Help getting rid of Sluggish Start?

paldred

Hi, every training ride i do of about 60km, the first 10km or so is hell. My legs are heavy and i go really slow compared to my last 10km, surely it should be the other way around. Its starting to really annoy me and does put me of rides. Any help please, could it be my pre ride food - Bread?

thanks

Slow1972

If you're straight into the ride with no other warm up I wouldnt be too surprised.

When i commute in the morning I hit a short steep hill after 1/2 mile and it always makes me suffer. If i ride it when my legs are fully warmed up I find it a lot easier (or can do it quicker for the same pain).

I'd try a steadier start to warm up thoroughly before settling into your faster training pace rather than setting off at full gas, add some more mileage to allow for it if need be.

chrisw12

paldred wrote:

Hi, every training ride i do of about 60km, the first 10km or so is hell. My legs are heavy and i go really slow compared to my last 10km, surely it should be the other way around. Its starting to really annoy me and does put me of rides. Any help please, could it be my pre ride food - Bread?

thanks

Let me guess, the first 10km of your ride are uphill

I don't like the term warm up as I'm led to believe that the human body temp. doesn't change that much, so what exactly are you warming up?

Despite that, I find exactly the same thing, the end of the ride always seems better than the start and the peak part of the ride for me comes after about 30 mins, this is where I feel at my strongest (my power data seems to back this up as well.)

So I don't know why a 'warm up' is needed, what's more I don't care, I just accept the fact that I'm going to need about 30 mins before I'm at my best.

Pork Sword

When you 'warm-up' you increase blood flow and oxygen to the lungs and energy derived from carbs (sugars) to the working muscles. Without a sufficient 'warm-up' you will struggle initially, as like an engine, the body is not at its optimal level for performance/exercise. However, a warm-up is not essential if it's 'only' a training ride but perhaps taking things a bit slower to start with will help? Spin a lower gear and get out of the saddle on hills. I'm sure we all feel a bit sluggish to begin with - that's why Tour riders have the slower roll-out at the start of Tour stages - even the Pro's need a bit of warming up...

Slow1972

Erm yes, you've both put it more eloquently than me. By warm up I didnt meant physically heating yourself up but getting the blood and oxygen flowing. Whether you do a separate warm up or not it amounts to the same thing in that for the first part of a ride (i.e. until you are "warmed up" or whatever else you want to call it) you probably won't be going as well as when you've going a while

I thought the term warm-up was is in pretty common usage for what it stands for, even if technically it's inaccurate.

guv001

Cheetahs don't warm up and there like s*£t off a shovel.

chris24a

guv001 wrote:

Cheetahs don't warm up and there like s*£t off a shovel.

But they're knackered after 200 yrds

oldwelshman

If a cheetah was chasing me I reckon I would cycle faster than Hoy and certainly like shit off a shovel !! But for rides igenerally use low gear and fastish cadence for first few miles, and the last few.

chrisw12

Interesting point that about animals though. Do the big cats perform a few reps at 80%, then go for a stroll before they go for the big one? You don't seem many of them doing hamstring stretches just before either (or do they?) Really makes you think, is a warm up needed at all?

Escargot

I'm pretty much the same. It doesn't matter whether I'm playing football, squash, running or cycling. I always feel like crap for the first 10-15 mins before settling into a rhythmn.

Slow1972 wrote:

I thought the term warm-up was is in pretty common usage for what it stands for, even if technically it's inaccurate.

It is

I think the description is pretty accurate tbh. After 10 mins of exercise your body temp is undoubtedly higher than it was but not quite at it's max so you have warmed up. Admittedly the term is quite broad so covers mental, muscular etc. etc. but it all boils down to the same thing

Escargot

chrisw12 wrote:

Interesting point that about animals though. Do the big cats perform a few reps at 80%, then go for a stroll before they go for the big one? You don't seem many of them doing hamstring stretches just before either (or do they?) Really makes you think, is a warm up needed at all?

I've a feeling it's becuase humans have become pretty pitiful creatures as 90% of us live pretty sedate lives nowadays. Most of us wouldn't survive in the wild as one ruptured achilles would render us completely useless.

I'd hazzard a guess that folks living highly active lives do not need warming up as their bodies are more adapted to doing work.

ut_och_cykla

Warming up is basically giving the body's enzyme systems etc. time to reach the right level. Not sure the body temperature actually changes much. Cheetahs probably have a body set up (enzymes, muscle fibres etc) which allows them to sprint without warming up - they usually have to have a lie down afterwards tho' if you believe what you see on the telly!
Your problem could be going out too hard or it could be that you eat too much too close to departure - blood is busy digestting /transporting food, and not much over for harder muscular efforts.
Like much else its a personal thing. Make sure yousatrt with 'full tanks' whenever possible - eat well the night before if you train hard and often, or try eating much earlier before riding or eating/nibbling once on the ride etc. Experiment a bit to see if its a food/recovery issue thats disturbing you.

nmcgann

I think it's pretty common for people to take a few miles to "warm up". When I'm doing hard interval sessions on the turbo it takes me about 20 mins of progressively increasing power before I can sustain the levels I will be targetting.