Warm-Up: Skipping Exercises

I'm curious how the RT routine relates to the tempo warmup on your dvd. Would you use the RT warmup for races only and the tempo WU for tempo runs or would they work for both?

Also, there is an interview on flotrack with Jack Daniels and he mentions how annoying it is to see teams warming up together doing the same thing. He says everyone needs a different warm-up depending on what works for them. You seem to advocate for a common warm-up. Is there a middle ground here where athletes could tweak your routine to what gets them ready to race while still maintaining the purpose of a warm-up? The WU obviously varies depending on the race but what about two athletes both running a 5k?

Thanks for all the info you provide. I'd rather have too much information than not enough.

All right … I LOVE THIS. I love how the track looked warped in the video, how the snow was blowing and how there was Bear Canyon in the background. Jay – love hearing the dog yap in the background.

JD's pitch on doing a warm up close to race pace was all based on the observation that our second interval in a workout usually feels easier than the first. His response – blow out that first interval in your race specific warm up by doing a quarter or so at race pace. I lean a bit here to what Jay says – seems a bit fast to me but I'd also do a few 100s or 200s at race pace to “dial it in.”

… just a guy with a blog … right!

GZ

Thanks for taking the time to share. I have really reduced backwards skipping/shuffling, especially with younger athletes. We had several backwards falls resulting in one broken wrist. I know it should not happen if you have your balance point as you should, but younger athletes just aren't ready, so beware. A minor stumble equals trouble.

Minor picky point, but no experienced track athlete should ever work in lane one for a warm-up for several reasons:
1. it's the most beat up lane and you are adding to that issue
2. it's the most beat up lane and thus the hardest lane on the legs with less spring in the surface
3. someone running hard on the track will need lane one … you should be in about lane six or seven for this in my humble opinion — track etiquette is something that should be reinforced in such things — so even though you are on an empty track and needing camera angles, that's my take on that Let's do track etiquette soon. I have some thoughts and it may vary a little from place to place, but I think there are some common themes.

We do similar stuff plus some more most days.

Jay – another great video. Just got back from an indoor track meet and the following questions dawned on me while I was there tonight. Of course I have a general idea of what I would do – but I am curious to see if you or any others might have some additional thoughts.

1. What would you recommend for the warm-up for athletes preparing for a second event? Obviously the nature of the event will continue to determine much of what the athlete should be doing – but generally speaking, would you advocate more aerobic running – or less jogging and more Neuromuscular Prep?

2. What kind of cool-down do you recommend for athletes after the first event? My athletes are not versed in AIS at this point – I am considering adding this element to our program next year. But would you recommend some basic hip flexibility stuff. I am thinking of Iron Crosses / Scorpions / Leg Swings / Hurdle Trail Leg. Or would you incorporate this stuff in their second warm-up?

Hope everything went well in Ames.