases as it travels through the muscles. As blood temperature rises,
the amount of oxygen it can hold becomes reduced. This means a slightly greater volume of oxygen
is made available to the working muscles, enhancing endurance and performance.
- Improved Range of Motion -
The range of motion around a joint is increased, especially if flexibility exercises
are part of the warm-up.
- Hormonal Changes -
Your body increases its production of various hormones responsible for regulating
energy production. During warm-up this balance of hormones makes more carbohydrates and fatty
acids available for energy production.
Warm-up Routines
There are two basic types of warm-up routines from which you can choose. One incorporates the
specific skills of an event and is referred to as related warm-up. For cyclists, this means
cycling for awhile, with a few short intense bursts to ensure that all the muscle fibers are
warmed up.
In the second type of warm-up, the movements performed; i.e., calisthenics or flexibility
exercises, are different from the actual skills of the activity. For example, football players
usually begin their warm-up with some form of unrelated exercise.
Which type of exercise is preferred? If immediate participation in the actual activity would
likely result in muscle injuries, then related warm-up is preferable. For instance, in
hill-climb events a good cycling warm-up is needed, especially if the air temperature is cool.
Edmund R. Burke, Ph.D.
Edmund Burke Ph.D. is senior editor of Performance Conditioning Cycling. His many books
include Serious Cycling and High-tech Cycling Science of Cycling. Contact him at 3240 Wade
Court, Colorado Springs, CO 80917 email: eburke@sportscience.com
Warm-up sessions for training and racing fulfill a number of purposes, including psychological
preparation, which includes getting into the zone (e.g., focus and concentration) and practicing
event skills (e.g., track riding technique and MTB technical skills). The physiological implications
of warming up tend to be more event specific; long road racers tend to start slowly, which acts
as its warm-up. It could be argued that, in this case, hard warm-ups may be a disadvantage as
they
will start to deplete your limited muscle glycogen stores. On the other hand, if your race plan is
to attack from the start, then a warm-up would be advisable. Shorter, higher intensity events (e.g.,
TT, MTB, CycloX), which require fast starts should be preceded by a progressive warm-up increasing
to race intensities to get the body’s energy systems primed for the event.
Cycling is different than many sports in that there are virtually none of the ballistic movements
that generally injure people. Therefore, the need to warm up, stretch, etc., is not as imperative.
The value of warming up can be debated by looking at other athletic animals. When was the last time
you saw National Geographic filming the warm-up routine of lions and cheetahs before launching into
an all-out sprint? Do you ever see them stopping short with pulled hamstrings, etc? It is worth
thinking about. It may be that they would go even faster if they did warm up, but that would be
impractical in their situation.
Trevor Dobbins
Trevor Dobbins, Chichester, UK, is an exercise physiologist for the British Cycling
Federation Sports Science Support Project, Chichester Institute of Higher Education,
Chichester, UK. His specialty is research in the area of mountain bike racing.
When most people think of warming up, they think of starting to sweat, breathing harder, warming up
the muscles and stretching. Well, there is more to it than that. Also, stretching before a training
session or race is not the best time for it.
The things that happen when you warm up properly are increased blood flow, increased efficiency of
the nervous system, lubrication of the joints and tendons, excretion of phlegm from the lungs,
increased efficiency of oxygen exchange, increased utilization of micronutrients and increased
efficiency of heat radiation.
With the increase of blood flow comes dilation of veins, arteries and capillaries; your blood moves
around your body in greater volumes and blood that was pooled in capillaries and body parts moves to
be used. Remember, blood carries oxygen. Most importantly, your muscles are bathed in blood making
them more pliable and less prone to injury.
Your nervous system goes through an increase in efficiency for firing the neuromotor units and
also, the
synapses wake up. When you start to ride you will notice that your joints become smoother and the
roughness that is under your patella (kneecap) is gone. When you start to ride, your body increases
the lubrication of cartilage and the eyelets that your tendons ride through. Your body also sends
nutrients to these body parts for repair or strengthening.
When you warm up, you also increase the efficiency of nutrient utilization. The enzymes that
burn fat and carbohydrate increase in number and get better at burning these fuels. The other enzymes
that convert lactic acid back to glucose also become greater in number and better at their job. Your
cells become more receptive to taking in nutrients like vitamins, minerals and hormones, making you a
healthier person.
There is a coating of phlegm on your lungs when you start to ride and your body wants to get rid of
it. That’s why you cough and sputter after a race or hard warm-up. You will either cough up this
coating or you will get rid of most of it by evaporation when you breathe. When you increase the
demands on your body in your warm-up, your lungs want to increase the efficiency of oxygen exchange
so they don’t have to work as hard to get you the oxygen that you need. The alveoli in your lungs
open up, making oxygen exchange greater, and your rib cage expands to increase the amount of air you
can take in.
You also sweat — no kidding, right? We all know that when you sweat you radiate heat through your skin.
Well, your heat radiation becomes greater and more efficient at its job too. But, you have to be well
stocked with water.
Another part of the warm-up is getting in a positive attitude. This can make or break a race for you.
So, think positive! The last thing is stretching. Contrary to popular belief, the warm-up is not the
best time for stretching. A University of London study showed that stretching before exercise caused
a decrease in the contractual force of the muscle. Which means, you are weaker after you stretch. The
best time to stretch is after a ride or race and on your off days. Besides, your muscles are nice and
pliable with the increase of blood in them.
Kevin Lippert
Kevin Lee Lippert specializes in coaching professional cyclists and elite level
amateurs and is a USA Cycling elite level coach. He was awarded the 1996 Expert Cycling
Coach of the Year for USA Cycling and the U.S. Olympic Committee. Kevin was assistant
coach of the 1997 National Espoire road and endurance track cycling team. Currently he
is a corporate wellness consultant for the United AutoWorkers Union and General Motors.
For certain types of races, a pre-event warm-up has the potential to produce a good race in the first
few minutes after the start. If warm-up is done correctly, the race can be expected to start well
because...
• the leg muscles’ blood vessels are fully opened, boosting oxygen delivery capacity.
• blood will release more of its oxygen to the muscles.
• muscle temperature will rise, improving efficiency of movement and the power of muscle
contractions.
• increased body temperature will improve muscle elasticity, reducing the risk of pulls.
• dilated blood vessels will reduce the resistance to blood flow and lower stress on the heart.
• heat-dissipation mechanisms will be activated, preventing overheating early in the race.
• the body’s ability to produce energy will quickly improve.
• lactic acid clearance rate will be increased, minimizing stress early in the race.
The warm-up is also a good time to mentally prepare for an event by clearing the mind, increasing
focus, reviewing strategy and rethinking non-outcome goals, such as eating schedules or maintaining
fluid levels. It’s best not to think about race results at this time since you
have no control
over what others may do. Thought patterns should be positive. For some overly sensitive riders, it may
also be necessary to lower arousal levels during the warm-up by thinking about topics other than the
race.
Joe Friel
Joe Friel, Fort Collins, Colorado, has trained elite amateur and professional cyclists,
triathletes and mountain bikers since 1980. He holds a master’s degree in exercise science
and is author of The Cyclist’s Training Bible, Cycling Past 50, and
The Triathlete’s
Training Bible and writes columns for several cycling and triathlon publications. He
conducts workshops around the country on training and racing. Contact him at
jfriel@ultrafit.com, Fax: 970-204-4221.
- Mental readiness. I have riders write down the three things they need to concentrate on for
an upcoming race and tape it to their handlebars, or use some other device to rehearse their strategy.
They must mentally project themselves into the race and achieve a proper level of excitation, just as
their muscle chemistry must achieve a level of activation that allows for maximum performance. The
warm-up should be an important element of the athlete’s mental toughness (sports psychology)
preparation.
- Physical readiness. Most riders either don’t warm up long enough or achieve high enough
intensities (wattage outputs) in their warm-ups. This is particularly true of mountain bikers, who
usually lack convenient warm-up venues. As mountain bike racing at the highest levels has matured,
this is less of a problem, but at levels below pro, it still exists. It becomes critical when races
start as they do, with a mad dash for the first turn or to singletrack. Riders lacking a warm-up burn
out more quickly and don’t have the recovery capability from that first big effort. A recent edition
of the NSCA’s journal notes how even 5RM half-squats provide superior preparation due to the high level
of neuromuscular stimulation that enables greater performance. The levels of intensity above lactate
threshold must be accessed before race time to achieve greater efficiencies and recovery during the
event. The best preparation for these high intensities is a fairly long, easy to moderate, sub-lactate
threshold intensity ride.
I cannot emphasize enough how personal differences affect the composition of an optimal warm-up. I
remember one of the best coaches in this country, Rene Wenzel, telling me it took him a whole season to
figure out the proper warm-up for one of his elite pursuit athletes. The lesson for us is that Rene
knew just how important the warm-up was, and he tried many different schemes over time to bring out the
best in his rider. Once he found the right mix, he stuck to it in order to give the rider security,
which is an important part of mental preparation. Coaching is about experimentation and observation,
and we must be tireless in our pursuit of a better way for our riders.
Tom Ehrhard
Tom Ehrhard is a USCF Elite Coach. He currently is a member of Bicycling Magazine Fitness
Advisory Staff. He is working on his Ph.D. in international relations at Johns
Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies. If you have questions about this article
contact him by e-mail at: Vipercoach@aol.com
The warm-up period is a time for athletes to get mentally focused and physically prepared for the
demands of intense exercise. It is a time when all of you want to run a systems check on your body to
make sure everything is working properly and that you will be firing on all cylinders. The most
essential functions of a warm-up routine are to tap into the fuel systems that will be used during
exercise and warm the muscles and other soft tissue in preparation for intense work. Stretching should
be an essential component of any warm-up routine to reduce the risk of soft tissue and joint injury.
The warm-up is also when you sharpen your mental focus and get psyched up for the work ahead. The
warm-up routine should be specific to the demands of the training or competition and should be
individualized, purposeful and practiced with consistency.
Steve Madden
Steven W. Madden, C.M.T., Mill Valley, California, is a Certified Massage Therapist,
a USA Cycling Elite Coach and a National team seigneur. He operates Performance Sports
and Massage serving private coaching and massage clients. His coaching experience includes
coach/seigneur for the Junior and Senior National track teams at 1997 EDS Nationals and
Junior World Championships. He has authored several training manuals: Cycling
Basics,
Modular Interval Training System, Resistance Training for Endurance Cyclists and
Road
Racing Tactics and Strategies. Contact Steve by e-mail at: velosteve@aol.com