TT warmup routine

Racing Time Trial (TT)
#1

Got myself a portable trainer to warm up pre TT (Feedback Sports Omnium to out myself here).

I was looking for some good warmup routines. Need to get my body temperature up quickly and producing heat. Our TTs are often rather cold (think sub 10C), and waering a skin suit works only during a race without freezing to death.

Suppose there are enough folks around from the weather callanged island of Great Britain with good feedback of what to do there.

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#2

I have a similar comment to your other post. I have maybe only warmed up on a trainer once. They have some rules about where you can use a trainer in the UK as the races tend to start too early and they don’t want to disturb the residents.

So I just developed something based on something I think @pav had. 5 min easy, slow ramp up to and just above race power. Ease up a bit and throw in 2-3 all out 5 second sprints. Time it so you have 5-10 min between the final sprint and start time. Get to the start with 3 minutes to go (with jacket on). Ditch jacket when you get your 1 minute to go timer. And you’re off!

Best of luck

#3

Thanx for the timing suggestions. We here have about the opposite problem. You can use stationary trainers, but warming up on a local road is often just not practical.

And yes, starting off the same idea with @pav’s normal warmup, a ramp plus sprints. Just looking if somebody could add some more feedback, like “sprints don’t work” …

#4

Sprints definitely work for me if I have to go hard. In a Germany training podcast I follow, they had the image of the “lactate sink” meaning that there is lactate (or H2 ions) produced coming in through the tap (Vla), a sink that has a certain capacity and a drain. The theory was that not everything of that works the same all the time and some people need to “flush through” the drain to make it work properly.
If I don’t do the sprints, my legs just hurt and I get no power out.

#5

For Zwift WTRL and ZLR races I’ve a couple of warm-ups I used to use.

First a quick 15min one

  1. Ramp up in 4 steps

  2. 3 min @ 40-50 % of FTP

  3. 4 min @ 50-60 % of FTP

  4. 3 min @ 60-75 % of FTP

  5. 5 min @ 50-70 % of FTP

Then this 25min one.

  1. Warm up5 min @ 40-55 % of FTP

  2. Ramp up in 4 steps

  3. 2 min @ 40-70 % of FTP

  4. 2 min @ 70-80 % of FTP

  5. 2 min @ 80-88 % of FTP

  6. 2 min @ 88-104 % of FTP

  7. Recovery2 min @ 40-60 % of FTP

  8. Repeat 3 times

  9. Surge 7 sec @ 120-200 % of FTP

  10. Easy43 sec @ 50-60 % of FTP

  11. Recovery8 min @ 40-60 % of FTP

Then I also used this one from GP Lama which is similar to the one above.

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#6

Do you use them both or alternate between the two?

#7

I alternate but with the shorter one I will add a couple of sprints as the end before the recovery. I mostly use that one when I’ve less time before a Zwift race, I will jump into the pen and then run through it sometimes I have my timing right so I can just ramp it up to FTP and just over for when the line goes up.

#8

Some great info here. Thanks all

#9

This is really good, thanks

#10

Wanted to check if you’ve made a breakthrough in your warm up routine?

#11

No breakthrou. Just used more or less what Pav was suggesting for a FTP test warmup anyway. Using more sprints at lower power to get warmed up quickly. That however is a consequence of the trainer I use (no regulated power), and the gearing.

Overall using that pre race (TT that is) has been a revelation. A skinsuit with aero base layer works down to 40F, no problems. Actually now I have to think about the threshold where I would sweat. Good problems to have.

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