Warmups?

abrand1121

Just curious what others do to warm up before your warm up lifts? Or do you warm up at all before that?

Deena_Bean

I do anywhere from 5-10 minutes of high intensity cardio. There's an app I use for it...starts me sweating and then I go into the lifting. Works well.

krokador

I go through a bodyweight circuit (lots of lunges, push-ups, band pull-aparts, core activation like planks or hollow rocks, some jump rope, lots of hip-opening stuff) that takes anywhere from 10-20 minutes, and then will ramp up from the bar to my working set numbers in steps that get me 3-4 warm-up sets at most.

Unless I'm ramping up for a max effort but that's not very often.

If I'm doing oly lifts Ill also throw in a bit of bar-only movement pattern breakdown to make sure my form is on point.

I haven't done straight up cardio as a warm-up for over a year, and I'm never going back!

mirrim52

I only do warm up lifts. I go in the evening after rushing around getting dinner ready, cleaned up, kid to bed, then rush out the door to the gym, so I feel pretty warm when I get there :P If I go early on a weekend, or if I need to wait for a rack, I will do 10 mins on the elliptical or something. Maybe when the weights get heavier I will need more, but so far I am fine.

abrand1121

Thank you! That was just what I needed. I was only doing 2-3 minutes of jump roping intervals then went into warm up sets but a couple of times I felt really tight afterwards. Was wondering if i needed to try a more dynamic warmup. What app do you use Deena_bean? Thanks again everybody

Deena_Bean

On the iPhone it's called "Workouts" - it has several options within the app (work arms, legs, butt, cardio, abs and full body). I just do the cardio for lifting days, but in the past I've done the 30 min version of full body. It's no joke.

DawnEmbers

Depends if I've worked or been active during the day before. Some days I'll use the trx a little, do pushups on the rail, body weight squats and stretch a tad for my wrists and a little shoulder mobility. Somedays I foam roll, and others it's all I do. Though I do warm up lifts for squats, bench and on NROLFW I do a few more for deadlifts than before since it's the first lift of Day B. Usually it's after work so I've already spend 6-8 hours on my feet moving around, lifting things and such.

TravelsWithHuckleberry

I usually go to the gym mid-afternoon, so I do very little other than warm-up versions of the lifts. I also keep my stretching for afterwards.

canadianlbs

in theory i stretch and roll and do paused bodyweight squats for a while just to turn on my glutes, but in practice it depends on whether the squat rack is free. i warm up like that if it's going to be a long enough wait. otherwise i'm just in like flynn and hissing at anyone who tries to take it off me. either way, i do at least two warmup sets with the bar before i start adding on plates. a lot of the time i do my stretches in between sets while i'm 'resting'.

in practice, i also bike to the gym, so there's that.

Graceious1

My warm tends to be a 5 min cycle, 8-10 min stretching then I go into my beloved strong lifts.