Warmup Sets

[Arthur2004]

how do u gyuys do ur warmup sets.... like how many sets and reps....and do u do it for every exercise or just every mucsle group....and also how much lighter then u actually gonna lift

 

[Cletis2000]

I do one for every muscle group and two before I start working out. I do one set real light for 10 reps or so to get my muscles in gear, I also do another set at 80% of what I will be lifting for 4 or 5 reps. The trick is to get a good warmup without tiring your muscles too much.

 

[mattymo]

Apart from the actual warmup sets you really need to do 5-10 minutes of moderate to intense cardio before you do any lifting or even stretching. Lifting light, and even stretching muscles that are cold is an easy way to get injured. Do some cardio to get your heart rate up and your muscles warm so that the warm up sets you do later are effective and don't cause injury.

 

[Larva]

hey i do 10 reps at 80% max for each exercise. since each one usually has a different movement envolved, i want my muscles to get use to it first. just my 2 cents

 

[Monolith]

I normally do one set of 8-10 at 60-80% of my working weight. Then jump right in.

I think the older you get, though, the more important warm ups become. The chance of injury increases.

 

[HoldDaMayo]

I do 5 mins cardio to get my body temp up... then a tad bit of stretching, more if it's a leg day... then right to it... i like to lift heavy immediately because it really seems to shock the muscles...

 

[Power Rabbit]

most of the time i pyramid my sets...so the warmup is the beginning of the pyramid.... for example bench 135-10, 225-9, 245-8, 260-5....so each set kinda prepairs me for the next one

 

[SJ69]

Originally posted by Power Rabbit
most of the time i pyramid my sets...so the warmup is the beginning of the pyramid.... for example bench 135-10, 225-9, 245-8, 260-5....so each set kinda prepairs me for the next one

me too !! Just about the same numbers also.
Warming up is the single best way to prevent injury (assuming proper form).

 

[CowPimp]

I have never really been into warmup sets. I have never been injured either. However, a lot of people on these forums seem to think that warming up is very important. I plan on starting to do warmup sets with my new routine tomorrow.

I am a little confused about how much to warm up though. Some people seem to think a warmup set for every lift is necessary. Others think that one set for each major muscle group is sufficient. I tend to think that one set per muscle group would be fine, but I don't have any hard facts to back that up.

 

[Darkkmind]

15-20 Reps 70% of max.

 

[CowPimp]

Originally posted by Darkkmind
15-20 Reps 70% of max.

That seems really high. For example, with benchpress, I can only do about 7 reps of 80% of my max. I'm not even sure I'm physically capable of doing that many repitions of 70% of my max. I thought the point of a warmup was to get the blood flowing, but not wear down your muscles at all?

 

[neanderthal]

when i warm up i try to keep my reps lower so i fatigue my muscles as little as possible. i'll usually do 1x6 with light weight and 1x3-4 with a moderate weight.

 

[P-funk]

I usually do low reps for warms ups as well. Usually I don't go over 6 reps on a warm up set and then I do some singles until the weight that I am going to start with.

 

[SJ69]

For example
Warm up set 1 135 X 12-15 reps
Warm up set #2 205(or 185) X6 or 8 reps
Working set #1 225 X 9 - 11 reps
Working set #2 235 X 6 - 8 reps
Working Set #3 255 X 4 - 5 reps
Then maybe I jump to 275 or 300 for 1 rep or drop back down to 225 for reps.
The reason I included the weight I use is so you can see how it might work out on a percentage of max basis or % of 10 rep
Hope this helps.