Bam!
The barbell slammed into the squat rack. Clips came off and weight was put away. A clean wipe glided across the barbell to sanitize it.
Damn, Chet thought. Those sets felt terrible. Everything was heavy. My form was all over.
Seeing the frustration plastered across Chet’s face, his friend, Mike, approached him. “What’s going on buddy?”
“Not much man,” Chet said. “Workout sucks so far is all. Squats felt heavier than normal. It was a struggle.”
“Did you warm-up first?” Mike asked.
“Yup,” Chet shook his head. “I always do. I did some Cat-Cows, T-Spine Rotations, and other mobility work and dynamic stretches. I spent a solid 10 minutes getting ready. Still didn’t feel great.”
Mike’s palm slapped against his head—smack!—just like in the old could’ve had a V8 commercial. “Dude! I know what would help. It’s great you did a general warm-up with all the mobility stuff, but you need to warm-up with weights too.”
“Warm-up with weights?” Chet asked.
“Yup, and it’s simple,” Mike said. “Start with a light weight and do a few reps. Add some weight. Do a few more reps. Then you’re ready to pick stuff up and put it back down.”
“Huh.” Chet scratched his finger on his head. “That’s interesting! I’ve never thought of doing that. I figured my normal warm-up before the barbell was enough.”
“Dude, I totally get that!” Mike tossed his hands in the air. “I used to think that when I first started. And my workouts suffered. It’s confusing because they’re both referred to as warm-ups. But, doing a Cat-Cow is very different from squatting 200 pounds. Warming up with weights helps your body get used to heavier and heavier weights and, it allows you to practice the movement at hand.”
“Seem to make sense,” Chet said, “I’ll give it a try!”
The Following Day’s Warm-Up
Chet approached the gym differently the next time he came in. Sure, Cat-Cows were still Cat-Cowed, T-Spine Rotations were still T-Spine Rotated, but he didn’t jump right into the heavy sets.
He warmed up with weights.
Chet dropped his gym bag next to the squat rack, stepped onto the platform, and grasped the barbell.
Okay, lets do this right, he thought. I want to squat 215 pounds today, so I need to warm-up for that. But, I don’t want to do too many sets and tire myself out before I even get to it.
Chet wedged himself under the empty bar, walked it out, then squatted five times. The bar was loaded with 135, then he squatted 5 times. Next, 185 pounds was loaded and he squatted it 3 times.
Huh, I actually feel a little better, he thought. It’s nice to work on my technique more too, and this is only adding 2 or 3 minutes to my workout.
Chet finished up by adding 200 pounds on the bar and squatted it once, to get used to a heavier weight.
Whoosh!
Chet’s fist flew up in the air in excitement after his last set of squats was completed for the day. “Those felt great!” he thought. Then, out of the corner of his eye he saw Mike scanning his card to enter the gym.
“Mike!” Chet yelled out. “Dude. You’re a life saver.”
“I am?” Mike asked. “Not disagreeing. I just don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“The warming up with weights thing, dude!” Chet shook Mike’s shoulders. “The squats felt so much better today. I was actually ready for them.”
“Glad to hear it helped you man,” Mike said. “Now, can you please stop shaking my shoulders?”
“Oh, my bad,” Chet said. “Guess I got carried away since my workout was so much better. Thanks again man!”
A Few Things Worth Keeping In Mind
When it comes to warming up in general, like many things, there is no one “right way” to do it. Chet’s story above is one example of how to do it. It in no way implies that you can’t do it another way and be successful—but it is a great way to go about it.
Now, you may still have questions about warming up with weights, so let me clear that up by mentioning a few more things.
First, the goal of a warm-up is implied in its name—its purpose to warm you up. Meaning, you shouldn’t do so much that you tire yourself out before you even start your working sets. That’s why, in Chet’s story, he wasn’t doing sets of 10 or 15. He started with 5 reps and decreased from there.
He was trying to get used to the heavier weight, and practice his skill—without tiring himself out from doing tons and tons of reps. The workout is the tiring part, not the warm-up.
Second, as a general rule of thumb, the more overall weight you lift, the more warm-up sets you should do. Let me share some examples.
You squat 95 pounds. So, you likely don’t need to do 4 or 5 warm-up sets. You could do the bar for 5 reps or so—maybe another at 65 or 75—then jump into it.
If, however, you squat 400 pounds for your work sets, then your warm-up sets would look quite different. You might do 5 reps at 135, then 3 or 4 reps at 225, 2 or 3 reps at 315, then 1 rep at 365 or 375.
Third, warming up with weights isn’t restricted to just barbells. If you were goblet squatting a 28 kilogram kettlebell for example, you could do 5 reps with the 16 or 20 kg to warm-up.
Lastly, remember that any time you’re doing an exercise—whether during a warm-up or during a working set—it’s a time to practice the movement. Those easier warm up sets are an opportunity to tighten up your squat technique before you reach the heavy weights.
Final Thoughts
Warming up with weights needn’t be complicated. Start with the bar—or a lighter kettlebell or dumbbell, depending on your exercise—and do 4 or 5 reps. Add some weight. Do 2 or 3 reps. If you’re still far away from your working set weight, then add some more weight and do 1 to 2 reps with it.
You’re giving your body a chance to get used to heavier and heavier weights before you start your first set.
Remember: the warm-up is for warming up—don’t tire yourself out too much. Get some reps in. Get comfortable with heavier weight. Practice the skill of the exercise at hand. Then, crush your work sets.
By the way, if you’d like some additional assistance on warming up with weights, or you’d like getting some coaching in person, then fill out the form below to claim your free week. We’re here to help!
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