Hello all,
Does anyone here during warm up for workouts or hard starting group rides?
During my workouts the TR warm ups are too short, so if do the workouts as prescribed I get a sharp pain in my chest.
Now depending on warm up, if I make it longer and ramp up to different power levels then ride easy for a few mins after, then I’m ready to go and can nail workouts.
An example being I did Garrowby -1 and suffered the entire workout with the pain.
Now this wouldn’t be bad but it adds as much as 30 minutes to a workout on warming up alone, it gets annoying.
I’ve felt this same pain during hard starting group rides and usually to
Take me about 25 minutes to feel ok, I’ve thought it was that I was just out of shape.
Now I’ve been to my doctor and cardiologist annd had test done. all checks out ok.
My other thought was maybe I need more longer Z2 rides.
Don’t know, at this point it’s frustrating.
I’m more worried now about the warm up than the workouts themselves.
I find the warm ups on some TR workouts ridiculously short. I need at a minimum 20 minutes or so, and usually feel better with 30 minutes of warm up. Just build that extra time into your hard workouts if you are the same.
For what it’s worth, I don’t extend my time on the bike before any TR workouts, but I also rarely start a workout ‘cold’. I have some off-bike warm up exercises that I do (largely consisting of dynamic stretching and muscle activation), so that my body is reasonably ready for the workout ahead.
Here’s a video I found a while back, which I think it very good, but can be a little long so I sometimes do only half the number of each movement. There are also some good (and shorter) ride warm up videos on the Dynamic Cyclist YouTube channel.
I agree with the warm ups being short.
My legs will feel ready but heart is not warmed up yet.
I agree with the 20-30 mins. Maybe it because I’m older also.
So listen, I don’t mean to gloss over your question of longer warmups or not (I DO extend them on most workouts, but only to get the blood flowing), but I’d be most worried about the chest pain itself, rather then EITHER of the above (I’m not suggesting you aren’t, of course).
I applaud you for going to see your doctor, but I would make sure they are doing their due diligence with your health first and foremost. Chest pain is nothing to take lightly and it may take several visits to multiple cardiologists to find the cause of your pain.
Ask me how I know…
How did you know?
This is another case where you will be much better served seeing a health professional, as the forum can only take you so far.
Please take care! 
That’s the thing, Doctors say everything is ok, Blood Pressure 107/70, arteries showed clear and heart working normally.
The fact is that depending on how I warm up will determined if I have the pain or not.
Only thing I could think at this point is either get a second opinion from a sport doctor if I can find one or I need more Z2 riding to get mt cardio stronger.
Don’t know
I was having sharp pains in my chest too. I called the doc and they said ‘Come on down’, so I showed up. The PA put the EKG pads on without prepping the area so the strip looked horrific, and I was told to go to the ER. They had faxed the strip so they were prepped for me when I arrived. The main doc there was a friend of a friend and was surprised I was walking and drove myself there. Unfortunately the wheels were turning and they had to ‘treat me’, and I had places shaved, pads installed, more wires than a car audio system for sure. Blood tests and constant monitoring. I was checked into the Cardiac Care Unit for the night, next to someone happily munching on a huge bucket of KFC 
oblivious that maybe that crap got them there. Hourly blood tests looking at cardiac indicators until I yelled at her at 3AM to leave me the ‘ef’ alone. The next morning was NPO, not even water in case they needed to ‘go in’, and a crack of dawn stress test.
So in my case all that drama was likely an interstitial muscle in my rib cage, and the incompetent PA who needed to go though remedial education on applying EKG pads. And after a 3 month followup stress test, I was proclaimed alive. (As opposed to a job I had where the prior person occupying that desk had a 100% fine checkup at a cardiologist and was dead in a month from a massive heart attack 
And I pissed off a lot of people for saying that I felt like a drummer for The Who 
)
I hope the OP had an interstitial muscle cramp and the heart is okay. That little muscle sure hurt like hell!!
Glad you were ok! I bet that was scary.
Typical carnivore / keto diet success story… =/
I think I spent the whole time in a state of incredulity. ‘What’s going on?’. Then I had thoughts of torturing that PA… 
(No seriously!! 
At least I didn’t have a client crisis at that time)
Starting at 0:58 in…
I’d strongly consider it. In my experience, many Dr’s struggle dealing with athletes because so much of the population is sedentary. They tend to diagnose and treat issues with a bias toward that population. That may not be the case here, but with something like chest pain I’d say it’s worth seeking a Dr. who has some experience working with athletes.
On 4/9/25 i did the workout Spruce -1, prior to the workout I did a warmup of 16mins.
It took that and the warm up from Spruce -1 in order not to feel any pain.
The frustrating part was that and 1:15 ride turned into 1:43 min ride.
For most of my hard TR workouts I have to add time,
For the low endurance stuff I’m usually fine as longa the Heart rate stay around 120- 125 bpm.
Does this quote suggest that the pain goes up IF your heart rate goes above a certain level? Dude, if that’s the case, DEFINITELY go get that second (or 3rd or 4th opinion, if need be). Clearly there is something amiss.
To further clarify my previous post. while I didn’t have “pain” in the traditional sense, I was feeling chest discomfort from time to time… more of an achy feeling if you will. I began to discuss this with my primary doctor, who referred me to cardio.
Over the course a couple years I went through the whole barrage of tests they typically do… EKG, ECG, blood tests, standard stress tests and 3 cardiologists who all said things were “normal” and “ok” before my current cardiologist did all those test AND a nuclear stress test which showed an “abnormality”, then the subsequent cardiac catheterization that followed the stress test ultimately revealed a 98% blockage in a small feeder artery that branches off my aorta. It is this blockage that my doctor expects to be causing the discomfort I feel from time to time.
This blockage was found 6 years ago and due it’s proximity to the aorta, my doctor says if it’s not causing any significant chest pain we should leave it alone as playing around near the aorta can severely complicate things (ie, I could die). Today, we manage my disease with a combination of diet, exercise (which is where I found my love for riding my bike) and meds and there has been no further progression with it as of my latest tests this past spring.
I share my story to re-iterate what I said previously, which is to make sure that the doctor(s) are doing their due diligence (my first few were NOT). You only get one life, and you shouldn’t take chest pain lightly. I can’t imagine where I might be today if I had taken that first doctor at his word and continued to live my life how I had been up to that point (which was FAR from good).
Good luck brother, and I wish you well!
Yes, I usually have to keep my heart rate limited to 120-130 for the first 20-30 mins.
After that it like a limiter is removed and I’m able to go higher like normal.
Back in August I did a TR ramp test and was able to push it up to 182bpm.
This is what has me confused.
A second opinion from a sport doctor is looking like the way to go.
I wouldn’t even say you need a sports doctor, though I’m sure it won’t hurt. Mine isn’t sports medicine trained, he was just willing to explore ALL options at his disposal to determine what my issue was!
You might look up Benjamin Levine, sports cardiologist in Dallas. Read his bio, this is who I would go to if I was having any potential heart issues.
Ben Levine, M.D.: Internal Medicine | General Cardiology | UT Southwestern Medical Center
Definitely take this seriously but there are other causes of “chest pain” than just the heart.
I sometimes get “chest pains” at the beginning of a ride. It is most likely to strike when its cool (even a cool winter basement can cause it). by 20 or so minutes in I feel fine. My pain is clearly breathing related though and it definitely makes breathing very uncomfortable. While my chest hurts, its not really “chest pain” in the classic sense. My self diagnosis with Dr. Google points to exercise induced asthma but I have not sought treatment.
Would have to agree…a quick Rx for an inhaler will solve your issue. I never used one regularly, evne though I was diagnosed 20 years ago with EIA. A few years ago, my primary care doc said “why are you handicapping yourself by not using your inhaler?” Lightbulb moment.
I don’t use it if I am just doing endurance or tempo work, but if my workout has any intensity, I always “take a hit” before riding now. Makes a massive difference, mostly on recovery. I am no longer struggling to gasp in air after an interval (well, I am…but just don’t feel like I might blackout anymore. 
When did your chest pains start? Is it just during indoor TR workouts? How long have you been an endurance athlete? Is there any time of day or seasonal differences?
These things are a puzzle and seeking a second opinion seems wise. But also sometimes you can further isolate the cause.