How to Warm-up for Lifting Weights: Stop Using Percentages!
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(A Blast from the Past article originally posted on 02/18/22)
For new lifters, figuring out what weights to select for your warm-up sets can be a bit mind-boggling, and for this reason, a percentage-based warm-up chart provides a handy approach. With that said, as you gain experience as a lifter, you’ll be better off if you eventually stop using this approach and instead make your own warm-up weight selections. In the long run, it’ll be faster and easier.
When structuring your warm-up sets, use the three principles below, and for more demonstrations, examples, and explanations, be sure to check out the included videos.
Warm-up sets should . . .
Principle 1: Prepare you for your work sets. Because of this, the weight for each set should gradually increase in roughly equal increments. The increases don’t need to be exactly the same each time - “roughly equal” is just fine - and if you have a bigger jump, it’s better to have it near the beginning of the warm-up than near the end.
Principle 2: Not exhaust you before you get to your work sets. Because of this, it’s wise to taper your warm-up reps, i.e., use fewer reps as the weight increases. At Testify, we usually recommend 2 sets of 5 reps with the empty barbell and then a 5-3-2-1 approach for the weighted sets (you’ll see this in the examples below). When starting out, you might not need this many warm-up sets.
Principle 3: Be convenient whenever possible and reasonable. Warm-ups don’t usually need to be all that precise, and the further you are from your work set, the less precision is required. For example, if your work weight is 245 lb and you’re deciding between 90 lb and 95 lb, go with 95 lb since it’s much simpler to load (one 25-lb plate per side compared to two 10-lb plates and a 2.5-lb plate per side). Additionally, there’s no need to use fractional plates in your warm-ups, and as you get stronger, you might not use 2.5 lb plates in your warm-ups either.
Below are a few good warm-up examples.
Example #1
Work weight: 105 lb
45 x 5 x 2
65 x 5 x 1
85 x 3 x 1
95 x 2 x 1
—————
105 x 5 x 3 (work sets)
Example #2
Work weight: 235 lb
45 x 5 x 2
95 x 5 x 1
135 x 3 x 1
185 x 2 x 1
215 x 1 x 1
—————
235 x 5 x 3 (work sets)
Example #3
Work weight: 385 lb
45 x 5 x 2
135 x 5 x 1
225 x 3 x 1
275 x 2 x 1
315 x 1 x 1
350 x 1 x 1 (needed another single)
—————
385 x 5 x 3 (work sets)
In the examples above, if the lifter is deadlifting, simply remove the empty bar sets (you’ll need bumper plates for any weights under 135 lb).
With practice, structuring your warm-ups becomes a very quick and easy process, and the longer you train, the more you’ll find that your first few warm-up sets don’t change very often from workout to workout, which makes things even easier.
We hope this helps you get stronger and live better!
(Some links may be affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, Testify earns from qualifying purchases.)
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10 Simple Tips to Improve Your Weight Lifting
/Phil breaks down a quick yet comprehensive list of 10 things you need to know, do, or have when training.
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Testify Quibbler - March 4, 2024
/THIS WEEK'S SUBMISSION
From our video STOP Using Your Back Like THIS! How to Squat Correctly (click the title to watch):
Jeremiah 29:11
@ 33 secs that squatter has his elbows tucked to his side and a very narrow bar grip. this is very painful for my elbows when the weight increases overtime and i take a wider grip. acceptable?
Phil
In general, take a grip that is . . .
1) as narrow as it can be but . . .
2) as wide as it needs to be.
A narrower grip provides a better shelf as it bunches up the delts tightly and helps create a tighter upper back. With that said, the grip will vary by anthropometry and flexibility, so if going a bit wider helps prevent pain, then I'd probably recommend that. Continue to focus on keeping the upper back as tight as possible.
A grip like Loren's (the squatter from 0:17 - 0:35) is great, but many people (myself included) cannot achieve a grip that narrow.
ARTICLES & VIDEOS
QUIT Using Your ARMS to Deadlift (How to Deadlift Correctly)
Don't make this mistake with your arms when you deadlift. We cover how to identify the problem as well as how to fix it. Click here to watch.
How to Bench Press: The Setup | STOP Doing This!
Are you getting setup as well as you should be when you bench? Phil covers a common error during the setup process as well as how to fix it. Click here to read.
Blast from the Past: Best Weight Plates Ever?! Found at Starting Strength Headquarters!
If you're searching for quality, metal training plates that are accurate, precise, and just look and fit great, look no further. Click here to watch.
Blast from the Past: Diamond Grip for the Press and Bench Press
Are you struggling to take the correct grip when pressing? Check out the diamond grip - a quick and easy way to take the right grip every time. Click here to read.
NEW TESTIFY HOODIES ARE AVAILABLE!
Looking to train in style and comfort this winter? Get yourself a Testify hoodie - in practically any color! Get yours today and represent your favorite gym.
Click here to head to the Testify Store.
WHAT'S COMING UP
Below are a few of our upcoming events, and you can find out what else is on the calendar by heading to our events page at www.testifysc.com/events.
Testify Leprechaun Lift-off
March 16, 2024
Want to join us for the annual Testify Leprechaun Lift-off? Of course you do! This is a weightlifting meet, so the contested lifts are the snatch and clean-and-jerk.
Click here to register or for more information.
Testify Strengthlifting Challenge
April 6, 2024
The annual Testify Strengthlifting Challenge is back, and we invite you to be a part of it! This is a strengthlifting meet, which means the contested lifts will be the squat, press, and deadlift.
Click here to register or for more information.
Starting Strength Self-Sufficient Lifter Camp
May 18, 2024
Spend the day learning the Squat, Press, and Deadlift and how to self-evaluate your lifts while training in your garage or commercial gym without a coach.
Click here to register or for more information.
THIS WEEK’S CONDITIONING
Option 1
Sled
Outdoors:
10 rounds of:
Push sled 100 ft
Pull sled 100 ft (hand over hand)
Indoors:
20 rounds of:
Push sled 50 ft
Pull sled 50 ft (hand over hand)
Compare to 2024.01.01.
Option 2
Bike/row:
5 min on
4 min off
4 min on
3 min off
3 min on
2 min off
2 min on
1 min off
1 min on
Record distance for each interval and add for total distance.
Compare to 2023.12.11.
Option 3
Outdoors:
8 rounds:
4 tire flips
50 yd sled push (25 yd down-back)
Rest 1 minute
Indoors:
8 rounds:
4 tire flips
100 ft sled push (50 ft down-back)
Rest 1 minute
Compare to 2023.11.13.
Option 4
5 rounds:
4 tire flips
8 sledgehammer strikes
6 pull-ups
10 push-ups
Pull-ups and push-ups can be modified – talk to the coaches for options.
Compare to 2023.11.13.
How to Bench Press: The Setup | STOP Doing This!
/The topic of setting up for and unracking the bench press is not a particularly exciting one, but it’s important, and today’s lifting error is one we see all too often - in both new and experienced lifters:
Quit being sloppy and undisciplined when setting up to bench.
Before You Unrack the Bar
When setting up to bench (i.e., before you lift the barbell off the hooks) everything that can be set up - everything that can be tight and correctly positioned - should be. You don’t want to be finishing this process (let alone starting this process) after you unrack the bar.
If you’re adjusting your grip, retracting your shoulder blades for the first time, setting your arch, driving with your legs, and/or adjusting your feet after you unrack the bar, you’re being preposterously inefficient. Also, as the bar gets heavier and heavier, it gets harder to do those things after you’ve unracked the bar (and are thus supporting a heavy weight over your shoulders), so do it before you unrack the bar.
The Top-Down Approach
Once you’re lying on the bench, here’s a quick checklist to run through before unracking the bar. It’s a top-down list, so you don’t need to remember it verbatim - simply remind yourself to start with your hands and work you way down to your feet (a bottom-up approach can work here as well):
1: Grip
The grip is slightly pronated, the bar is supported in the base of your palm, and you’re squeezing the bar tightly.
2: Shoulders
Your shoulders are pulled back and down.
3: Chest/Arch
You arch is up, i.e., your chest is up, and this position is supported by . . .
4: Legs
You are driving up the bench (i.e., toward your head) with your legs.
5: Stance
Your stance is roughly that of your squat stance (wider is fine). Admittedly, you hopefully already set your stance when you sat down on the bench.
Get all this taken care of before you unrack the bar, and you’ll have a better, stronger, and more efficient bench press (we’ll also cover the setup for the squat and press in articles that are coming up soon).
As always, we hope this helps you get stronger and live better.
(Some links may be affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, Testify earns from qualifying purchases.)