There are two main things that come to mind when considering how to warmup, cardio warmups and doing the same exercise but just at a lower weight. Both have important roles to play, and most of the following points relate to both. But in terms of importance, doing a lighter weight on the same exercise prior to your heaviest sets is more important than a cardio warmup as we are directly warming up the muscles and connective tissues that are going to be used during said exercise. Although cardio warmups do aid in elevating the heart rate and potentially warm up the specific regions required, they just do it to a lesser extent.
Warmups allow for our muscles and conective tissues (tendons/ligaments) to increase in temperature; this improves their elasticity which not only reduces the risk of stain or tear but also improves performance by allowing for the muscles and connective tissues to stretch and recoil more effectively meaning they can generate greater forces and subsequently lift more weight on our working sets.
They prevent a sudden spike in oxygen demand and allow your body to gently increase the oxygen delivery to the muscle as the body requires more; this oxygen being available reduces the amount of fatigue we feel from our workouts. Stress on the heart can also in some scenarios result in dangerous cardiac events such as sudden arrythmias or heart attacks.
Synovial fluid is a fluid found in our joints, when it is cool it is thick however when we warm up the joint it becomes thinner and therefore a more effective shock absorber and lubricant for the joints and cartilage reducing the risk of injury. This synovial fluid also allows for a more complete and comfortable range of motion, allowing us to have a more effective and beneficial training session.
Warmups allows us to fully bring our attention to our workouts and the exercise at hand creating better mind-muscle connection and body awareness, this mental clarity helps us not only perform the exercise safely but also more effectively.
Finally, warmups allow for our nerves to fire more effectively improving reaction times, agility and coordination, these factors not being as good as they can can result in an injury and poor performance.
Synovial fluid is a fluid found in our joints, when it is cool it is thick however when we warm up the joint it becomes thinner and therefore a more effective shock absorber and lubricant for the joints and cartilage reducing the risk of injury. This synovial fluid also allows for a more complete and comfortable range of motion, allowing us to have a more effective and beneficial training session.
Warmups allows us to fully bring our attention to our workouts and the exercise at hand creating better mind-muscle connection and body awareness, this mental clarity helps us not only perform the exercise safely but also more effectively.
Finally, warmups allow for our nerves to fire more effectively improving reaction times, agility and coordination, these factors not being as good as they can can result in an injury and poor performance.