Warm up questions

[conorvansmack]

I've been doing StrongLifts 5 x 5 for about 4 months. I've never been satisfied with my warm ups. I feel like I'm not at my best until the 3rd and 4th sets of the exercise.

At any rate, I'm switching to 3 x 5 because of time and some things that I've read in Starting Strength and here.

Last night I squatted 3 x 5 @ 240. The recommended/calculated warm up based on that weight was 2 x 5 w/bar, 5 @ 95, 3 @ 140, 2 @ 190. I looked at it, tried it a little and it just didn't seem right. I did 10 OH squats w/bar, 5 @ 135, 5 @ 165, 3 @ 195, 2 @ 225 and then the work set.

On the other hand, the recommended/calculated warm ups for OH Press and Deadlift worked really well for me.
OH Press 3 x 5 @ 120 - 2 x 5 w/bar, 5 @ 65, 3 @ 80, 2 @ 100, 3 x 5 @ 120

Deadlift 5 @ 290 - 8 SLDL/8GM w/bar, 5 @ 135, 5 @ 185, 3 @ 225, 2 @ 275

Any advice on how to proceed or what to do?

 

[brikis98]

I'd play it by ear. Different people can take a longer or shorter amount of time until their body is optimally "ready" for a certain exercise. Sometimes this is physical, sometimes mental. However, as long as it gets you to a point where you're comfortable enough to safely do your work sets, then there's really no "wrong" approach. Personally, I take a LONG time to warm-up: I often do 5-10 minutes of very light cardio, 5-10 minutes of dynamic stretches, and then 5-10 minutes of light bodyweight exercises and then 2-3 sets of warm-up sets on each exercise. Only after this lengthy routine do I finally feel "in the groove" and perform optimally. One of my housemates stretches his hamstrings, quads and calves and is ready to jump straight to his work sets after 2 minutes. To each their own.

The one other thing I'd add is that as you get stronger, the weight you'll be able to use as a "warm-up" will continue to increase. Despite any gains in efficiency your body gains from training and building larger muscles, lifting X pounds Y feet still takes some minimum amount of energy. So if you keep the volume of your warm-ups the same but are continuously increasing the load, you'll end up using a whole lot of energy to move a whole lot of extra tonnage before you even get to your work sets. Simple example:

Say you deadlift 275x5 on your work sets. You might warm-up with:
45x5, 135x5, 185x3, 225x2, 250x2. Total tonnage = 2405lbs

Now, say you get a lot stronger and are deadlifting 405x5 on your work sets. If you used the exact same style of warm-up, you might do:
45x5, 135x5, 275x3, 335x2, 365x2. Total tonnage = 3125lbs

So, while the weights used in the warm-up are the same as a percentage of your 1RM, the total amount of energy you expend before even getting to your work sets can get pretty damn high if you're not careful. It may not seem like a big deal, but you'll experience the same increase in tonnage across every exercise you do, 3 times per week, and that can be detrimental to your progress and recovery.

 

[TallBill]

Yeah, just depends on the person really. I do about 5 minutes of rotations and stretches, and then a very low number of warmup reps/sets.

 

[Deeko]

I personally do a pretty short warmup...I have abysmal endurance with lifting, so if I do an extended warmup and then try to lift heavy, it will be a wasted workout. I generally do stretching and 1 light warmup set.

However, ever since I started going to a PL coach, he has me doing much longer warmups - but with a solid 4-5 minute break between each warmup set even. I was in the gym for almost 45 minutes before we got to work sets. So it really depends on you and what you're doing...

 

[conorvansmack]

I usually do about 7 minutes on an elliptical and at least 5 minutes of dynamic stretching.

You make the point that I was concerned about. I noticed it last week for deadlift at 290. 5 @ 135, 5 @ 185, 5 @ 225, 5 @ 255, 2 @ 285m wtf was I doing? Obviously, I was worn out and my grip and technique started to fail me around rep #4.

I'm most interested in seeing what this does for my bench press warm up. If I stick with the % of work weight (210), it would be 2 x 5 w/bar, 5 @ 105, 3 @ 145, 2 @ 185. I question whether or not the last two warm up sets have enough weight or volume, but I'll see how it goes.

 

[Vich]

I always start with dynamic stretches then transition into body weight exercises. (Dips, pushups, L-sits... etc)

Throw in some kettle bells and turkish getups and you are ready to go.


Something like this.


Dynamic Stretches

3 sets of 10 reps each:
Samson Stretch
Over Head Squad with PVC pipe
1 pood kettle bell swing
10s L-Sit
Double Unders

 

[SociallyChallenged]

For warmup, I jog 800m or row 1000m. Then I do some a-skips (track drill), hurdle kicks, lunges, pushups, pullups, situps, back extensions, dips (maybe), and body weight squats. I take a long time to warmup, especially with my hip flexor. For squat yesterday, I did a warmup for 3x5x245: 10x45, 8x135, 4x185, 2x225, and sometimes I'll even throw in 1x245 if my ligaments and tendons are feeling like they haven't quite adapted. It usually takes me about 25 minutes to get a full body warmup going. Keep in mind, I used to do track so my "warmed up" is often different from most people's. I used to have to run, stretch, and do dynamic stretches for about an hour before my actual race to be ready.