diff --git a/.gitlab-ci.yml b/.gitlab-ci.yml
index 823e63b54f52..b70f15ee25b0 100644
--- a/.gitlab-ci.yml
+++ b/.gitlab-ci.yml
@@ -27,7 +27,7 @@ variables:
   CI_IMAGE:                        "paritytech/ci-linux:production"
   DOCKER_OS:                       "debian:stretch"
   ARCH:                            "x86_64"
-  ZOMBIENET_IMAGE:                 "docker.io/paritytech/zombienet:v1.1.3"
+  ZOMBIENET_IMAGE:                 "docker.io/paritytech/zombienet:v1.1.4"
   VAULT_SERVER_URL:                "https://vault.parity-mgmt-vault.parity.io"
   VAULT_AUTH_PATH:                 "gitlab-parity-io-jwt"
   VAULT_AUTH_ROLE:                 "cicd_gitlab_parity_${CI_PROJECT_NAME}"
@@ -198,13 +198,12 @@ test-build-linux-stable:
   script:
     - ./scripts/gitlab/test_linux_stable.sh
     # we're using the bin built here, instead of having a parallel `build-linux-release`
-    # disputes feature is needed for zombie-net parachains malus test
-    - time cargo build --release --verbose --bin polkadot
+    - time cargo build --profile testnet --verbose --bin polkadot
     - sccache -s
     # pack artifacts
     - mkdir -p ./artifacts
     - VERSION="${CI_COMMIT_REF_NAME}" # will be tag or branch name
-    - mv ./target/release/polkadot ./artifacts/.
+    - mv ./target/testnet/polkadot ./artifacts/.
     - pushd artifacts
     - sha256sum polkadot | tee polkadot.sha256
     - shasum -c polkadot.sha256
@@ -260,11 +259,11 @@ build-adder-collator:
   <<:                              *compiler-info
   <<:                              *rules-test-and-rococo
   script:
-    - time cargo build --release --verbose -p test-parachain-adder-collator
+    - time cargo build --profile testnet --verbose -p test-parachain-adder-collator
     - sccache -s
     # pack artifacts
     - mkdir -p ./artifacts
-    - mv ./target/release/adder-collator ./artifacts/.
+    - mv ./target/testnet/adder-collator ./artifacts/.
     - echo -n "${CI_COMMIT_REF_NAME}" > ./artifacts/VERSION
     - echo -n "${CI_COMMIT_REF_NAME}-${CI_COMMIT_SHORT_SHA}" > ./artifacts/EXTRATAG
     - echo "adder-collator version = $(cat ./artifacts/VERSION) (EXTRATAG = $(cat ./artifacts/EXTRATAG))"
@@ -280,11 +279,11 @@ build-malus:
     - if: $CI_COMMIT_REF_NAME == "master"
     - if: $CI_COMMIT_REF_NAME =~ /^[0-9]+$/                         # PRs
   script:
-    - time cargo build --release --verbose -p polkadot-test-malus
+    - time cargo build --profile testnet --verbose -p polkadot-test-malus
     - sccache -s
     # pack artifacts
     - mkdir -p ./artifacts
-    - mv ./target/release/malus ./artifacts/.
+    - mv ./target/testnet/malus ./artifacts/.
     - echo -n "${CI_COMMIT_REF_NAME}" > ./artifacts/VERSION
     - echo -n "${CI_COMMIT_REF_NAME}-${CI_COMMIT_SHORT_SHA}" > ./artifacts/EXTRATAG
     - echo "polkadot-test-malus = $(cat ./artifacts/VERSION) (EXTRATAG = $(cat ./artifacts/EXTRATAG))"
diff --git a/Cargo.toml b/Cargo.toml
index 1eda0c0f499a..beda86e5eff5 100644
--- a/Cargo.toml
+++ b/Cargo.toml
@@ -9,6 +9,7 @@ license = "GPL-3.0-only"
 version = "0.9.13"
 authors = ["Parity Technologies <admin@parity.io>"]
 edition = "2018"
+rust-version = "1.57.0" # custom profiles
 readme = "README.md"
 
 [dependencies]
@@ -114,6 +115,16 @@ opt-level = 3
 # Polkadot runtime requires unwinding.
 panic = "unwind"
 
+[profile.production]
+inherits = "release"
+lto = true
+
+[profile.testnet]
+inherits = "release"
+debug = true # debug symbols are useful for profilers
+debug-assertions = true
+overflow-checks = true
+
 [features]
 runtime-benchmarks= [ "polkadot-cli/runtime-benchmarks" ]
 try-runtime = [ "polkadot-cli/try-runtime" ]
diff --git a/scripts/gitlab/test_linux_stable.sh b/scripts/gitlab/test_linux_stable.sh
index 7f11e08d9edd..24f2a8b273b5 100755
--- a/scripts/gitlab/test_linux_stable.sh
+++ b/scripts/gitlab/test_linux_stable.sh
@@ -5,4 +5,4 @@ set -eux
 source "$( cd "$( dirname "${BASH_SOURCE[0]}" )" >/dev/null 2>&1 && pwd )/../common/lib.sh"
 
 # Builds with the runtime benchmarks/metrics features are only to be used for testing.
-time cargo test --workspace --release --verbose --locked --features=runtime-benchmarks,runtime-metrics
+time cargo test --workspace --profile testnet --verbose --locked --features=runtime-benchmarks,runtime-metrics