The Perfect Warm-Up

Years ago as a young professional cyclist living in Belgium, a coach asked me what I wanted to accomplish at an upcoming race. "I want to execute an effective warm-up," I replied.

"Ok, that sounds good," they replied, "How will you know if you've done an effective warm-up?"

I paused...It was a great question.

Many athletes know that a good warm-up is an important first step in having a successful competition. The exact components of an effective

warm-up vary depending on who you ask and the athlete's preference.

Examples of Warm-Ups

- (For a ski competition) include: 20 minutes of easy skiing; 5 minutes of tempo skiing; 3 x 15 second sprints; 10 minutes of dynamic stretching.

- (For a running competition) include: 20 minutes of easy jogging; 10 minutes of dynamic stretching; 5 x 10 second sprints; 10 minutes of easy jogging.

- (For a cycling competition) include: 15 minutes of easy cycling; 5 minutes of progressively increasing effort from easy cycling to tempo; 5 minutes of progressively increasing effort from tempo to maximum effort; 1 x 20 second sprint.

Goals of a successful Warm-Up

- Mentally prepare to move in the coordinated way that your competition demands (pedal a bicycle, hit a tennis ball, ski with correct form, etc).

- Allow your body to loosen and gently progress to a harder intensity prior to the competition.

- Exercise in the environment that you will be competing in (Feel the temperature, humidity, competition surface, etc).

Takeaways

• Try out your warm-up strategy before a hard training day. If it works well - stick with it. If it does not work well - choose something new.

• Have a plan for your warm-up and stick with it. This will help relieve pre-competition stress and uncertainty.

• There is no one "perfect" warm-up. As long as you get moving before your competition - you are already putting yourself in a position to succeed.