# How long do you take to warm up for a training session? **URL:** \ **Category:** Training\ **Created:** [January 29, 2019, 2:31am UTC](https://www.trainerroad.com/forum/t/how-long-do-you-take-to-warm-up-for-a-training-session/10716 "2019-01-29T02:31:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![scottmarlowe](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/trainerroad/forum/user_avatar/www.trainerroad.com/scottmarlowe/32/18529_2.png) [@scottmarlowe](https://www.trainerroad.com/forum/u/scottmarlowe)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2019, 5:22pm UTC](https://www.trainerroad.com/forum/t/how-long-do-you-take-to-warm-up-for-a-training-session/10716/21 "2019-01-29T17:22:11Z")
I’m 48. Pre-pending 5 minutes of warmup time to the regular workout seems to work good for me most of the time. ---
**Author:** ![bbarrera](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/trainerroad/forum/user_avatar/www.trainerroad.com/bbarrera/32/14734_2.png) [@bbarrera](https://www.trainerroad.com/forum/u/bbarrera)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2019, 5:47pm UTC](https://www.trainerroad.com/forum/t/how-long-do-you-take-to-warm-up-for-a-training-session/10716/22 "2019-01-29T17:47:38Z")
> [@RobertK](#): > > Your oxygenation levels drop during the first 10-15 minutes of exercise, then recover to start level around 20 minutes, but then don’t elevate above starting level (meaning your capillaries are dilated and everything is ready to go) until about 25-30 minutes. > … > … > A step warmup gradually raises oxygen demand and the system gradually opens up to compensate. A set of short hard efforts gets the capillaries dilated and fully primes the muscles for hard work. Thanks for sharing that info and graph. I’ve been doing ramp tests for a year, at first I had no issues however my last 3 or 4 ramp tests have been complete failures. Last month I told myself to try a warmup before next ramp test. Unfortunately yesterday was another ramp test without a warm up (Laurel or Scott Peak -2), and another failed ramp test. What you shared sounds like a possible explanation for my current ramp test issues, and within a week or two I’ll try another test with a proper warmup beforehand. ---
**Author:** ![bikedawg](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/trainerroad/forum/user_avatar/www.trainerroad.com/bikedawg/32/5672_2.png) [@bikedawg](https://www.trainerroad.com/forum/u/bikedawg)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2019, 6:00pm UTC](https://www.trainerroad.com/forum/t/how-long-do-you-take-to-warm-up-for-a-training-session/10716/23 "2019-01-29T18:00:21Z")
> [@RobertK](#): > > using the Humon oxygenation sensor has shown me that all of my old 15-20 min warm ups (or sometimes, I’d just jump right in to sweet spot, feel rough for the first five minutes, then get going) were inadequate. > > Starting SMO2 might be around 70% > > 5 minutes at 240w: SMO2 drops to 65% > 5 Minutes at 260w: SMO2 drops to 60% > 5 Minutes at 280w: SMO2 steady at 60% > 5 Minutes at 300w: SMO2 rises to 65% > 5 x :30 on, :30 off, ascending from 400-450 w: SMO2 drops to 60% > 5 minutes at 200w: SMO2 rises quickly to 75% > > A step warmup gradually raises oxygen demand and the system gradually opens up to compensate. A set of short hard efforts gets the capillaries dilated and fully primes the muscles for hard work. > > ![Step%20Warmup](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/trainerroad/original/2X/1/13014dc983e11fd3413819c3c5f1528f93b9f5d7.jpeg) WOW–thanks so much for the data–fascinating! I might get one of these sensors and see what it looks like for me. ---
**Author:** ![bikedawg](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/trainerroad/forum/user_avatar/www.trainerroad.com/bikedawg/32/5672_2.png) [@bikedawg](https://www.trainerroad.com/forum/u/bikedawg)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2019, 6:04pm UTC](https://www.trainerroad.com/forum/t/how-long-do-you-take-to-warm-up-for-a-training-session/10716/24 "2019-01-29T18:04:50Z")
> [@RobertK](#): > > Humon oxygenation sensor Thank you Humon! ![armin-ds9-publicty](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/trainerroad/original/2X/8/8d7ed8518db9b037655fef552af5c8ff6f296e9a.jpeg) ---
**Author:** ![sirveloman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6f9a4e/32.png) [@sirveloman](https://www.trainerroad.com/forum/u/sirveloman)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2019, 7:09pm UTC](https://www.trainerroad.com/forum/t/how-long-do-you-take-to-warm-up-for-a-training-session/10716/25 "2019-01-29T19:09:12Z")
Basically looks like my warmup with the benefit of the “Humon oxygenation sensor” 😉 ---
**Author:** ![okcnewbie](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/trainerroad/forum/user_avatar/www.trainerroad.com/okcnewbie/32/5904_2.png) [@okcnewbie](https://www.trainerroad.com/forum/u/okcnewbie)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2019, 7:12pm UTC](https://www.trainerroad.com/forum/t/how-long-do-you-take-to-warm-up-for-a-training-session/10716/26 "2019-01-29T19:12:23Z")
I was convinced I needed about 30-45 minutes before big efforts. As it turns out this was mostly mental just like keeping the pedals going when the mind tells body to stop. I just do the workout unless I need to calibrate my Magnus which requires about 10 minutes. 54 yrs old. ---
**Author:** ![larry](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/trainerroad/forum/user_avatar/www.trainerroad.com/larry/32/12653_2.png) [@larry](https://www.trainerroad.com/forum/u/larry)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2019, 7:35pm UTC](https://www.trainerroad.com/forum/t/how-long-do-you-take-to-warm-up-for-a-training-session/10716/27 "2019-01-29T19:35:56Z")
I’m 21, so take all of this with a grain of salt. I usually just follow TR workouts as prescribed, so 5-10 mins of warmup before intervals start. I find that I am usually ready for the first set by then. For actual races, Ii definitely prefer warming up for a longer amount of time, anywhere from 15-25min depending on the nature of the efforts I’ll face. ---
**Author:** ![RobertK](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/trainerroad/forum/user_avatar/www.trainerroad.com/robertk/32/8539_2.png) [@RobertK](https://www.trainerroad.com/forum/u/RobertK)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2019, 7:39pm UTC](https://www.trainerroad.com/forum/t/how-long-do-you-take-to-warm-up-for-a-training-session/10716/29 "2019-01-29T19:39:34Z")
What you can do, versus what might be optimal to do, are quite different things. A longer step warmup with a few high intensity efforts is optimal, for most of us. That does not mean that it fits well with only having an hour to work out. ---
**Author:** ![Bryce](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/trainerroad/forum/user_avatar/www.trainerroad.com/bryce/32/72_2.png) [@Bryce](https://www.trainerroad.com/forum/u/Bryce)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2019, 7:41pm UTC](https://www.trainerroad.com/forum/t/how-long-do-you-take-to-warm-up-for-a-training-session/10716/30 "2019-01-29T19:41:52Z")
I typically follow the standard warmup, however, when I’ve been doing strength training and I have some soreness in my legs I’ll occasionally hit the +5 minutes if I have the time to spare. When warming up for a race, I typically abide by the rule of “the shorter the race, the longer the warmup”. For a long road race, I might spin for 10-15 minutes since I know the first 30-45 minutes of the race will be fairly relaxed and will allow me to warmup while racing. For a short XC race, my warmup will be longer and more involved. Typically I will warmup for around 45 minutes and throw in some race openers to get my legs ready to “snap”, since I know the start will be a VO2 max effort from the gun. A race opener is a short, 30-60 second anaerobic effort that is designed to “shake out the cobwebs” and get you ready for the intensity to come. I’m also 21 👍 ---
**Author:** ![miesemer](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/trainerroad/forum/user_avatar/www.trainerroad.com/miesemer/32/15108_2.png) [@miesemer](https://www.trainerroad.com/forum/u/miesemer)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2019, 7:47pm UTC](https://www.trainerroad.com/forum/t/how-long-do-you-take-to-warm-up-for-a-training-session/10716/31 "2019-01-29T19:47:22Z")
54 yrs. I don’t add any additional warmup to my workouts as I’m usually time crunched and do my workouts at lunch time. I then follow-up with a lower intensity ride after work. I’m currently in SSB1-Mid and SSB2-Mid track and the warmups have been adequate to get me through the workout (I also have a few years experience of my own plans with TR workouts). I never judge how well I’m going to feel on the actual workout by how I feel during the warmup… the warmup always feels like crap. That said, today’s warmup for Mills was a bit sharp but I did complete the workout with the ability to push up the intensity a little bid on the last two intervals. I suspect if I was doing my workouts at first AM, I’d probably want a better warmup to get my old ticker up to operating temperature. ---
**Author:** ![bbarrera](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/trainerroad/forum/user_avatar/www.trainerroad.com/bbarrera/32/14734_2.png) [@bbarrera](https://www.trainerroad.com/forum/u/bbarrera)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2019, 8:00pm UTC](https://www.trainerroad.com/forum/t/how-long-do-you-take-to-warm-up-for-a-training-session/10716/32 "2019-01-29T20:00:22Z")
> [@larry](#): > > I’m 21, so take all of this with a grain of salt. > I usually just follow TR workouts as prescribed, so 5-10 mins of warmup before intervals start. For actual races, Ii definitely prefer warming up for a longer amount of time, anywhere from 15-25min depending on the nature of the efforts I’ll face. heck I’m 56 and that has worked for me in general when cycling 6-8 hours/week on average. However the last two months for various reasons my volume is under 5 hours/week, plus I had some breakthroughs on resolving biomechanical issues (I can squat and deadlift again!) and that has negatively impacted my last couple of ramp tests. ---
**Author:** ![jclemens](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/trainerroad/forum/user_avatar/www.trainerroad.com/jclemens/32/10235_2.png) [@jclemens](https://www.trainerroad.com/forum/u/jclemens)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2019, 10:38pm UTC](https://www.trainerroad.com/forum/t/how-long-do-you-take-to-warm-up-for-a-training-session/10716/33 "2019-01-29T22:38:46Z")
Age 42 - Thankful for the “extend warm-up” button. I only add 2 minutes, and to every single workout with efforts, but feel like those 2 minutes make a big difference. Funny because I seem to struggle with the priming/teaser intervals more than the full workout itself. (I often cut the time off of my cool-down) I remember quitting one time after those. Then I went to redo it the next day and started paying attention to the text where it mentioned how hard those primer sets can be. After throwing a couple more minutes of warm-up, I’m in a better mental mood to take get through those. ---
**Author:** ![JHow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/71e660/32.png) [@JHow](https://www.trainerroad.com/forum/u/JHow)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2019, 10:45pm UTC](https://www.trainerroad.com/forum/t/how-long-do-you-take-to-warm-up-for-a-training-session/10716/34 "2019-01-29T22:45:11Z")
37 here. Whatever the plan tells me to do, I do it. Some days, especially the 90 min or 2 hour sessions they give you very little cool down - i’ll add a few minutes. ---
**Author:** ![Bradley\_J](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/trainerroad/forum/user_avatar/www.trainerroad.com/bradley_j/32/13395_2.png) [@Bradley\_J](https://www.trainerroad.com/forum/u/Bradley_J)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2019, 10:53pm UTC](https://www.trainerroad.com/forum/t/how-long-do-you-take-to-warm-up-for-a-training-session/10716/35 "2019-01-29T22:53:41Z")
51 years old. I almost always extend the initial warm up period by 5-7 minutes on average, unless the workout is easy. ---
**Author:** ![bikedawg](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/trainerroad/forum/user_avatar/www.trainerroad.com/bikedawg/32/5672_2.png) [@bikedawg](https://www.trainerroad.com/forum/u/bikedawg)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2019, 10:55pm UTC](https://www.trainerroad.com/forum/t/how-long-do-you-take-to-warm-up-for-a-training-session/10716/36 "2019-01-29T22:55:09Z")
> [@jclemens](#): > > Age 42 - Thankful for the “extend warm-up” button. I only add 2 minutes, and to every single workout with efforts, but feel like those 2 minutes make a big difference. Funny because I seem to struggle with the priming/teaser intervals more than the full workout itself. (I often cut the time off of my cool-down) I remember quitting one time after those. Then I went to redo it the next day and started paying attention to the text where it mentioned how hard those primer sets can be. After throwing a couple more minutes of warm-up, I’m in a better mental mood to take get through those. I hear you. Sometimes, during warmups my breathing is quite labored resulting in my legs not producing any power then me wanting to quit and sometimes I do because I think maybe I’m not rested enough… ---
**Author:** ![bikedawg](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/trainerroad/forum/user_avatar/www.trainerroad.com/bikedawg/32/5672_2.png) [@bikedawg](https://www.trainerroad.com/forum/u/bikedawg)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2019, 10:55pm UTC](https://www.trainerroad.com/forum/t/how-long-do-you-take-to-warm-up-for-a-training-session/10716/37 "2019-01-29T22:55:54Z")
Wish I was 21 again! ---
**Author:** ![TonyLPowell](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/trainerroad/forum/user_avatar/www.trainerroad.com/tonylpowell/32/46435_2.png) [@TonyLPowell](https://www.trainerroad.com/forum/u/TonyLPowell)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2019, 11:32pm UTC](https://www.trainerroad.com/forum/t/how-long-do-you-take-to-warm-up-for-a-training-session/10716/38 "2019-01-29T23:32:51Z")
61 years old here (40 years older than these TR kids 😯😜) Keep in mind that most, if not all, these workouts were designed for the time-crunched athlete, so the warmups probably reflect that. Although I’m not time crunched, I don’t extend my warmup very often; however, I can usually tell within the first couple of minutes if I need to do extra warming up. It usually starts with an audible, “ugh!” ---
**Author:** ![bugeye72](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/34f0e0/32.png) [@bugeye72](https://www.trainerroad.com/forum/u/bugeye72)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2019, 1:57am UTC](https://www.trainerroad.com/forum/t/how-long-do-you-take-to-warm-up-for-a-training-session/10716/39 "2019-01-30T01:57:08Z")
This morning, I did carillon. I should have extended the warmup. The warmup in the workout is just about non existent. At 3 minutes you’re at 85%, then by 5 minutes 95%. I was so out of breath, I felt like I might not be able to get my act together for the rest of the workout. It came out ok, didn’t have to dial it back, but it tore me up more than I think it should have. ---
**Author:** ![T\_Field](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/trainerroad/forum/user_avatar/www.trainerroad.com/t_field/32/28414_2.png) [@T\_Field](https://www.trainerroad.com/forum/u/T_Field)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2019, 5:30am UTC](https://www.trainerroad.com/forum/t/how-long-do-you-take-to-warm-up-for-a-training-session/10716/40 "2019-01-30T05:30:10Z")
Actually stretching decreases muscle strength. You would probably be better off with gentle cardio or light weights before your work set and leave the stretching to the end of the workout or some other time altogether ---
**Author:** ![dillon1003](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/trainerroad/forum/user_avatar/www.trainerroad.com/dillon1003/32/7765_2.png) [@dillon1003](https://www.trainerroad.com/forum/u/dillon1003)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2019, 9:49am UTC](https://www.trainerroad.com/forum/t/how-long-do-you-take-to-warm-up-for-a-training-session/10716/41 "2019-01-30T09:49:13Z")
I am 35 and i think this is a tailor-made thing. For me, as I wake up at 5am and then start a TR workout, I always do a warm-up on a roller for 15 mins. Split-up as follows: 0-5min: 85-90 RPM, HR less than 130 BPM 5-10min: 90-95 RPM, HR between 130 and 140 10-15min: 95-100RPM, HR between 145 and 155 After the roller, I start TR on my smart trainer. Such warm-up is very important to me as it wakes up my body and legs, sending a signal of “we are going to make something big and serious”. And for sure it makes me more confident to take the TR workout later. [Previous page](https://www.trainerroad.com/forum/t/how-long-do-you-take-to-warm-up-for-a-training-session/10716.md?page=1) [Next page](https://www.trainerroad.com/forum/t/how-long-do-you-take-to-warm-up-for-a-training-session/10716.md?page=3)