There is considerable disagreement among athletes and coaches about how intense a warm-up should be. Current thinking, however, suggests that a significant portion of the warm-up should be very intense if the ensuing workout or competition is to be carried out at a high intensity.
One theory is that 'firing up' the brain and spinal cord with very high-level activity will prepare the nervous system to coordinate the muscles more efficiently during the top-quality work which is to follow.
Another reasonable hypothesis is that high-intensity effort during warm-up does a better job of warming up the muscles, and thus of promoting flexibility, which may enhance movement and decrease the risk of muscle and tendon strains.
Although this thinking seems reasonable, it is not well-supported by the available scientific evidence: in fact, one study showed that warming up for at least eight minutes with an intensity of 88% VO2 max was actually detrimental to performance.
Other research has linked fairly high-intensity warm-ups with either a 9% or a 16% decline in the ability to carry out intense exercise (when compared with no warm-up at all).
By contrast, research has suggested that fairly lukewarm warm-ups may have a more positive impact on performance. In one investigation, a 15-minute warm-up at a paltry intensity of just 60% VO2 max enhanced endurance performance by about 6% and sprint-type effort by around 7%, compared with no warm-up.
Were the high-intensity athletes simply tired out by their warm-up?
Probably not, since the performance tested didn't follow immediately afterwards. A more likely explanation is that the 80% warm-up allowed lactate to accumulate in the athletes muscles, slowing down the breakdown of glucose for energy during subsequent exercise.
The solution, is to avoid continuous high-intensity warm-ups and instead opt for several short high-intensity segments within a warm-up.
Source:
www.badders.com
Sylvester Stein - Peak Performance and Sports Injury Bulletin
6 December 2002