Your Warm-Up Might Be Sabotaging Your Heavy Lifts
Every lifter knows they should warm up before heavy training but what most lifters don’t realize is that how you warm up can make or break your top sets.
Too little warm-up and you’re stiff, underprepared, and at risk for injury.
Too much warm-up and you’re already fatigued before your work sets even begin.
The sweet spot is just enough to prime your body without draining it.
The Purpose of a Warm-Up
A good warm-up isn’t about exhausting yourself. It’s about:
Increasing blood flow to muscles and joints
Reinforcing the right movement patterns for the lift
Dialing in technique at lighter loads
Building confidence for heavier attempts
Think of it as getting in the groove, not testing how many reps you can do before your real sets start.
Where Lifters Go Wrong
1. Spending Too Much Time on Primers
Some lifters run through a 30 minute circuit of mobility, activation drills, and corrective work before they even touch a barbell. That’s overkill.
Your warm-up doesn’t need to be a 10 exercise protocol just to get ready to squat or bench. All you really need is enough to identify what feels tight or sluggish on that particular day.
A better approach:
Do a couple sets with the bar or very light weight. Pay attention to how your body feels. If something feels tight (hips, ankles, shoulders), address it quickly with a couple drills or movements, then move forward into adding weight.
2. Treating Warm-Ups Like Work Sets
Cranking out high-rep sets with the empty bar or light weight feels good — but it can burn you out before you even touch your heavy sets. Remember: the warm-up is practice, not punishment.
3. Too Many Jumps
Doing every single plate jump on the way up (135, 185, 225, 275, 315, etc.) wastes energy. Small jumps at the start, bigger jumps once you’re moving.
4. Rushing Into Heavy Weight
On the flip side, going from 135 straight to 405 skips crucial practice reps. You miss the chance to groove your setup and bracing.
5. Not Matching the Day’s Focus
Your warm-up should look different depending on the lift and rep scheme. A warm-up for heavy singles isn’t the same as one for volume work.
The Ideal Warm-Up Flow
Quick General Prep (5 min or less):
Dynamic mobility or light cardio to raise your core temperature.Movement Check-In (1–2 light sets):
Use the empty bar or light dumbbells to feel out the movement. Address anything that feels tight, but don’t waste time on drills you don’t need that day.Ramp Up Sets:
Start with smaller jumps (10–20% of your max).
Increase the jump size as the weight gets heavier.
Keep reps low, doubles or singles depending on your work sets.
Example: Squat Day, 500x5 Work Set
Empty bar x 2 sets of 8–10
135 x 5
225 x 3
315 x 2-3
385 x 2
440 x 2
475 x 2
500 x 5 (first work set)
Why doubles instead of singles?
When your top sets are rep work (like 3s, 5s, or 8s), hitting doubles on the way up does two things:
It reinforces the rhythm of performing multiple reps so your body is ready for the volume.
It provides a little more time under tension without being fatiguing, you’re not burning out, but you’re practicing the feel for the rep scheme demand.
If you were working up to heavy singles, singles in the warm-up make sense, but for rep work, I believe doubles or even triples are often the better choice.
Your warm-up should prime, not tire. If you’re sweating and gassed before your top sets, your warm-up is sabotaging your performance.
Use light bar work to check tightness
Address what needs addressing, not a laundry list of drills
Don’t over rep your light sets
Don’t take every plate jump
Match the warm-up to the day’s goal
A smart warm-up gets you ready to lift, not too tired to lift.
Need Help?
If you’re not sure how to structure your warm-ups or how to get the most out of your training, I can help! Send me a message and let’s dial in your programming and setup so you can hit more PRs without burning out before your work sets.
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