# Warm Up & Cool Down Routines?



## JtB (21 Oct 2021)

Do you just jump on your bike and ride it like you stole it? Or do you warm up before a ride and cool down after a ride? Also, if you warm up and cool down, what routines do you follow?


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## ianrauk (21 Oct 2021)

No warm up or cool down. Just jump on the bike and go, or my commutes and for longer distance rides.


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## fossyant (21 Oct 2021)

Just ride. I've a natural warm up/cool down on my commute at work as it's heavily pedestrianised, so cranking it open isn't possible for the first mile or two.


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## All uphill (21 Oct 2021)

My body dictates that I start slowly; in the evening after a long ride I will often go for a gentle stroll.


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## Mo1959 (21 Oct 2021)

The older I get, the more I find I have to start off any exercise gently and build up. Always feel much better that way than going out working hard right away.


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## Drago (21 Oct 2021)

No, I don't warm up. I won't give it 100% until im up to temp, simply because I can't, but don't warm up as such.


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## Sittingduck (21 Oct 2021)

Used to go hard straight from the off but tend to give it 10 mins easy now... then still go easy. No warm down but do stretch post ride as I found problems with tight hamstrings and so on, if no stretching. Occasionally leading to a pulled muscle at the start of a ride (typically in cold weather).


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## MichaelW2 (21 Oct 2021)

Start a ride in low gear. Spin easily to warm up.
On a commute, the cooldown strategy is more important.
You can ride like the clappers, stop at your destination then hang around outside for a few mins trying to catch a breeze.
Or
Slow down and remove some clothing over the final 5 mins. The moving air will cool more efficiently. You stop, lockup and stroll inside past all the sweating guys flapping their arms.


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## Alex321 (21 Oct 2021)

Just jump on the bike and go, but most of the routes I use have a few minutes of relatively gentle riding at the start.

No cooldown either, although against, many of my routes finish with a few minutes of easier riding.

For my commute, I have a shower available in the office, so don't worry too much about arriving sweaty.


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## Specialeyes (21 Oct 2021)

Outdoors, whether commuting or not, the landscape and road layout dictate I start easy for a few minutes. The inverse of that is that when I come home I often have a tank-emptying 'sprint' finish... usually followed by a couple of minutes' loop just to let my heart rate drop to manageable proportions!

On the turbo the only times I don't warm up are when joining an early evening Zwift race with 2 minutes to spare (looking at you, Friday 6.35pm Newbury Velo Crit!) and those are the closest I ever come to 'doing a Laura Kenny' at the end


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## MichaelW2 (21 Oct 2021)

I used to have a commute that started and finished up steep hills with some fast downhill bits. The worst for a cold morning when I had to strip off a layer before the final big climb or end up in a sweaty mess. That is when I discovered light fleece or padded gillet worn as an outer layer over windproof.


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## JtB (21 Oct 2021)

Taking it easy at the start / end of a ride is something I do but I never got into the habit of stretching exercises and I’m wondering if I’m now starting to pay the price. I had ITB syndrome earlier on in the year and I thought I’d hit it on the head but it seems to have worsened again this last couple of weeks.

I completely stopped cycling last year when the lockdowns began and started walking instead. I then resumed cycling at the start of this year but continued with the walking. I’m now finding that if I walk further than a certain distance then the ITB symptoms occur down the left leg and lower back. Just wondering if maybe the cycling is tightening the IT Band which is then resulting in the pain when I go out for a walk. Anyway, I’ve got a physiotherapist appointment in a couple of weeks so let’s hope that helps.


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## tyred (21 Oct 2021)

Just ride at a sedate pace for the first few miles and the final few miles.


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## gbb (21 Oct 2021)

I used to approach 50 mile rides with a full on start, right from the off.
I used to log rides and times and always found rdes would complete in more or less the same time.

Then i started doing the first 5 miles steady, perhaps 13 or 14 mph cruising, then hit it. What i found was i could finish harder, not so tired and unexpectedly, my time was more or less the same as a hard start.
Gain at one end, lose at the other i guess..


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## figbat (21 Oct 2021)

I just go, but where I live naturally leads to a less intense start and end to the ride. I tend not to go balls out from the start, but only because I’m keen to finish the ride so pace myself.


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## Saluki (21 Oct 2021)

I just get on and ride. I take it steady and that does the warming up for me. After a long ride, I might stretch properly or I can’t walk nicely the next morning.


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