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Adding an effective warm up to your triathlon training and competition is one of the quickest ways to elevate your performance in the sport. This article will discuss the two main benefits (and others) of a triathlon warm up, plus give you six exercises you can start incorporating into your very next training session!

Why Should You Warm Up?

To understand the importance of a warm up, we have to break its benefits into two main categories: Physical and mental. The latter is less often mentioned, but just as critical to the performance of any athlete, especially in a sport as grueling and emotionally taxing as triathlon can be.

Physical Benefits of a Warm Up

The most obvious benefits of a pre-workout or pre-competition warm up is what it can do for you physically. A dedicated warm up is designed to gradually introduce your body to movement at carefully planned increases in intensity. This primes the body for performance and reduces the likelihood of injury in a number of ways…

An important part of exercise performance is body temperature. Increasing the body temperature is done, in this case, by moving the body. Muscles contract, metabolism rises, and heat is produced as a byproduct. Your soft tissue, consequently, becomes more malleable and less likely to strain through the enhanced proliferation of blood and introduction to more vigorous activity.

Your muscles, then, become accustomed to utilizing larger amounts of oxygen and producing steadily increasing amounts of force. This is important for anyone about to demand large amounts of effort from their body, whether that’s in a typical training session, or (perhaps even more importantly) in a competition.  

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Mental Benefits of a Warm Up

While it might seem less obvious up front, the mental benefits of a warm up could be just as powerful as the physical ones—especially for triathletes. Triathlon can be extremely tedious, long, and otherwise hard to grapple with emotionally. Your workouts could span hours; much different than someone who just goes to the gym once in a while. This requires a different mindset.

During a warm up, it’s a time where you can connect yourself to your body, and prepare your mind for all of the mini battles you’re going to have to win throughout the session or race. The same way we prime our tissues by loosening them up through stretches and exercise (hinting at what’s to come), we can prime our thoughts, and get ready to win no matter what is thrown our way.

Some easy ways to start doing this is through visualization. Imagine what each leg of your effort will look like; think about what parts will be/are hardest for you and how you will deal with them when the going gets tough. Think about the outcome you want for this moment, and how you want it to feel. This is one of those training methods that don’t cost a dime, and during your warm up is the perfect time to implement it.

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How to Structure Your Triathlon Warm Up

Let’s now look at how you can create your own triathlon warm up in just a few simple steps. Here’s a three stage framework you can use to do so!

General

The first part of your warm up should be the most general. When structured properly, a warm up will get progressively more specific, in both form and intensity, to the activities you’re going to be doing. With this in mind, keep your first 5-10 minutes filled with light aerobic activity like jogging, jumping jacks, skipping, and the like.

Dynamic

Once your body temperature is raised and your heart rate is up (the blood is pumping, so to speak), this is a great time to start doing some dynamic stretches (examples given in the next part of the article). This type of stretching is perfect prior to exercise, as it helps excite the muscles and prepare them for intense movement and force production/absorption.

Specific

This is the final stage of the warm up, and should be more pinpointed to the specific activity (or activities) you’ll be performing. Your movement should begin to mimic the event; light swimming in the pool, easy pedaling on the bike, and slow running on the road, for example. As you taper the warm up to its close, you should feel fully confident in your body to perform the task at hand.

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6 Warm Up Exercises for Triathletes

To help you start crafting your own unique triathlon training or competition warm up, here are 6 exercises (2 for each discipline) from our programming here at Dynamic Triathlete! Pick and choose which ones might be good to do given the workout you have planned that day.

1. Walk Outs (Swim)

• From a standing position, fold forward until your hands reach the ground. Walk them out in front of you until you are in a plank position (picture 3). Reverse the movement. Repeat for 10 reps or 30-60 seconds.

2. Elbow Squeeze (Swim)

• From a standing position, bring both hands behind the ears with your elbows flared. Reach your elbows back as if you were trying to touch them behind your head, feel the squeeze in your shoulder blades. Then, squeeze in the opposite direction, touching them in front of you (if you can). Repeat for 10-20 reps or 30-60 seconds.

3. Step Jacks (Ride)

• From a standing position, step out to one side while reaching the same side’s arm overhead (for example, coach Alisha is stepping to her left and reaching her left arm overhead in picture 2). Repeat for 10 reps per side or 30-60 seconds.

4. Single Leg Deadlift (Ride)

• From a standing position, keep a slight bend in the knee as you balance yourself on one leg. Reach your free leg up and back behind you as you hinge at the hips, reaching your arms straight towards the ground (picture 2). Once your back leg reaches close to parallel with the ground, return to the start position. Complete 10 on each side.

5. Reverse Lunge to Knee Drive (Run)

• From standing, reach one leg back and drop into a reverse lunge (picture 1). Then, as you press back up to the start position, drive the same knee up into a high-knee position (picture 2). Complete 10 reps of both actions on each leg.

6. Dynamic Quad Stretch (Run)

• From standing, kick one foot up towards your bum and grab it with your hand. Pull it towards your bum to stretch your quadriceps, while at the same time reaching the opposite hand up into the air. Release your leg, then alternate to the other leg. Alternate back and forth for 10-20 reps for leg or 30-60 seconds.

Upgrade Your Triathlon Training

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• WEAK & TIGHT HIP FLEXORS
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• SORE QUADS
• KNEE PAIN
• SCIATICA
• LOW BACK PAIN

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• …eliminate knee, hip, and lower back pain 
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How Does It Work?

We take the guesswork out of your training. Start by signing up for a 7-day free trial, and you’ll immediately be given access to all of the programming in our membership area.

• High quality follow-along videos.
• Daily stretching and mobility sessions.
• Comprehensive strength training routines.
• Injury prevention programs.
• Swim, ride, and run warm-ups.
• 15-30 minute routines.
• World class coaches and instruction.
• Designed specifically for runners.

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Written by Eric Lister – Certified Personal Trainer & Corrective Exercise Specialist