Warmup
Last updated
Last updated
Warming up is important for both optimal performance and injury prevention. There are potentially 4 different parts to a warmup. They are in reverse order of importance, meaning that Part 1 is the least important and Part 4 is the most important. Only the last is truly required.
Parts 1, 2, and 3 should only be done once per workout before you start your normal exercises. Part 4 should be done once per movement type/muscle group.
Let's say you do the progressive pyramid warmup for squats, and then your normal working sets for squats. Your next exercise is leg press. This works very similar muscles to squats (mostly quads); therefore, you have already warmed up for it and don't need to repeat it. It's generally good practice to have at least 1 light warmup set just to have some technique practice before the normal sets, but definitely no need to replicate the entire warm-up protocol.
On the other hand, if you need to do Bench Press after your Squat sets, then the muscles used are completely different. Thus you need to repeat the Part 4 warm-up for that specific exercise. The same logic applies throughout the workout.
Bike or elliptical.
Low intensity.
5 to 10 minutes
Optional
This does not offer much benefit as long as you do the other 2. It's especially worth skipping if you are short on time.
Nevertheless, some people feel better doing it, and it's worth considering in order to increase your body temperature in the winter and warm up your joints better.
Band pull apart ()
Leg Swings ()
Arm circles ()
Side to side adductor stretch ()
Perform each exercise for 10-20 reps depending on the difficulty. Don't rest between exercises. Once you are at the last exercise, you have completed 1 cycle. Rest for 1 minute and return to the first exercise for another cycle. Complete 2 to 3 cycles in total.
Lunges
Barbell row
Overhead press
Romanian deadlift
All these exercises should be very light. Unless you are very strong, just your bodyweight/empty barbell will suffice. And in case you are a novice, even an empty bar might be too heavy for our purposes here, and thus you might want to grab some light dumbbells (1-15lbs).
Perform each exercise for 5-20 reps depending on the difficulty. Don't rest between exercises. Once you are at the last exercise, you have completed 1 cycle. Rest for 1 minute and return to the first exercise for another cycle. Complete 2 to 3 cycles in total.
This is by far the most important part of any warmup, you want to progressive warm up your working set. Generally speaking, it's a good guideline to have 4-5 sets leading up your warmup.
Set 1: Empty bar, if applicable (No rest)
40% of the working set weight (Rest for 30-60 seconds)
60% of the working set weight (Rest for 30-60 seconds)
80% of the working set weight (Rest for 1 - 2 minutes)
90% of the working set weight (Rest for 1 - 2 minutes)
This is a very broad rule of thumb. If you are a beginner and the weights you are using are low, only 1-2 sets are sufficient (following the same overall logic). On the other hand, if you are a very advanced lifter squatting 600lbs, you will require additional in-between working sets. If desired, message me for more specific guidelines about how to approach your working sets.
Regarding rep ranges, it depends on the rep range you are going to be in for your working set. You generally want to decrease your reps for each additional working set. Here are some examples:
Warming up for 100lbs x 10:
Bar x 15, 40lbs x 10, 60lbs x 8, 80lbs x 6, 90lbs x 3
Warmup up for 200lbs x 3:
Bar x 10, 80lbs x 6, 120lbs x 3, 160lbs x 2, 180lbs x 1
This warmup protocol is meant mostly for big, compound movements. Things like squats, bench press, deadlifts, barbell rows, and so forth. If the movement is more machine/isolation based, then you don't need so many warmups. If you are doing bicep curls, for instance, 5 warm-up sets would certainly be excessive and unnecessary. In such movements, generally speaking, 1-2 warmup sets are sufficient, depending on exercise order.
While very popular, these are very overrated, and I don't recommend doing them. Nevertheless, if you want to do some static stretching, this is a good time to do so since your body is very warm, and it helps you relax and wind down from your training session.