Warm up sets

Shanel0916

How much weight should be used for warm up sets, when lifting heavy for strength?
Should I be using a belt when squatting heavy or deadlifting?

Scotty2HotPie

Oh man... You're opening a can of worms here. There's so many varied opinions on belts, you may get all kinds of answers.

My advice would be to do some research on youtube, there's lot's of good videos. Then doing the excercises with and without a belt and see what's most comfortable to you.

If you're happy with it (or without) and you're able to get solid workouts in safely, then that's all that really matters.

Shanel0916

Thank you. What about warm up sets I googled that and got so many different things or is it not really important how much weight I warm up with?

sammyliftsandeats

Warm up sets - Wendler suggests one set each of 40%, 50% and 60% of your 1RM. I do 5/3/1 so I ascribe to that.

Belts - No experience yet...but hopefully soon!

Shanel0916

Great thank you. Any other opinions are welcomed please.

AbelMendoza

Start with a weight that you can get at least 12 reps with, with ease, then work up to an 8 rep, then a 5 and so on and so forth until you feel ready to get to your working weight. Everyone has a different definition of heavy, 5 or less reps comes to mind for me because I'm a powerlifter.
As for the belt, you can use one, but don't use one if you are new to lifting. Build up a solid base of strength first, especially your core and back. You don't really need a belt, even for heavy sets, I prefer not to use one, it's just a safety net. Don't start using one until you get into lifting actually heavy weights, that being repping a decent bit more than your body weight, and learn how to actually use the belt. You need to know how to brace if you're going to use a belt, and brace the right way. Chris Duffin has good videos on bracing technique, warming up for heavy squats/deads, form, etc. Look him up on youtube.

jemhh

I do 2-3 warm up sets. I use 5/3/1 for my programming so a lot of times I do 5 @ 40%, 5 @ 50%, 3 @ 60%.

However, I don't always do it that way. When I don't, I usually do something like this:

5-8 at around 50% of whatever my first work set weight is going to be. Then I do 1-3 more sets between that and the working set. I just try to space them relatively evenly.

Jm172017

I'm a PT and exercise physiology. My warms ups and belt usage depends on the patient/client. If you don't know how to properly brace your core, the belt won't matter. I prefer belts only for heavy lifting 5 reps or less. Above that I strongly suggest not using a belt in order to focus on training proper bracing for lifts.

As for warm up. Do a general cardio warm up getting your heart rate up to 70% of max before strength training. Then I normally warm up 30-40% of max for whatever lift. 30 reps normally. The evidence suggests 30 reps is the best when it comes to maximizing blood flow to an area for healing, so I use this logic when it comes to warming up.

Good luck!

sgt1372

Scotty2HotPie wrote: »

Oh man... You're opening a can of worms here. There's so many varied opinions on belts, you may get all kinds of answers.

My advice would be to do some research on youtube, there's lot's of good videos. Then doing the excercises with and without a belt and see what's most comfortable to you.

If you're happy with it (or without) and you're able to get solid workouts in safely, then that's all that really matters.

Agree w/this^

I'm 66, only weigh 160 and DL 350 and SQT 250. I always wear a belt doing DLs, SQTs and OHPs. I consider it insurance against injury.

The belt doesn't help you lift the weight and doesn't prevent development of your core (my 6 pack is proof of that, never did any ab exercises just the above) but it might prevent an injury.

As for warmups, there's no specific formula. I do 2-3 increasing wt sets of 10/6/3 reps at about 40/60/80% of my planned max lift.

All you want to do is get your muscles ready to do the lift in the least amount of time w/o wearing yourself out too early. Trick is not to do too much or too little. Experiment to find out what works best for you.

Shanel0916

I squat 145lbs, Bench Press 80lbs and deadlift 155lbs is that considered heavy? I figured it was for a "girl" lol? I have been doing Starting Strength Novice for the last 3 weeks. But I'm not really new to lifting just never followed any particular plans before so I was always slow to increase the weight and lower reps.

cwolfman13

My warmup is generally 5 minutes on the stationary bike to get my legs moving and some blood flowing. From there I have a handful of dynamic stretching movements I do specifically to address a couple of issues I have. After that I warm up with a few sets of lighter weight before getting into my working sets.

sammyliftsandeats

Shanel0916 wrote: »

I squat 145lbs, Bench Press 80lbs and deadlift 155lbs is that considered heavy? I figured it was for a "girl" lol? I have been doing Starting Strength Novice for the last 3 weeks. But I'm not really new to lifting just never followed any particular plans before so I was always slow to increase the weight and lower reps.

If it's challenging for you, then it's heavy.

Your heavy and my heavy and someone else's heavy is always going to be different.

sardelsa

I have no idea either so I am following the advice on this thread.
Right now I only do warm-up sets if I am going pretty heavy (3x3, 3x5 etc), and my warm ups have been 60-80% of my working sets (not my max since I don't work my max nor do I go anywhere near it atm). I don't want to go too heavy so that I tire out and won't be able to complete my reps, but I find if I go too light my muscles aren't as prepared for the heavier weight and my performance goes down. I think it can take some experimenting.

Shanel0916

sammyliftsandeats wrote: »

Shanel0916 wrote: »

I squat 145lbs, Bench Press 80lbs and deadlift 155lbs is that considered heavy? I figured it was for a "girl" lol? I have been doing Starting Strength Novice for the last 3 weeks. But I'm not really new to lifting just never followed any particular plans before so I was always slow to increase the weight and lower reps.

If it's challenging for you, then it's heavy.

Your heavy and my heavy and someone else's heavy is always going to be different.

This is true and for me yes its challenging for now.

Willbenchforcupcakes

Man I do a lot of warm up sets compared to most people. The closer I am to a meet, the more my warmups approach what my warm ups will be in the meet.

Squats and bench I typically to 7 warm up sets starting from the bar. And I follow the progression that I'll be using in the warm up room. I do this so that I have practise knowing how my body takes the jumps in weights and allows slow priming of my nervous system.

Deads I'll typically only do 4-5 warm up sets. Again, it's matching what I do when warming up at a meet so I know how things feel.

As for my belt, I wear it when having it to brace against makes sense. Typically about 70-75% of my max.

cwolfman13

Shanel0916 wrote: »

I squat 145lbs, Bench Press 80lbs and deadlift 155lbs is that considered heavy? I figured it was for a "girl" lol? I have been doing Starting Strength Novice for the last 3 weeks. But I'm not really new to lifting just never followed any particular plans before so I was always slow to increase the weight and lower reps.

"Heavy" as in the actual weight is going to be depend on the individuals current skill level. What is "heavy" weight wise to me is jack to my trainer.

"Heavy" typically describes a rep range that is optimal for building raw strength..."heavy" is typically 1-5or6 reps at a high % of your max weight for that particular exercise...lower the rep, the higher % of your 1RM you would be working with.

Cylphin60

AbelMendoza wrote: »

Start with a weight that you can get at least 12 reps with, with ease, then work up to an 8 rep, then a 5 and so on and so forth until you feel ready to get to your working weight. Everyone has a different definition of heavy, 5 or less reps comes to mind for me because I'm a powerlifter.

This is what I do, the first 2 sets, making sure I'm rested enough between sets as well. I'm not a body builder or powerlifter though.

I always start with 10-15 minutes of stretching and light warmups with no weight, before that though, but that might not be necessary for everyone. I'm just especially creaky and stiff after a days work.

No real advice on the belt as I started using one about 2 months ago and have to say I'm not really a fan of it. I have pretty strong stability for the most part, and it feels more like a hindrance than anything else. YMMV as always.

juliewatkin

Willbenchforcupcakes wrote: »

Man I do a lot of warm up sets compared to most people. The closer I am to a meet, the more my warmups approach what my warm ups will be in the meet.

Squats and bench I typically to 7 warm up sets starting from the bar. And I follow the progression that I'll be using in the warm up room. I do this so that I have practise knowing how my body takes the jumps in weights and allows slow priming of my nervous system.

Deads I'll typically only do 4-5 warm up sets. Again, it's matching what I do when warming up at a meet so I know how things feel.

As for my belt, I wear it when having it to brace against makes sense. Typically about 70-75% of my max.

This really illustrates how we're all different. I take the less is more approach particularly in contest. I find it stressful to have a lot of warm ups and work in with everyone. Warm up rooms can be a s**t show. I warm up more for squat than anything. Mine goes bar, 135x3, 165x2, 195x1, 215x1. Bench is two warm up sets and DL one plate, two plate, 275. I've taken a lot of years to pare things down and get to understand what works best for me.

Belt is around 90% on squat and 80% on DL.

Chieflrg

You'll get a 100 different answers to how to warm up mainly because everyone is different as well as their goals and their existing fitness level not to mention problem areas.

Get time under the bar on a program or three and youll get a idea of what works best for you and your goals.

As far as belts, I would first work on learning how to brace yourself with you own abs under a load since typically a belt isn't needed in most cases until 85%+ on most lifts give or take as you closer to a one rep max and does nothing for you but give you false sense of security until you learn how to brace correctly.

Barbonica

Warm up should be based on ensuring you are ready to add weight. For me, that means 5-10 minutes of cardio type exercise (eliptical or bike) to get the blood moving, another 10-15 minutes of dynamic stretching, and then 2-3 warm up sets of whatever my primary lift is. I typically do the first set very light (30% - 40%) then increase to 50%-60%, then decide based on what my working sets will be.

In terms of a belt, you should make sure you have your form solid before you start using a belt, then evaluate what your goals are. I typically wear a belt at about 75%+ of my one rep max. The benefit of the belt is NOT to protect your back or help your form. It is to increase intra-abdominal pressure (core strength). If you decide to get a belt, evaluate what you need/want. I had to search for a while, but found a 3" belt that is far better for me than the standard 4" (I am 5'6", but have a very short torso). Have fun lifting!

http://www.livestrong.com/article/471159-advantages-disadvantages-of-a-weight-lifting-belt/

Willbenchforcupcakes

juliewatkin wrote: »

Willbenchforcupcakes wrote: »

Man I do a lot of warm up sets compared to most people. The closer I am to a meet, the more my warmups approach what my warm ups will be in the meet.

Squats and bench I typically to 7 warm up sets starting from the bar. And I follow the progression that I'll be using in the warm up room. I do this so that I have practise knowing how my body takes the jumps in weights and allows slow priming of my nervous system.

Deads I'll typically only do 4-5 warm up sets. Again, it's matching what I do when warming up at a meet so I know how things feel.

As for my belt, I wear it when having it to brace against makes sense. Typically about 70-75% of my max.

This really illustrates how we're all different. I take the less is more approach particularly in contest. I find it stressful to have a lot of warm ups and work in with everyone. Warm up rooms can be a s**t show. I warm up more for squat than anything. Mine goes bar, 135x3, 165x2, 195x1, 215x1. Bench is two warm up sets and DL one plate, two plate, 275. I've taken a lot of years to pare things down and get to understand what works best for me.

Belt is around 90% on squat and 80% on DL.

I claim my rack early and let people choose to work in with me or not. I don't find it stressful at all, and it helps me focus. Usually there are at least a few handlers and coaches around to handle shifting all the weights around

bbell1985

Depends on what your working set is for the day and how many reps you're going for. I used to be so anal about my warmups. Now for a squat with a working set at 200, my warmup looks like this: Barx8, 95x6-8, 135x5, 155x4, 175x2, 185x2, 195x1. I always like to hit a single about 5 to 10 pounds below my max

Use a belt for 85%ish percent of your max and above.

TR0berts

I generally use a version of bar, quarter, plate, quarter... until I get near my working weight.

For squats, it'll be something along the lines of 5x45, 5x95, 3x135, 3x185, 2x225, 2x275, 1x315, and then whatever, depending on the working weight(s) for that day.

Bench gets a little different, as it's usually something like 10x45, 5x95, 3x135, and then whatever - sometimes going to 185, sometimes something like 165 and then on.

Deadlifts start at 135 and work up.

IIRC, Lou/Alwyn suggest - in the New Rules of Lifting series - to pick a low weight, do half the amount of working set reps, and work up - each warmup set, doing one less rep than previous. I tried that, but found it didn't work very well. That is, however, what led me to experiment with what I typically do now.


Really, you'll just have to experiment to see what works well for you. You want to be warmed up and ready/prepared to lift your working weight(s), but you don't want to do too much warmup, so that you're tired when it comes to your work set(s).