Warm Up For Maximal Efforts

[[old] SkipD]

When we are attempting a a maximal time trial effort (20:00 or even a shorter 2k) , how do we structure our warmup for best possible results? Also, optimally - how much time should elapse after finishing our warmup before we begin our time trial? And what would be too long a period of time between warmup and race effort? Thanks, Skip D.

[[old] dadams]

I'm curious to the coaches approach on this one as well.<br /><br />I normally do fifteen minutes of warm-up. Five minutes with the jump rope, then ten minutes doing technique drills on the erg.<br /><br />I know some rowers that will do a full 10k for a warm-up. To much for me personally, but it works for them.<br /><br />Dwayne

[[old] NavigationHazard]

FWIW the C2 UK site's <a href='http://www.concept2.co.uk/guide/guide.p ... le=warm_up' target='_blank'>TRAINING GUIDE</a> has quite a bit to say on the subject.<br /><br />AFAIK, the consensus at the moment is that you need to do enough to elevate your core temperature, trigger various hormonal secretions (e.g. adrenaline), open your pores so you're ready to cool yourself by sweating, dilate the blood vessels and capillaries in the muscles you're going to be using, etc. etc. -- but not so much that you fatigue yourself. Thus many physiologists recommend some combination of steady-state work to elevate gently the metabolism, followed by >brief< bits of exercise-specific intensity to prime the muscular system, followed by just enough steady-state work to allow the cardiovascular system to regain normal (recovery) equilibrium. I don't see offhand why one set of specific recommendations (i.e. 'do exactly 6 bursts of 10 strokes @ 1:27') should fit everyone: our bodies all are different, so presumably we all have slightly different competition warmup requirements. <br /><br />Timing also is apparently critical -- you need to warm up close enough to the race/test that your body doesn't cool down, while giving your heart sufficient time to drop to somewhere around normal recovery (usually 2 x resting rate). Moreover there used to be quite a bit of emphasis on stretching during warmups; my impression is that it's been deemphasized lately on the grounds that it doesn't really seem to aid much in preventing muscle injuries, but I could well be wrong. <br /><br />Dwayne I think has brought up something quite important. Ideally, I think, warmup ought to become routine in the best sense of the term. This is not just psychological. The day of a test is not a good one for experimenting with pre-competition warmup. One of my pet theories for why many people seem to do less well at big competitions than they do at home has to do with warming up according to someone else's schedule, not your own. Provided you're doing what you need to do to get ready, it must be right to develop a set pattern and to stick to it.