Warm up strategies in training

There are several key things you should be aiming to achieve with a structured warm up in each training session. Depending on what phase of training you’re in or what the focus of that particular session is, there could be reason to use different strategies to get to working weights.

Without trying to sound too simplistic, a warm up should physically raise your temperature as well as prepare you mentally for the upcoming work. The key features of a good warm up are:

• Increase in temperature

• increase in joint ranges

• increase in mental focus and neural drive

• increase in muscle function - literally faster contraction speeds, more force output and better coordination

We achieve this by (usually):

• starting with some foam rolling or general mobility work

• use dynamic stretches and body weight movements to increase blood flow, temp & joint ranges/function

• grabbing a stick and rehearsing lifts while also going through checklist of our body to see what may need any extra attention before loading it

• using a barbell to perform some very general movements pertaining to our training session (think squat, lunge, press, hinge, row)

• at this point we would begin to dial in our technical drills getting ready for the first exercise/lift

This process should take around 10mins (+/-) but could take longer if you have specific rehab/prehab work to do too. Generally speaking this process shouldn't change much from session to session and whilst the exact exercises/movements will differ the format can remain the same.

Training for technique vs training for max lifts

Don’t get me wrong, technique always matters. Sometimes though, a training phase will be geared towards technical development as a priority over hitting big numbers. Sometimes the opposite. I have a slightly different approach to each and even a different approach for different lifters.

When your aim is to get practice reps in around 70% you know two things. Firstly, 70% isn’t that heavy so you don’t really need to be at your absolute freshest to hit it, and secondly that as its a lower number there are likely to be fewer warm up sets to get up there. Additionally it is likely that the rep ranges will be higher (2-5reps in the classic lifts).

This is my strategy when doing technical work in the lower/mid percentage ranges:

• couple of sets on the bar for the same or 1-2 more reps than prescribed working sets*

• 2 sets of the prescribed reps at 50%

• 1 set of the prescribed reps at 60%

(at this point assuming you’ve kept the technical correction going so far)

• working sets and reps at prescribed 70%

  *If you are really strong there may be an extra set between the bar and 50% but not always

The point of these sessions is technical improvement so more sets and more reps equals more practice. I’m less worried about being tired when I get there as most of the work is still light / sub-maximal effort.

In contrast, when training to hit big numbers I’m aiming to offset being warm and having technique dialled in with the fatigue that multiple sets/reps bring on. By big numbers I’m talking about lifts at or above 85% which would typically be performed for singles or double reps.

My plan would look more like this:

• couple of sets on the bar for 1-2 reps only

• 1 set of 2 reps at 50%

• 1 set of 1-2 reps at 65%

• 1 set of 1 rep at 75%

• 1 set of 1 rep at 80%

• working sets and reps at 85% and beyond

The main difference is that I get less reps overall in this method so by the time I’m ready to hit the top weights I’m not too exhausted. In this example I’d have done 8-10 reps warming up to a higher number with rest between most reps versus the previous example of between 9-25 reps depending on the rep scheme.

Beginners vs advanced lifters

As a novice lifter just starting out, the more practice you get the better. Usually at this stage the weights will be much lighter even for the working sets and likely well below the strength reserve of the athlete due to the skill element required.

In contrast advanced lifters technique is, by the very nature of of being advanced, consistent and hopefully pretty good. For an advanced lifter to progress it is the reps above 85% that really drive adaptation and progression. The need to practice lighter sets is less relevant.

Where you are in the programme can make a difference

Take as another example an intermediate lifter required to perform the complex:

Snatch pull + Snatch - 4 sets of 2+1

In week 1 of the block, working weights may be around 75% to establish a baseline and practice the complex (learning how each rep effects the next). This week it could be sensible to do more warm up sets/reps as the working weight isn’t maximal and the focus is more technical.

In week 2 of the block, the prescription may be to increase the load between 75-80% and overload the previous weeks prescription. Here you could do more warm up sets at the lowest weights to dial in technique but keep some energy in the tank to beat last week in the sets that matter most.

Week 3 (if not a de-load which is common) could be to build to a best effort for the complex; aiming to hit something like 90% for the top set. In this instance the volume is likely to be lower but the intensity higher. I would want to perform as few warm up sets as possible whilst still getting appropriately ready for the top set. This could mean taking more sets with the empty bar which don’t contribute significantly to fatigue then making bigger jumps in weight to reach the 90%+ target.

Nothing is set in stone

Don’t forget that these are just examples designed to highlight the different ways you could warm up. Some lifters prefer to do more work than others and sometimes it comes down to their conditioning. Other factors play a role too. Importantly, how well each warm up set is executed will determine whether you move on and add weight to the bar or remain at that load and fix an error before progressing. I don’t hold much stock with the ‘it’ll get better with more weight’ attitude for most lifters.

How does this differ from your strategy? Do you think about it or just wing it?!