Mastering the Perfect Warm-Up: Elevate Your Cycling Performance (#227)

OVERVIEW
Warmup routines change based on the physical and mental demands of a competition or training session. There are general rules of thumb like, "The shorter the race the long the warmup", but Coach Adam Pulford dives deeper and describes exactly how long to warm up on the bike and with what range of intensities, along with dynamic activities cyclists can do off the bike - or in the start corral - to compete or train at your best.

TOPICS COVERED

• Warm up rules of thumb
• The Short warmup (7-10 minutes)
• Medium warmup (20 minutes)
• Long warmups (30-45 minutes)
• Example: Long warmup before hard training (25-30 minutes)
• Example: Race warmup (45 minutes)
• Example: Alternative short race warmup (20 minutes)
• Dynamic Warmup and Activation Exercises
• Do Masters athletes need a longer warmup?
• Creating a good dynamic warmup
• Time-Crunched Warmups and Race Start Corrals

ASK A QUESTION FOR A FUTURE PODCAST

RESOURCES

1. EXAMPLE Warm up before hard Training: ~25-30min
   1. 10-15min of easy endurance spinning
   2. 3x1min FastPedals (high cadence, moderate power) with 1min RBI, spin easy for 2-3min then move on to
   3. 2x20s openers with 2-3min RBI
   4. Build into your main set, and have at it! 
      1. Good for a 90min session with hard, zone 4+ intervals
2. EXAMPLERace Warm Up: 45min
   1. 10-15min of easy endurance spinning
   2. 3x1min FastPedals (high cadence, moderate power) with 1min RBI
   3. 2x4min Threshold efforts with 3min RBI
   4. 2x20s openers with 2-3min RBI
   5. 5-10min easy spinning
3. EXAMPLE Simple Race Warm Up: 20min
   1. 7-10min easy endurance spinning 
   2. 3min build from Tempo to Threshold
   3. 2min easy 
   4. 1x20s Opener
   5. 3-5min easy spinning 

LINKS

• NSCA General and Specific Warm Up
• Golden Rule of Running: Never Skip the Warm-up
  
  

HOST
Adam Pulford has been a CTS Coach for nearly two decades and holds a B.S. in Exercise Physiology. He's participated in and coached hundreds of athletes for endurance events all around the world.

Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, Google Podcasts, or on your favorite podcast platform

GET FREE TRAINING CONTENT

Join our weekly newsletter

CONNECT WITH CTS

Website: trainright.com
Instagram: @cts_trainright
Twitter: @trainright
Facebook: @CTSAthlete