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In the past, I’ve minimized the importance of warmups. To some extent, I stand by that philosophy: I believe that many lifters spend too much time and energy warming up, or trying to design the “perfect” warmup routine. However, I also believe that warmups are essential to long-term health and performance.
A good warmup is specific to one particular training session, not to one particular lifter and certainly not to one particular goal. That means you can’t plan your warmup in advance. Instead, you need to understand the basic components of a good warmup, and adjust those components based on how you’re feeling on any given day.
This article will explain how to do exactly that.
Step 1: Increase core body temperature.
Before you do anything else, you have to actually get warm. I mean that in a literal sense: you have to raise you core body temperature enough to actually break a light sweat. The increased bloodflow from this warmup will help your muscles work better (very technical term there) and help minimize the risk of injury.
This step should consist of low impact, steady state cardio, like walking, riding a stationary bike, or something similar. Go at an easy pace. This is a great time to wear your pump cover or to start sipping your intraworkout if you use one.
You should spend about 10-15 minutes on this phase.
Step 2: Mobilize problem areas.
I hate the term “mobility,” because it’s abused by social media influences who lead ignorant lifters to spend hours and hours rolling around on a lacrosse ball for no good reason. That’s not to say that lacrosse balls are useless, but your mobility work has to be targeted (just like your entire warmup). That means choosing methods that will work the specific ranges of motion you’ll be performing during your main work, and that you struggle with – not both.
Examples of potential mobility methods include but are not limited to:
Self-myofascial release (foam rolling, Graston, etc.)
Functional range conditioning (CARs, PAILs, RAILS, etc.)
Dynamic stretching
I’m listing these for two reasons: first, to show that you have plenty of options to choose from; and second, to highlight how much jargon has polluted the idea of mobility. If you don’t recognize some of these terms, don’t sweat it. I promise none will make or break you.
I would suggest avoiding static stretching. In my experience (and in some academic literature), it’s just not useful.
Step 3: Improve focus and muscular activation
In the past, I’ve recommended using activation exercises to prepare your target muscle groups for heavier work. For traditional bodybuilding workouts, I think that’s a fine choice, but if you’re doing anything else – heavy training, speed training, or even just trying a new exercise – I think it’s beneficial to warm up using movements that are less specific to your main work.
That will take you outside of your comfort zone and require more focus, coordination, and flexibility, all of which contribute to a great training session. It will also make you more resilient, both physically and mentally. If you’re always performing the same movement patterns, you’ll find that even slight deviations tend to cause aches, pains, and general discomfort. The more you move freely, the more margin for error you can manage.
I structure this section of my warmup using three steps:
Pick 3-4 exercises, including a combination of open- chain and closed chain movements that train the entire body.
Perform those exercises in a circuit for no more than 20 seconds each, at an easy pace and low to moderate level of effort.
Rest about 30 seconds between rounds of the circuit. Keep moving during your rest periods! Walk at an easy pace while focusing on your breath.
Here’s an example for a heavy bench press session:
Split Squat Fake Throw. 5 reps per side
Hand-Release Pushup. 3 reps
Lat Pulldown. 4 reps with a light weight, with an aggressive but controlled concentric
Sled Push. 20 yards at a hard but not maximal pace, with a light or empty sled
You don’t have to stick with this structure, of course. Listen to your body and do what works best for you!
Step 4: Perform specific warmup or “ramp-up” sets
This is the most obvious one, but even after you’ve warmed up thoroughly, you can’t just throw 500 on the bar and start repping out. Lighter warmup sets allow you to practice technique and build confidence heading into your top set. If you’re prescribed some sort of auto-regulated load, these sets can help you to better judge your ability for the day.
Just like with the previous three steps, you can’t slap on plates and hope for the best. Here’s a cool rule that has never let me down: each jump should be equal to or smaller than the last. For example, you’d never go 455/495/545. It’s much better to go 455/505/545, even if it takes a longer time to load. I know this seems like a small detail, but it’s made a big difference in my performance over time.
If you need help with structuring your warmup jumps, try this free calculator!
I want to end this post by reiterating that there’s no one right way to warm up. This method works well for me, and the guys that I coach, but it’s not the be-all, end-all. If you prefer a different method, share it in the comment section!