Yes, a 1st set with lower weight, then 5 more with "working" weight. Deadlifts should have two warm up sets. If you are starting with the bar as your working weight, do body weight warm ups for squats and deads. I only do them when using pretty heavy weights (so right now only on squats, deads and bench).

You are doing this?! Excellent.

Does this help?
http://stronglifts.com/5-rules-to-find-your-perfect-warm-up-weight/

This should definitely help! I bet this was in the stickied thread and I read right over it. THANK YOU!!

by the way if you are still squatting very low amounts your warm up weight is less than the empty bar so I would just do some body weight (no bar) sets to loosen up your hips and legs.

Okay, I'm confused, because the way I read that link "5 Rules to Find Your Perfect Warm Up Weight" is that you should be doing at least 4 and as many as 7 warm-up sets, although the last 2 sets are only 3 and then 2 reps.

So that's a lot more than one warm-up set.

I have been doing 2 warm-up sets, because I somehow got the idea that was recommended -- one with the bar and one roughly halfway between the bar and my working weight.

What do you all do? Rae, do you only do 1 warm-up set?

For my squats which are at 145 today, I do 2 empty bar sets, then I tend to kind of haphazardly jump up in weight for 2-3 more sets. Generally not more than 2 mroe sets - frankly I would LIKE to do 5 warmup sets some days but my husband is too effing impatient for words and he is unwilling to wait out the amount of time I'd need to do it *grumbles*

So for the 145 squats tonight I'll do:
2x5 45 lb
1x4 95lb
1x4 120 ish <--- maybe.

Its not quite what is recommended but I think the only truly important thing is that before you do your FIRST work weight set you feel very warm, loose, and so on. Sometimes I have this thing where I really struggle with my first 2 sets and then my third one is MUCH better <-- if that happens to you, you probably didn't' warm up enough.

Otherwise I don't think you should stress over it at the weights that most of us are doing. Do what you need to get warm and loose. I also tend to substitute sets with some bodyweight *kitten* to grass squats/stretching out down there to get my muscles and joints nice and warm/loose.

The other thing is to be careful not to do so much warming up that you actually are too tired to do your work weight sets.

tonight for warmups I did 2x empty bar and 1 set of 4 at 120 or so, and then that was it. In between my warmup sets I just did the asian squat (ATG) and stretched/wiggled around down there to get good and loose and it was fine. Us ladies are built a bit better for squatting than guys are so maybe that's a factor. I did 1 set of romanian deadlifts at 95 and then went to my work weight (RDL because I hate deadlifting the 25lb plates straight off the ground, and I hate putting plates under there when I only want them for one warmup set and then have to move them immediately after).

I think its fine as long as you're not diving in cold and its probably more important if its the first thing you do in the morning than if its the last thing you do in the evening.

I generally only warm up for squats because they are first. I will do the bar or maybe even a bunch of bodyweight squats. Sometimes I do goblet squats with a 20 lb dumbbell for a bunch of reps.