How do you warm up?
Originally Posted by
big chainring
…This morning I rode 30 miles. The first 7 or 8 miles muscles were tight. Hamstrings cramping. After a hard jam up a hill I finally felt good. And really felt great after 10 miles.
So what can I do to get the muscles loose before riding?
Originally Posted by
bruce19
I usually just spin without putting a load on my legs for a couple miles. I can feel when I'm ready to put more of a load on my legs.
I had previously replied last year to this thread on the Road Cycling Forum, “Pre & post warm-up warmdown.” I have tried to “quantify” my answer (distance and intensity):
Originally Posted by
boshk
How much if any do you do before and after a ride?
..A ride where you need to shower afterwards...
Originally Posted by
Jim from Boston
For me, that’s a ride of minimum of ten miles, and my commute is a minimum of14 miles. I only warm up, and then ride at cruising pace to the end.
When I first started a training schedule for a century, I noted at what mile I spontaneously realized I felt completely warmed up, i.e. I did not consciously look for it, and it usually occurred at about 6 miles. My basic riding routine is:
Originally Posted by
Jim from Boston
...last year I developed for myself my"
Time-restricted, Personally Ambitious, but Non-competitive CyclistTraining Routine,"…based on
”Relative Perceived Exertion (RPE).”
Originally Posted by
Jim from Boston
My basic premise was that I wanted to get significantly fit, within a busy work/family time-crunched life, but not suffer so much that I would abandon the program.
I do have the advantages of a very nice minimum 14 mile one way commute that is easily extended; and a high end, very comfortable carbon fiber road bike that encourages riding.
The RPE scale ranges from 6 to17, with descriptions of the intensity. Multiply the RPE by 10 is the approximate heart rate. Jim's scale is the equivalent on a 0 to 100 scale, easier to think about…
My basic training is to ride at my RPE of 50% for six miles to warm up, then cruise at an RPE of 60%, and do intervals (on hills) at 70% [described as“hard”; 60% is“somewhat hard," and 80% is “very hard" (lactate threshold;breakpoint between hard but steady breathing and labored with gasping). 50% is "fairly light" (my usual happy-go-lucky pace without thinking about it)].
I try to change gears to maintain a cadence of about 85-90 rpm on flats and rolling hills, and about 60 to 80 rpm on harder hills, to maintain my RPE. Shift up to higher gears as the cadence rises, and shift down as the RPE increases.
Originally Posted by
az_cyclist
I just pedal comfortably for a few miles. To meet club rides now it is fairly easy, as it is 6 or 7 miles (depending on which club) and is a 1% downhill.
Last edited by Jim from Boston; 07-10-18 at 05:00 AM.