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Your legs feel heavy and unresponsive. Your heart rate climbs rapidly and rises higher than it should, relative to the effort, or it won't climb at all. You push yourself to keep up and begin to feel like an old VW Microbus, sputtering up a mountain pass. Eventually you back off the pace, fearing that you won't be able to continue. You slow down and start to feel better. Within a half hour you seem to catch your second wind.

So what went wrong?

Did you allow plenty of time to prepare both mentally and physically before the ride, race or training session? Did you arrive at the last minute and scurry to get started? Was it the stress from rushing? Maybe, but it's more likely that you didn't allow your body the time to adequately warm up.

Warming your muscles prior to a race, training session, or a long ride is important because of several physiological factors. To begin with, it's crucial to gradually increase the temperature of the muscles and connective tissues involved in the activity. A warmed muscle is more elastic and can quickly contract and relax. Warming up will also increase blood flow to the working muscles. This process will deliver additional oxygen to the muscles that are used when riding. It's also necessary to activate the energy systems that will be called upon to perform, such as the metabolic processes that provide fuel for the working muscles.

If your muscles are not properly warmed, they may cramp, become overstretched resulting in injury, or feel tight and heavy when you need them to be loose and lively. However, warming up should be done without fatiguing the muscles.

The warm up is also a good time to enhance your focus and mentally prepare for your event. Therefore, it is important to allow yourself plenty of time to warm up to avoid feeling rushed or stressed.

The idea is to develop a routine that is adequate for the upcoming output demands and consistent enough that you are able to eliminate it as a cause of a poor performance. If you know that your warm up was the same as you've always done in the past, but you felt sluggish or weak, then you can look at other factors that might be effecting your performance. The following are general guidelines to warm your muscles.

Since the idea is to warm the body, it's important to dress properly. In cool weather, wear tights and a jacket. If it's hot, be sure not to overheat. Regardless of the temperature, drink plenty of fluids during the entire warm-up routine to prevent dehydration.

The Routine
A warm up routine should include a general and a specific phase, followed by stretching. Time your warm up so that you complete it about five to 10 minutes before the start of your event or training session. Try warming up on a stationary trainer or on the road. If you are racing, be sure to check your start time and find out if the event is running as scheduled.

Phase 1: General
During the first and general phase of the warm up routine, keep your rpms high (around 90) and the resistance low. This phase should last between 15 and 20 minutes. For the first five to 10 minutes, spin easy until you break a sweat, then add a little resistance, but not enough to cause muscle fatigue. The time it takes for you break a sweat will vary, due to factors such as outside temperature and humidity. The purpose of this phase is to: loosen your legs, raise muscle temperature, direct blood flow to the appropriate muscles and allow quiet time to mentally prepare for the event.

Include some deep breathing exercises to help you remain relaxed and focused. Visualize yourself riding strong and fast, but effortlessly. If you tend to get knots in your stomach near the start of a race (who doesn't) stay focused on your personal riding strengths. Imagine yourself exploiting your strengths and feel confident about your abilities.

By focusing on riding smooth, efficient, and strong, you'll stay relaxed. Some athletes like to wear headphones and listen to inspiring music during the warm up — some like to "rock out." If you find yourself getting nervous before races, start out with some relaxing music and pick up the tempo closer to the start of the race.

Phase 2: Stretch
Once the muscles are initially warmed, you should take about five to 10 minutes to gently stretch. Be sure to include the quadriceps, hamstrings, calves, lower back, neck and shoulders in your stretching routine.

Phase 3: Specific

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Following the general phase, the specific warm-up phase should then activate the metabolic processes associated with higher energy output. Spin easy for five minutes after stretching, then gradually bring your heart rate up to just below race effort. Spin easy for a couple of minutes then bring your heart rate back up again. This should be done with moderate resistance and high rpms to prevent muscle fatigue.

The ideal warm-up routine will vary, depending on the type and duration of the event and the individual participating. Personally, I like a 45-minute warm up while others are comfortable after 20 minutes of warming up. Experiment with different warm up lengths and routines until you find your groove.

If you're preparing for a time trial or downhill race, spend up to two minutes near race intensity. You'll need to experiment with this type of warm-up. Make a mental note of the point when your legs get past the tightness and seem to tolerate the higher effort. This shouldn't be interval training. This isn't the time to impress your friends or get a second look at your breakfast. The level of effort shouldn't be uncomfortable, but should be enough to briefly elevate your heart rate and thus activate the physiological systems used during race efforts.

Spend the last five to 10 minutes of the warm-up at a low intensity.

As I get older, I feel more and more like an old car with a faulty choke. If I drive hard before the engine is warm, I stall and end up on the side of the road, waiting for help. Using these guidelines to develop a warm-up routine and allowing plenty of time to properly warm-up, will better prepare you to go hard and fast when needed. If your body isn't properly prepared, then you risk injury and may get left behind.

— Thomas Chapple, MountainZone.com Correspondent

Thomas Chapple is a licensed USA Cycling coach, a certified personal trainer, and a triathlon coach. He coaches regional and nationally competitive athletes and has competed at the national level in downhill mountain bike racing. He can be reached at thomaschapple@aol.com.