Why do elites warm up/cool down so slow?

warm up, you want to go from a sedentary state (or whatever state you are in) to a metabolic state where you can function optimally, or relatively so.

that means there is no specific warm up routine for any one individual.

ideally you adjust your warm up to your type of metabolism and body state of the moment.

morning, you are likely to do a little more warm up.

third workout of the day. you are likely to do less.

first workout for speed in a long time? longer warm up.

you arrive at the track pumped? less warm up.

you're going to run a marathon, be careful to warm up but no lose any energy.

so with all of this, start with a routine, say jog a mile or two, do some easy all round stretches, and a few stride outs. then adjust from there. notice what is working for you. or coach, notice what' working for the athlete.

warm down?

what did you do in training?

you do a little light cross training afterward, especially move the legs and trunk around in dis-similar ways to running. but warm down is to do easy motions. even a very light gym workout is good. you can add in massage and ice, to stop micro bleeding and start the repair process quicker, but do not massage directly after icing. you can massage once the micro tears heal, and then you want especially active massage, i will write something about that later, google it, because massage methods, are generally applied with very little intelligence.

for example, if you break your wrist, you do not massage the fracture. however once healed you do want to break down the scar tissue and massage the area to enhance full recovery and functionality. duh.

party on.

raise not beg wrote:

humpyhump wrote:

This is actually a good question. I have noticed the same with other elites. Very slow jogs. Most Americans in HS and college put in a few miles at 7 minute pace and call that a warm up. I've never heard coaches specifically say what pace to warm up at which begs the question "What pace is ideal for a warm-up?" Any studies been done on it?

It doesn't beg the question, it raises the question. These mean entirely different things.

i'm going to pour my lactic acid on your face.

Karma Police wrote:

I'd be interested if anyone knowledgable had any comment on this.

That's about right on average.

I found that I can tell what sort of warmup I need based on the first couple of steps I take when I get out of bed in the morning.

If the legs feel normal, a warmup as you suggested is about right. If the legs are tired, I need at least double what you suggested. If the legs are extremely bouncy and feel incredible no warmup is even necessary, though I'll still do a short one.

UK Limey runner wrote:

Wrong. A basic understanding of logic would allow you to understand otherwise.

A basic understanding of logic informs me that because correlation does not imply causation, we cannot assume that the practices of elite athletes are sound.

Because it's the warm up part of the warm up! I imagine the slow jog is merely a prelude to more intensive parts of the warm up that follow.

The warm up is not part of the workout ; it is there merely to get the body ready for the workout. You do as little as you need to do. anything more than this and it's not a warm up but part of the actual session.

I have seen many youngsters, especially at X-country meets , "warming up" at a pace faster than they will be running towards the later end of the race - an example of not understanding the purpose of the activity you are engaged in.

Smooth Daddy wrote:A basic understanding of logic informs me that because correlation does not imply causation, we cannot assume that the practices of elite athletes are sound.

Your post appeared to form the premise "The world's fastest runners are typically observed to perform warm-ups prior to completing the world's best performances, therefore warm-ups are unnecessary and may impair performance".

If that's what you believe then I think that's silly.

10-15 min jog and 3-4 strides is more than enough for any race

Jogging is meant to get the muscles and tendons loosened up, not warm you up.

Even CDs are slow. I live in a city where elites train. Cooled down with one a 9:30 min/mile pace after we ended our workouts at the same time.

The work is in the workout. the WU and CD are just that. There is no need to advance fitness from them.