A proper warm up can make a big difference in how you feel and perform on race day.
It is a critical component for anyone looking to maximize race performance, and, if done properly, can help you see consistent improvements in race results.
Benefits of Warm Up #
There are many benefits to having a good warm up routine, these benefits include:
- Improved blood flow to muscles
- Muscle and joint flexibility
- Physiological adaptation to lactic acid
- Improved neuromuscular activation
- Increased body temperature
- Reduce pre-race jitters and anxiety
A warm up consisting primarily of zone 1 with some intensity intervals mixed in will increase lactic acid and blood flow to your muscles which helps the body adapt to the physiological stress associated with racing.
Some dynamic stretching will also help get muscles primed while increasing flexibility.
These warm up adaptations are what allow you to perform at peak ability right from the start and maintain a high effort level for longer during your race.
How to Warm Up #
You can and should customize your warm up routine to suit your needs. Here are some general recommendations that will help optimize your warm up routine.
Total warm up should be between 30-45 minutes of activity prior to race start, and a breakdown of zone 1, zone 3 and zone 4 intensity levels are listed below.
- 15 minutes of zone 1
- 5-8 minutes of zone 3
- 5-10 minutes zone 1
- 2-4 x 30 second zone 4 hard intensity with 2 min rest
- Dynamic stretching in start area
The table below shows what a warm up routine could look like
| Label | Time | Intensity | Details |
| Warm up ski | 15 min | Zone 1 | Nice easy ski. Skiing the course loop and getting comfortable with different sections of the course. |
| Z3 Intensity | 6 min | Zone 3 | Higher zone 3, close to race pace intensity level. Great for establishing necessary blood flow to muscles for harder efforts. |
| Easy Recovery Ski | 5 min | Zone 1 | Recovery from interval before doing short sprint efforts. |
| Sprints | 4 x 30 seconds | Zone 4 | Short intervals focusing on near maximal intensity. Good for muscle activation and lactic acid adaptation. |
| Dynamic Stretching | Dynamic Stretching | – | While waiting for start, dynamic stretching to help relax, calm nerves and maintain muscle tone. |
Important Considerations #
When warming up for an event, there are lots of logistics and potential hurdles you need to consider that could interfere with your warm up routine. Some of these considerations are:
- How far are you parked from the start area?
- Where are the bathrooms?
- Can you claim a start spot early?
- Do you know how to get your race package?
- Do you know how to get to the start area?
- Are there change rooms to add to remove layers?
- Is there a lodge or warming tent you can use?
- Do you have your water and nutrition easily accessible?
These are some of many considerations you’ll need to consider when preparing for your event on race day. It’s important to have a game plan for any issues you could foresee happening and having contingencies in place in the event plans change.
It is also important to incorporate the above considerations into your warm up plan.
With good planning you can be confident you have all your important race day logistics taken care of, and this will allow you to have an optimal warm up to perform your best in your race.
