Why Warm-Up
It is hard to find any hard science that proves the benefits of a good warm-up. However, every coach and almost every rider I know believes that it is important to warm-up before training and competition. But why?
From personal experience, the first hard efforts in training or at the start of a race can be extremely uncomfortable if I am not prepared to do the work. On a training ride I do not expect to be able to do any meaningful work until 45minutes into the ride. The older I get the longer it seems to take.
There are a host of things that happen in your body during the warm up period that I believe help the body performance better. I also believe that the damage to the body caused by hard riding is minimized by a good warm-up prior to the work.
A warm-up begins the process of preparing the muscles and joints for work in several ways.
The increased activity increases blood flow to the muscles. Capillaries open and provide more pathways for blood to more muscle cells. The temperature of the muscle increases allowing for more efficient contraction.
The aerobic energy system is engaged and this helps spare the glycogen stores for later work. Other connective tissues like tendons and ligaments are loosened up reducing the risk off injury. The nervous system is engaged at increased levels to improve muscle function. Mental focus is increased in preparation for more intense work.
Muscle contraction is a mechanical movement resulting from nerve stimulation and chemical activity. Just like your automobile engine that runs better and more efficiently after it is warmed up, your muscles perform better if they are given some time to get all these systems revved up. Not only does a warm up help you perform better, it is also one of your first step toward recovery.
The stress on the body and the damage done to muscle fibers and nervous system during hard riding can be dramatic. Intense work damages and tears the cell membranes surrounding the muscle fibers. It also depletes valuable energy stores in the body. All of this damage has to be repaired and energy stores have to be replenished before you will be able to go hard again.
The bad news is that this damage can take up to 48 hours to repair before you can return to 100% capacity. The good news is that you can reduce the effects of a hard workout before it starts with a good warm-up. Taking some time to prepare the mechanical and chemical systems in your body for hard work will measurably reduce the damage done during training.
I suspect that I am preaching to the converted about all this warm-up stuff. But just in case you are one of the holdouts that still needs some proof here is a little test for you. Find a 5-mile stretch of road and go as hard as you can with no warm-up. Measure your HR and elapsed time and see how you feel afterward. Go back to the same course a week later and repeat the effort after a 30minute warm-up and compare the numbers.
Warming up works and will help you perform better. If you need some help building a warm-up routine have a look at the Performance Sports warm-up protocols for different event venues.