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

OVERVIEWWarmup 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 COVEREDWarm up rules of thumbThe 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 ExercisesDo Masters athletes need a longer warmup?Creating a good dynamic warmupTime-Crunched Warmups and Race Start CorralsASK A QUESTION FOR A FUTURE PODCASTRESOURCESEXAMPLE Warm up before hard Training: ~25-30min10-15min of easy endurance spinning3x1min FastPedals (high cadence, moderate power) with 1min RBI, spin easy for 2-3min then move on to2x20s openers with 2-3min RBIBuild into your main set, and have at it! Good for a 90min session with hard, zone 4+ intervalsEXAMPLERace Warm Up: 45min10-15min of easy endurance spinning3x1min FastPedals (high cadence, moderate power) with 1min RBI2x4min Threshold efforts with 3min RBI2x20s openers with 2-3min RBI5-10min easy spinningEXAMPLE Simple Race Warm Up: 20min7-10min easy endurance spinning 3min build from Tempo to Threshold2min easy 1x20s Opener3-5min easy spinning LINKSNSCA General and Specific Warm Up Golden Rule of Running: Never Skip the Warm-upHOSTAdam 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 platformGET FREE TRAINING CONTENTJoin our weekly newsletterCONNECT WITH CTSWebsite: trainright.comInstagram: @cts_trainrightTwitter: @trainrightFacebook: @CTSAthlete