warming up

[Carmen]

wnt2bbeast and i were talking about this today- we see a lot of people in the gym starting their warm ups with a good amount of weight on the bar. I've gone to strip the 45s off the bar when i'm benching for the next guy and he'll say "thats ok, you can leave it".
we both warm up with the empty bar, always, and work up, getting blood flowing and getting warm.

what do you warm up with when benching, squatting, or deadlifting?

 

[AirWolf]

what do you warm up with when benching, squatting, or deadlifting?

I warm up w/ the 45s on all 3. Then work my way up from there.

 

[camshaft]

i usually do a set of 30 or so reps with just the bar.

 

[anthrax]

The weight doesn't mean anything

But some freaks have less difficulties warming up w/ the 45s than other with a broom

It should be relative to your 1RM

ie warming up with 30-40% of your 1RM

 

[big4life]

I agree with Anthrax, it's all about your weight, and also what you feel comfortable with. I also vary my warmup depending on my activity before going to the gym.

 

[androjunkie]

I warm up w/ the 45s on all 3. Then work my way up from there.

Me too.

 

[curgeo]

I do the bar and then put on 25's to start......I usually go up by plate....quarter....plate....quarter incriments. I do sets of 3 after 225 on something. I just need to get my mind and body ready for doing the movement with the bar and some light weight.....maybe it's just to reinforce the motor function.

 

[wnt2bBeast]

i see a ton of people who do 135 for their first set on bench and they can barely complete a set of 10 with good form..they are hitting failure on their first warm up set??? makes no sense..

i use the bar for bench and squats although its hard to get low when squatting with no weight..for deads i start with 135

 

[bas4lizzife]

i work with the bar for a couple sets of about 10 smooth reps. Then I go to 95 for about 10, 135 for 8, 185 for 5, 225 for 3, 275 for 1, 315 for 1, and start my sets if im benching

 

[theironclan]

135 on all three for me, after a good long stretch of course.

 

[DieselGunz]

I start with 135 also, seems a good weight to get the blood flowing. But on all upper body movments I loosen up with a 5 pound weight and stretch my rotator cuffs and shoulders, damn they crack and pop out like hell until they loosen up.

 

[Ulcasterdropout]

benching - 2 25's and the bar
squatting - the bar then 2 45's and the bar
deadlifting - the bar then 2 45's and the bar

 

[NorgePrecision]

I do 135 15 times and then move on to my sets. It's what seems to work for me. My chest is the best part of my body.

 

[bignate73]

i do general warmups first. rotators, bodyweight squats, or hyperextensions.
then I will usually press, squat or pull with 25's, then go 45's. i do about 3 warmup sets until I get into sets of 5 and run from there...

 

[Tom Treutlein]

Light jog + Movement Prep mixed with static stretching + 1-2 warmup sets at 50% & 70% of working weight = My warmup.

Point of a warmup is to get blood flowing and activate enzymes, get the CNS functioning etc. There's not science to it, but I don't care to look it up. Case and point - it wouldn't be a workout in itself.

 

[Smurfy]

I feel more comfortable and tighter with a lttle bit of weight on the bar when warming up. NOt much tho

bench 65lbs warmup
squat 65lbs warm up
deads 95 lbs warm up
OHP 55-65 lbs depending on if im seated or standing

 

[wnt2bBeast]

I feel more comfortable and tighter with a lttle bit of weight on the bar when warming up. NOt much tho

bench 65lbs warmup
squat 65lbs warm up
deads 95 lbs warm up
OHP 55-65 lbs depending on if im seated or standing

that seems kinda heavy? no?

 

[Carmen]

I feel more comfortable and tighter with a lttle bit of weight on the bar when warming up. NOt much tho

bench 65lbs warmup
squat 65lbs warm up
deads 95 lbs warm up
OHP 55-65 lbs depending on if im seated or standing

smurf, i know its minor, but especially for women who typically bench less than men anyway (and i think i remember what you bench), you should start with the bar- its to get the blood flowing. believe me, the empty bar feels like its going to fly out of my hands when i bench it, but i still feel my joints loosening up because of it.
squats too- you should even just do some deep knee bends without a bar at all.

 

[benapollo]

I usually warm up with about 50% of my 1RM can easily throw 20 reps out and it is good getting the blood flowing.

the bar is just nothing and not worth it to me might as well do some stretches then warm up with some weight on.

 

[d3track]

started using resistance tube bands to warm up upper body
gets a lil sweat going, i'm liking it
i do light leg extensions to warm up before quads
and start with 135 and go form there

 

[Madcow2]

I also use an empty bar. I'll do 2 sets on bench/squat before ever adding weight (I generally pull after some light squats so I don't need to warm up to this degree for the dead - so 45's).

Some people also make the mistake of warming up with high reps and pumping some blood into the muscles. Pumping blood into cold muscles is a perfect recipe for a tear. I'm not a believer or user of high reps and the "pump" is not at all correlated to progress but if you are going to do it - you need to be well warmed up first.

 

[wnt2bBeast]

Some people also make the mistake of warming up with high reps and pumping some blood into the muscles. Pumping blood into cold muscles is a perfect recipe for a tear. I'm not a believer or user of high reps and the "pump" is not at all correlated to progress but if you are going to do it - you need to be well warmed up first.

i agree as well

 

[cwick0]

wnt2bbeast and i were talking about this today- we see a lot of people in the gym starting their warm ups with a good amount of weight on the bar. I've gone to strip the 45s off the bar when i'm benching for the next guy and he'll say "thats ok, you can leave it".
we both warm up with the empty bar, always, and work up, getting blood flowing and getting warm.

what do you warm up with when benching, squatting, or deadlifting?

I think my recommendation would be that if you bench less than 185, then start with either the bar or bar + 25s. If you can REP 225 then you should be able to handle 135 to start.

Here is my warmup routine:
135x20
225x10-15
275x6-10.

 

[Madcow2]

Incidentally - many of the strongest lifters in the world start with the bar. A friend of mine had this exact conversation with Ed Coan and his training partner at Quads in Chicago.

 

[JohnnyCoho]

I feel like I'm one of the old farts on the board at 36 and I do take a little longer to warm up than many, especially with previous back problems.

I start every workout with 10 minutes walking on treadmill at highest setting then do some Swiss Ball body and core stretching before even touching a weight. Then, warm ups are as follows for Bench, Sqaut & Deads;

2 sets 15 reps - Bar (45lbs)
1 set of 10 - 95lbs
1 set of 5 - 115lbs
..then on to working sets & rest of workout

 

[cwick0]

Incidentally - many of the strongest lifters in the world start with the bar. A friend of mine had this exact conversation with Ed Coan and his training partner at Quads in Chicago.

Unfortunately, Ive done the bar before, but didnt feel a darn thing. Plus, this has to be quite unusual for someone benching say over 500lbs. I heard about guys doing warmups with 315 on the bar.

 

[Madcow2]

You shouldn't feel anything. It's not about building mass. It's about preserving your joints, connective tissue, and not tearing anything. You are simply moving your body through the range of motion to which you are going to begin to add substantial weight. You could go without the bar but it's easier to retain your groove and simulate the true press with a tangible object. Ed Coan benches well over 500 as do plenty of others (not to mention having pulled a 900 deadlift which I feel is a ton more impressive - I think his best bench is in the 595 neighborhood and he is arguably the best PL ever). Anyone warming up with 315 doesn't understand what this is about. That being said, Paul Anderson used to walk into the gym and go right to working set weight. The question is, would he do it 50 years later with today's information? I highly doubt it.

 

[Carmen]

I feel like I'm one of the old farts on the board at 36 and I do take a little longer to warm up than many, especially with previous back problems.

I start every workout with 10 minutes walking on treadmill at highest setting then do some Swiss Ball body and core stretching before even touching a weight. Then, warm ups are as follows for Bench, Sqaut & Deads;

2 sets 15 reps - Bar (45lbs)
1 set of 10 - 95lbs
1 set of 5 - 115lbs
..then on to working sets & rest of workout

some of us are older than 36...

btw, madcow- ed coan is the one that determined my warmups, starting with the empty bar, just like him.

 

[JohnnyCoho]

some of us are older than 36...

No Fuckin' Way!!!,....You?!?!?! Woulda guessed you in your mid to late 20's!!! You look great!!
I've got a soft spot for red heads as well,...been happily married to one for the past 12 years.

 

[WalkingBeast]

With flat or incline benches I warm-up like this:

135x20
225x12
275x5 (reduced from 8)
Then onto the main sets. Unless its a one rep maxing routine, then Ill follow it with:

315x1
335x1
365x1
400x1

So the single rep sets with the lighter weights are still warm-ups to get the feel for the weight. When I deadlifted Id do something like this:

135x12
225x12
315x1
405x1
(possibly 455x1 next)
500 or slightly more(max set)

I find with benching I need a good deal of reps in the beginning to warm-up the joints and muscle. I usually do the first few sets of flat bench very quick and explosive also. I like the plates to clang,up to 275. Gets me fired up to throw around the heavier weights. Deadlifts dont seem to need much warming up, but always did them as a precaution. Dont do them anymore though.

 

[Madcow2]

btw, madcow- ed coan is the one that determined my warmups, starting with the empty bar, just like him.

That's pretty cool. My friend completely changed around his whole regimine after speaking with him too. I saw Ed the year before last at the Mountaineer when we were watching the strongman event on the final day (not that he knows who I am or I am anywhere near his level in my wildest crack smoking fantasy but I did say hello).

Do you train at Quads or around Chicago? I used to visit my friend there. I love the picture of Coan's back on the wall inside the rack. Hell of an inspiration. An ironic story: I was there with a friend training at the city location (I think there's a suberbs one too). I was doing some power cleans and above 220 or so I tend to drop the bumpers. We'll this is the 2nd floor so after a few minutes the manager comes running out yelling at me and says I can't drop them. I basically say, "Well you have bumpers - what do you usually do with them when your regulars might want to use them?" He says he tells them the same thing even Ed Coan. I suggest to him, "This is a serious gym. You have the equipment. Why not setup a platform for people to use. Move around some of the cardio stuff on the ground floor." So anyway, I fly home and get a call from my friend 4 weeks later. Apparently they installed a platform on the ground floor and relocated the bumpers. So I can't say for sure but if it's your gym, I might have had a good bit to do with the platform (although I've never seen it and haven't been back since).

 

[WalkingBeast]

Unfortunately, Ive done the bar before, but didnt feel a darn thing. Plus, this has to be quite unusual for someone benching say over 500lbs. I heard about guys doing warmups with 315 on the bar.

Yea, I cant feel the bar, if it even does anything at all. The bar basically feels weightless when Im under it. 135 seems like a good weight for me to start at.