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Warming Up for Short Duration Races

 

Generally speaking, the shorter, more intense the effort, an Athlete should spend more in preparation time by warming up. Races which require hard effort at the start, should include short, intense efforts in the warm-up.

For an bike event of an hour in duration, such as a 40K Time Trial (TT) or a Criterium, one should spend almost 45 minutes warming up. The same is true for a 10k race or half-marathon. The correct warm-up protocol will allow the athlete to be ready for intense effort from the start of the race.

Below is a protocol that works equally well for Cycling and Running. There are three phases to the warm-up session. Remember to start all warm-up sessions with proper stretching and a light set of sit-ups to loosen the lower back.

	Time	HR (%of Max)	Notes
Phase 1
	5 min	60%	Easy Spin (Jog)
	2 min	70%	TT effort/light gear (flat terrain for runners)
	2 min	75%
	2 min	80%
	2 min	90 %
	2 min
Phase 2
	3 min	75%	TT effort and gear (slight uphill for runners)
	3 min	85%
	3 min	90%
	2 min	Rest
Phase 3
	3 min	70%	TT effort/light gear (flat terrain for runners)
	3 min	90%
	3 min	70%
	5 min	Rest

Final check of gear, water, nutrition

Race !!
 

Jonathan Siegel, Director of Coaching
JDS Sportcoaching, LLC

Jonathan Siegel, CSCS, is an RRCA-certified running coach and certified cycling coach. If you have training questions or comments or are interested in a lactate test, contact JDS Sportcoaching,LLC.