Bishop, D. (2001). The effect of a specific warm up on supramaximal kayak ergometer performance. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, 33(5), Supplement abstract 1916.

The author showed previously that metabolic acidemia induced by a continuous warm-up at anaerobic threshold was associated with impaired anaerobic contribution and decreased supra-maximal performance. This investigation determined if a specific warm-up could speed VO2 kinetics without reducing the anaerobic contribution in supra-maximal performance. A continuous warm-up consisted of 15 minutes of paddling between aerobic and anaerobic threshold. The specific warm-up consisted of 10 minutes of similar continuous work with the last five minutes involving five, 10-second sprints at 200% VO2peak, separated by 50 seconds of recovery at aerobic threshold. Male paddlers (N = 7) performed a continuous or a specific warm-up followed by a 2-minute, all-out kayak ergometer test on different occasions.

Peak power and blood lactate were significantly greater in the specific warm-up group than in the continuous group. VO2peak, total VO2, and AOD did not differ between groups. It is possible the specific warm-up interval work improved supramaximal performance by priming the aerobic system without causing a detrimental acid-base disturbance.

Implication. Supra-maximal sprints are improved by including a judicious amount of specific supra-maximal sprinting in warm-up.

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