How To Do a Proper Warm-up
Oct 22nd, 2007 by Mehdi Tags: Flexibility, Injury, Strength Training
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If your schedule does not allow time for proper warm-up, it does not allow time for training at all - Mark Rippetoe, Starting Strength.
I mentioned in the Beginner Strength Training Program FAQ how to warm-up properly. However Bentzurm, Dwayne & Eddie weren’t warming up properly according to their training log.
My guess is more of you aren’t warming up properly or worse not warming up at all. You must start every workout with a warm-up. Proper warm-ups prevent injuries & increase performance. Here’s how to do a proper warm-up.
Why Should You Warm-up? Warming up properly before your strength training session has several benefits:
- Avoid Injuries. It’s harder to injure a warm body than a cold one. Warm-ups lubricate your joints & disks and warm up muscles & tendons.
- Increase Flexibility. If you sit all day, your muscles will be stiff when you get at the gym. Warm-ups increase your flexibility.
- Review your Technique. Warm-ups with lighter weights let you review your technique. This way, when the weight gets heavy you can focus on pushing hard rather than how to push.
How You Should Warm-up. Warm-ups shouldn’t get you tired. They should prepare you for what’s to come. Follow these tips.
- Light Jogging. I do this in the winter when it gets cold in my home gym. Nothing intensive, just enough to warm up. 5 mins cardio also works.
- Empty Barbell. It doesn’t matter how strong you are: always start with 2 sets of 5 reps with an empty barbell.
- 15-20kg Per Set. Add 15 to 20kg (33-44lbs) every set until you’re at your work weight. Skip this if your work weight is less than 35kg.
- Weight Increases, Reps Decrease. 2×5 with the empty barbell, then sets of 3, 2 & 1 until you’re at your work weight.
Special Cases. For some exercises the above rules won’t work. Because correct technique doesn’t allow it or because you’re not using a barbell. Examples:
- Deadlifts. You can’t start with an empty barbell on the Deadlift: correct bar height starts at mid-shin level. If you start with Squats like on StrongLifts 5×5, your body will be warmed up for the Deadlift & you can start with higher weights.
- Barbell Rows. Same as for deadlifts: you can’t do them with an empty barbell. Start with Squats so you’re warmed up for Barbell Rows.
- Pull-ups & Dips. Start with your own body-weight. 5 reps or 3 reps is good depending on your strength. Again: you don’t want to get tired.
Practical Examples of Warm-ups. This will make it easier to understand the above theory. Some examples of how to do a proper warm-up:
Squats: work weight 5×5 100kg:
- 2 x 5 empty barbell
- 3 x 40kg
- 3 x 60kg
- 2 x 80kg
- 5 x 5 100kg
Deadlift: one single with 140kg, warmed up by Squats
- 5 x 60kg
- 3 x 80kg
- 2 x 100kg
- 1 x 120kg
- 1 x 140kg
Bench Press: 5×5 50kg
- 2 x 5 empty barbell
- 3 x 35kg
- 5 x 5 50kg
Overhead Press: 5×5 45kg
- 2 x 5 empty barbell
- 3 x 32,5kg
- 5 x 5 45kg
You can find more practical examples on how to warm-up on Iron Addicts Forums. Feel free to post more examples in the comments below.
Going a Step Further. If you need to work on your posture or if your muscles feel very stiff, you can do one of these before starting your workout.
- Overhead Squats. Great for squat specific & upper-body flexibility. Overhead Squats enforce good squat technique the hard way. 5 sets of 5 reps with an empty barbell as warm-up.
- Complexes. 3x Hang Power Snatch + 3x Snatch Grip Behind Neck Press + 3x Overhead Squats. Repeat for 3 to 5 sets with an empty barbell.
- Dynamic Stretches. Warm-up your joints & muscles while increasing mobility. Hip mobility, ankle mobility, shoulder dislocations, etc
Static Stretches. Avoid warming up using static stretches. They increase risks of injury & make you lose strength. If you need static stretches, do them post workout.
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I just started warming up with empty bar sets and found it made a huge difference. Since I’m focusing on the weight, I work on my technique. By the time I’m ready for the work sets, my muscles have the motion down and ready to go. That in turn has given me the confidence to steadily increase the weight.
Indeed MattyP, that’s what a proper warm-up should do: prepare you for the work sets by letting you work on your technique first.
One more tip: once your confident about your technique, use the warm-up sets to focus on your speed. Apply maximal force to the bar.
Great post Mehdi, this is something most beginners need to begin implementing as soon as possible.
I would do 5 minutes of rowing. Stretch all my muscles maybe jump up and down. Next take a sip of water and start your work out. I normally would do 15-30 minutes of intense rowing.
Maybe I missed something… I did squats, overhead presses and pull ups today. Before I did squats I did some light squats with the empty bar. Before over head presses I did nothing. I also did nothing before pull ups.
You are saying to warm up for each individual exercise right? Not just a single warmup prior to your workout?
u need to warmup same muscle groups once only…so if you did warmup for squats no need to do same for DL, but as OH press involves diffrent muscle group its good to start with a light weight..
Like Harsh wrote Rob: only warmup same muscles once. So if you’d do squats/press/deadlift, you can start with higher weights on the deadlift as the press already warmed you up. The only reason to warmup on the deadlift in this case is to practice your technique.
On the press things are different: warmup with empty barbell, increase the weight until you’re at your work weight.
I actually do static stretches before workouts. It does have its place. Stretch only what is tight. For me, that’s the hamstrings, calves, glutes, quads/hip flexors, and pecs.
Warming up is a key. I usually only do a form of high intensity cardio to get the heart rate up and blood pumping but I will give the specific muscle warm ups a try. However does this not break the number of sets a workout rule where 12-18 sets a workout is enough? I thought I read this on stronglifts but I can’t seem to find it now…
I’d echo Mehdi’s mention of Cressey’s and Mike Robertson’s dvd “Magnificent Mobility.” It goes through several dozen dynamic warm-up exercises with pointers incorporated into the demonstration of each. The exercises are broken down into easy, medium, and difficult. Its one weakness is that it just presents all the exercises but doesn’t really help you choose which ones to do. It would be good for some gpp pre-hab sessions on recovery days as well, especially for beginners or those who know they have some imbalances or weaknesses to correct.
One of my favorite warm-up exercises that I picked up from the dvd was a deep squat exercise that really helped ease me into going deep before each session without too much fatiguing exertion. I like to use it as one of my warm up sets before I squat, as it gets me really ready to squat deep while not taking as much out of me for my later work sets.
I’d add two other benefits to proper warm ups: (1) helps your balance and coordination, which contributes to your avoiding injury; and (2) it activates more muscle fiber which then can be more effectively recruited in your lifts. The first is both long-term and short-term in effect, helping you improve balance and coordination in the upcoming session as well as generally helping improve it in the long-run. The latter is important to lifting more weight and having it have a greater effect on your body. If you haven’t fired your glutes in warm-up, you will likely rely less than you could on them and more on your hamstrings, quads, and erectors when you squat, for instance. As the glutes are the strongest muscles mentioned, having them underutilized means lower weight lifted. Also, if you have fired your gluteus minimus, it is more likely to be recruited the assist in a lift, helping you lift more, but also getting a fuller overall effect from the exercise because you will be training more muscle. Both of these effects are gained through they dynamic movements Mehdi is recommending, and only marginally or even negatively by many static stretches.
Thanks for more great advice here Mehdi. In the past, before my 5×5 front squat sets, I would do one set with no weight just to loosen up and get my mind focused, another set with just the bar to get my muscles going, then my 5 work sets. You convinced me that wasn’t enough.
Last Thursday I decided to start with the 7-minute warmup program on an electronic stationary bike, then my usual routine. I felt the difference from the first rep all the way through to the last. My muscles were all activating better than I was used to and in general I just felt like I was pushing up from a more stable base. That day I finally was able to finish all 5 reps on my last set after a month of missing the last 2 or 3. I had already tried a deload and it hadn’t helped. Today I added 5lbs and hit all 25 reps. I’ve broken a plateau and I attribute it all to that extra bit of warmup.
Quick question on warmingup on exercises after the Squat while doing the 5×5. As I’ve warmed-up, should I still start with 2×5 on Bench Press, then keep adding 35-45lbs. until I’m at work weight? I’m at 90 lbs. right now on Bench, so my warmup would be:
2×5 Bar only
2×5 Bar + 40
5×5 Bar + 55 (work weight)
Correct?
And then, when I switch to Dead Lift, do you suggest starting at 135 (Bar + 45 lbs each side) and then add 35-45 lbs. until you are at your work weight? E.g. I’m at 190 lbs. now on Dead Lift, so my warmup would be:
3×1 Bar + 90
2×1 Bar + 130
5×1 Bar + 155 (Work weight).
Correct?
@Mase
Bench Press: 2×5 Bar, 1×3 30kg, 5×5 40kg
Deadlift: do 5×60kg, add 15-20kg every set doing 1 set of 5 until you’re at your work weight.
Hi Mehdi,
since last week I´ve been reading your blog and I´m realy looking forward to try your stronglifts 5×5 begginer program. Even though I´ve been training since 2001 (with a one year break) I realy like start things from begginig (I think I just realized some years ago I´m a begginer longer than I thought
)
I´ve always used static stretches before my workouts… I´ve never done dinamic stretches so I know little about them… do you have or intend posting any basic stretch session for doing before the 5×5 program?
Thanks a lot, keep up with the nice work!!!
@Aguiar
Thanks. There’s no stretch routine yet, but I intend posting them yes. More readers have requested this. Subscribe and you’ll get the updates automatically when the post goes online.
I´m already a subscriber… got the e book and everything…
In about a month I´ll be starting the 5×5 begginer…
I´d be glad to see the stretching routine and I´d suggest (even though I think you´ll have that covered anyway) you to post something about bad posture… I mean, as you´ve stated begginers should focus on technique before lifting heavy, and a good posture will ensure good technique…
Thanks again and I´ll let you know about my experience with the program!!!
@Aguiar
I’m planning bad posture/injury stuff too. All of that takes time as you can imagin, especially the videos, so don’t hold your breath. Good luck with the program & thanks for subscribing.
Medhi, I really appreciate your form related mantras: hips back and down, heels down, relaxed forward focus, tight core with breath control, clenched shoulders, clenched glutes, control of the knees, and finally, go down enough to beak 90 degrees. It is very responsible of you to encourage sensible and efficient progress.
The above steps seem simple, but doing them all at the same time while your heart is pounding and the sweat is pouring takes practice. I worked with two trainers, watched online footage, asked questions at the gym and read your advice (and many others’) as well as part of the education process to get technique right.
For anyone in the beginning stages, the first time when that soreness hits your glutes hard instead of your quads, you will know that you are homing in on the right path.
How long should I rest between these warmup sets?
Because I haven’t been warming up and I’m usually in the gym for about 1 and half hours which is long enough already.