Priming for power: evaluating warm-up protocols and sprint performance in cycling

Warm-ups are employed to elevate muscular temperature prior to an exercise task, enhancing performance and reducing injury risk. Increases in muscular temperature enhances performance by facilitating an increase in blood flow to the respiring tissues, faster nerve conduction velocity, higher enzymatic activity, and enhanced metabolic responses. Two types of warm-ups exist, increasing muscle temperature differently: Passive warm-ups via external means, and active warm-ups through exercise. In BMX racing, where scientific literature is sparse, no studies have established warm-up strategies to optimise BMX performance. To begin to address this gap, a systematic review examined the effects of warm-up routines on ≤ 30 s sprint cycling performance, identifying warm-up intensity, duration, and recovery period between the warm-up and exercise task as critical factors influencing sprint performance. However, intensity definition varied, and cadence, a known determinant of BMX performance was a significant omission from the literature included. To extend these findings, a laboratory-based experimental study explored whether the manipulation of cadence during a sprint-based warm-up could influence subsequent 30 s Wingate performance following a 30-minute recovery, reflecting BMX race conditions. Twelve male recreational cyclists completed warm-ups under different cadence conditions, with blood lactate, skin temperature, energy system contributions, resting gas exchange, and Wingate performance assessed. Cadence manipulation successfully elicited intensity variation; however, following a 30-minute recovery, any performance benefits had dissipated, with no significant differences observed between conditions. These findings suggest that maintaining thermal and neuromuscular readiness across prolonged recovery may require a stronger warm-up stimulus, supported by direct markers of readiness and carefully timed before performance.