Impact of not warming up for 2K

[DUThomas]

A few days ago, I did a 2K race. Due to miscalculations (the time to be in the warm-up room is about the time to leave the warm-up room ) and snafus (my entry card got blown all over the room and I couldn't find it ), I had essentially no warm-up before the race. Since then, I've been curious about how much that might have affected my time. In daily rowing, I need about 20 minutes or so before my rowing feels "sprightly" (which means something very different when NavHaz uses the term), so I imagine there would be some impact.

Theoretically, I could do a proper warm-up before a 2K trial, but I don't have it in me at the moment (and I wouldn't have the benefit of race-induced adrenaline). So....

Does anyone have any anecdotal thoughts about this?

Cheers!

[ArmandoChavezUNC]

I am no expert in the field, but IMO warming-up does make a difference (a positive one at that) in your performance on a 2k. It probably won't be that big of a difference, probably less than 3/4 seconds, but it's a difference nonetheless.

If you jump as high as you can from standing, then do some squats, then jump again --> you will notice a huge difference in the height you can jump. That's due to more muscle units being recruited. It doesn't quiet work the same when doing something like a 2k but you get the idea. As the temperature of your muscles increases they become more efficient and more units can be recruited. If you start a 2k with no warm-up, your muscles will spend the first few hundred meters trying to get warm, and you will most likely get tired way quicker than you would otherwise (you would also risk injury).

[bloomp]

I am no expert in the field, but IMO warming-up does make a difference (a positive one at that) in your performance on a 2k. It probably won't be that big of a difference, probably less than 3/4 seconds, but it's a difference nonetheless.

If you jump as high as you can from standing, then do some squats, then jump again --> you will notice a huge difference in the height you can jump. That's due to more muscle units being recruited. It doesn't quiet work the same when doing something like a 2k but you get the idea. As the temperature of your muscles increases they become more efficient and more units can be recruited. If you start a 2k with no warm-up, your muscles will spend the first few hundred meters trying to get warm, and you will most likely get tired way quicker than you would otherwise (you would also risk injury).

Very well put. I have an image in my head that shows the same thing. It's not what I had found a year ago, but it supports the idea that there is a 'lag' in the time between peak oxygen usage by muscles and the demand you place on your muscles. By getting your HR up some before a test piece, you quickly hit that point that your body is using its oxygen to generate ATP, instead of needing to run through some glycolysis and creatine phosphorylation.

I can't explain scientifically, but it's the sluggish feeling you get when you're trying to hit a pace you know is easy, but because you just started it feels really tough. For me, it takes at least 30 minutes of a workout to finally 'click' and feeling the peak of oxygen usage.

http://www-rohan.sdsu.edu/course/ens304 ... Image8.gif

[laur]

I would say more than 3-4 seconds. Not only was your body not physically prepared, but you were also not mentally prepared. It sounds like you were feeling rushed and flustered-- you were mentally weaker. And pushing through the pain is what a 2k is all about .

[DUThomas]

you were mentally weaker

Yeah, I get that a lot!

Actually, by the time the race started, I felt mentally prepared, so I'll discount any effect there. As far as lack of physical preparation goes, 3 to 4 seconds was my rough guess. So, in setting a new 2K target for myself (sub-6:50?), I'll factor in 4 seconds.

Thanks for all the replies.

[aharmer]

I don't know the physiology well, but it definitely makes a difference for me. Tonight I warmed up for 1500m but it was all slow and easy strokes. My first 1500m interval was pretty hard. The second one was far easier. On that first one I was in oxygen debt after about 300 meters and wondering how in the world I was going to finish the first piece, let alone 4 more after that.

I think a nice long easy warmup, followed by a couple good race pace bursts of 300m+ about 5 minutes before the race. That said, I'm pretty new so I haven't perfected prerace preparation yet.

[Uyam Zenra]

I have no empirical data on that, but I'm pretty shure I'd suck big time if I had to pull a 2k race out of the blue...

I've noticed, depending on daily form and daytime, that I need about 3k to 5k to feel ready to get the best performance out. To be warm is not enough to pull some good times on the erg. Suppleness is at least as important to me and to get that I need to cover some distance in slow controlled strokes interspersed with a few blocks of 10 strong and fast strokes.

[Bob S.]

I don't know the physiology well, but it definitely makes a difference for me. Tonight I warmed up for 1500m but it was all slow and easy strokes. My first 1500m interval was pretty hard. The second one was far easier. On that first one I was in oxygen debt after about 300 meters and wondering how in the world I was going to finish the first piece, let alone 4 more after that.

I think a nice long easy warmup, followed by a couple good race pace bursts of 300m+ about 5 minutes before the race. That said, I'm pretty new so I haven't perfected prerace preparation yet.

I have found that to be the normal thing for me. That is to find the second of a set of intervals to be faster and easier than the first, even with a moderate warm up beforehand. Even the third interval is as good or better than the first and once in a while better than the second. It varies with the kind of interval and rest period used in the set.

The inclusion of a few bursts of high rate, high intensity strokes in a warm up seems to help as well. That is why I like Eddie Fletcher's warm up program; it includes some high stroke sections.

Bob S.