Here is a simple guide to how I warm up for a workout. The entire thing takes less than ten minutes.
Few things in the gym are as dull as warming up. There is no way around it. The warm-up is boring. What’s more? It’s a waste of time. At least how most people do it.
I have to admit the fitness community got this wrong. About ten years ago, what I call “the mobility era” was all the rage. The perception was if you didn’t mobilize every joint and roll out every square inch of soft tissue before lifting, you might not survive.
The fitness industry is uniquely susceptible to bullshit. The emphasis on mobility work in the warm-up is not the first and certainly will not be the last thing people waste their time on.
Let’s take a step back. Why do we warm up?
The goal of a warm-up is to prepare you physically and mentally for the workout ahead. A well-designed warm-up creates several physiological responses that can improve performance. We want to look at warming up in the literal sense. Most of the benefits are temperature-related.
The muscles act as the body’s furnace. When activated, they create heat. In addition to heat, a good warm-up elevates baseline oxygen consumption and increases blood flow to the muscles.
The warm-up is traditionally divided into two categories: general and specific. This entire process should take 10 minutes at most. Sometimes, it can take more than that, but since we all have limited time to dedicate to the gym, use the Pareto Principle (80/20 rule). Ask yourself, what 20% can I do that will deliver 80% of the results? The answer will be different for everyone. This is what I do.
General Warm-Up
The primary goal of the general warm-up is to prepare your body for the upcoming exercise by increasing core temperature and heart rate, breathing a little harder, and allowing you to break a sweat.
Five minutes of low—to moderate-intensity cardiovascular activity works well. Some ideas are using a treadmill, exercise bike, air dyne, jump rope, or barbell complex.
There is a delicate balance between how hard to push and how easy it should be. We want it to be easy enough not to tire you out but hard enough to accomplish the goal. Making it too easy is a waste of time. I see a lot of people make this mistake. You need to get after it a little bit.
If you use the treadmill, a good option for most people is to walk at a 5-8% incline and 3-3.5mph speed. Essentially, you are looking for a pace that would be a cardio workout if you did it for 30 minutes.
The barbell complex is a highly effective warm-up option. It’s a series of exercises performed sequentially with a barbell without putting it down. When using a barbell complex to warm up, use an empty bar.
Here is an example of a barbell complex I frequently use. Perform 2-3 rounds.
- Barbell Row x 8 reps
- Romanian Deadlift x 8 reps
- Overhead Press x 8 reps
- Hang Power Clean or Hang Power Snatch x 8 reps
- Overhead Squat or Good Morning x 8 reps
- Back Squat x 8 reps
You can change the movements, but include a pull, press, hip hinge, and squat.
Dynamic Movement Prep [optional]
Here is where you will save time. Ten years ago, the fitness industry took things too far. It was commonplace for people to spend 20-30 minutes on mobility work and movement prep before touching a weight. I don’t know about you, but I don’t have time for that. Plus, unless you have a specific issue, there is little evidence that it is beneficial. Most people don’t need to do any warm-up mobility or movement work at all.
If you want to do something, here is what I recommend.
Lower Body Days: 1-3 rounds
- Leg Swing: 5-10 reps forward and back
- Air Squat: 5-10 reps
- Reverse Lunge and/or Cossack Squat: 5-10 reps on each leg
Upper Body Days: 1-3 rounds
- Arm Swings and/or Circles: 5-10 reps in each direction
- Band Pullaparts and/or Band Dislocations: 5-10 reps
- Pushups and/or Pullups: 5-10 reps
Specific Warm-up: Warm-up Sets
Warm-up sets are the most important part of the process. In fact, if you are ever short on time, you can skip right to this step.
It’s hard to prescribe the exact number of warm-up sets. It largely depends on your strength. The stronger you are, the more warm-up sets you need before getting into the working weight. That said, it doesn’t matter how strong you are; always start with an empty 45lb bar on all barbell movements.
First Exercise of the Day
The first exercises of the day will require the most extensive warm-up. If the movement is barbell-related, start with an empty bar for 8 to 10 reps. If it’s a dumbbell, machine, or cable movement, pick a weight you could do for 20-25ish reps and perform a set of 8 to 10.
For example, this is how I would warm up for a bench press workout consisting of five sets of five reps with 315 lbs.
- 45lbs barbell x 8-10 reps
- 135lbs x 5-8 reps
- 185lbs x 5 reps
- 225lbs x 3-5 reps
- 275lbs x 3 reps
Since the weight is light, you can move fast between sets. The time it takes to load the weight will be enough rest.
The next set after 275 for three would be 315 for 5, my first working set. Notice that the warm-up sets were not high reps. The last two warm-up sets can have fewer reps than the working sets. Remember, we want to avoid fatigue.
There should be a big difference between a warm-up and a working set. That is why the last warm-up weight (275 in the example) is for fewer reps than the working sets. You can play around with the amount of warm-up sets you take. Some days, you need more than others.
For another example, here is how I would warm up if I started a workout with an incline dumbbell press consisting of three sets of 8-10 reps with 120-lb dumbbells.
- 40lbs dumbbells x 8-10 reps
- 60bs dumbbells x 5-8 reps
- 80lbs dumbbells x 5 reps
- 100lbs dumbbells x 3-5 reps
Second Exercise of The Day and Beyond
After the day’s first exercise, your body is already warm and, hopefully, firing on all cylinders. This means we can do fewer warm-up sets on the second exercise of the day and beyond.
That said, I still strongly recommend at least one warm-up set. Doing at least one light set on every exercise has two distinct advantages. The first is that it ensures your technique is dialed in. But, more importantly, the warm-up sets are crucial for you to gauge the weight. We want to use this warm-up set to ensure the planned working weight is where it needs to be.
For example, if I plan on doing sets of 10-12 with 80 pounds on a triceps pressdown, I might start with a set of 50 or 60 pounds for 8-10 reps as a warm-up to get a lay of the land. Based on how this warm-up set feels, I will decide if 80 pounds for 10-12 is still a good working weight for the day.
However, if you are following a full-body or powerlifting program that has you go from a squat to a bench press, you need to treat the bench press like it’s the first exercise of the day.
Have a Pre-Gym Routine
Lastly, I want to discuss the psychological aspect of preparing for a good workout. The mental side of training is far more important than many give it credit for. Getting in the right mindset before walking into the gym can make the difference between a great and lousy session.
Adopting a pre-gym routine has been a game-changer for me in maintaining consistency in performance. It all starts with the drive to the gym. I used to listen to podcasts or audiobooks, but I’ve switched to music in the past few years. I like to get it bumping, too. The drive to the gym is all about creating the right vibe.
Along with music, I drink a pre-workout on the way. Of course, caffeine and other goodies make pre-workout supplements valuable, but for me, the benefits are as much psychological as physiological. How do I know? Because I get essentially the same benefit from a stim-free pre. I just enjoy sipping on a good drink on the way to the gym. At this point, I’m like Pavlov’s dog, conditioned to associate a pre-workout drink with a good workout. If you’re like me, don’t fight it. Roll with it.
The Mental Warm-Up
Once I get to the gym, I do a mental check. If I’m ready, I walk right in and get after it. Most of the time, this is how it goes. However, if I’m not ready, I take a moment. You know how it is. Life gets in the way. I don’t like to start my workout stressed.
I adapted a mental workout from Dr. Jason Selk’s book Ten Minute Toughness. When needed, I do this in my car before heading in.
- Centering Breath: Breath in for 6 seconds, hold for 2 seconds, exhale for 7 seconds.
- Identity Statement (positive self-talk): For this, create a statement about who you are or want to be in the gym. Make it personal. The more personal it is, the more helpful it will be. You don’t need to share this with others. In fact, I recommend you don’t.
- Personal Highlight Reel (mental imagery): Spend 30 seconds visualizing what you have to do in the gym that day. Picture yourself hitting the exercises and weights you have planned. After, you can even visualize yourself in the future reaching your goals.
- Centering Breath: End with another centering breath. Breathe in for 6 seconds, hold for 2 seconds, and exhale for 7 seconds.
If this sounds a little woo-woo, it’s not. Take a deep breath, hype yourself up, see yourself having a good workout, and take another deep breath. That’s all there is to it. The key is to structure the identity statement and personal highlight reel around something specific to the training session. The difference between a good workout and a bad one is usually psychological.
FAQs
Q: What is the best warm-up before a workout?
If I had to pick one thing to call the best, it would be warm-up sets. If you do nothing else, do those.
Q: Is it necessary to warm up for a workout?
Necessary is a strong word. Not much we do in the gym is required, meaning you can get by without it; however, if you want to perform optimally, warm up.
Q: What happens if you don’t warm-up for a workout?
Potentially, nothing. But you will likely perform worse. Although there is not much direct data indicating this, in my experience, you are also more susceptible to injury.
Q: What stretches should you do before working out?
I don’t recommend stretching before your workout. The only exception is if you have a particular muscle that limits your range of motion, such as the calves and anterior tibialis. Some people find stretching their lower legs before squats can help with depth.
Q: How long should a gym warm-up be?
A warm-up before lifting weights should take ten minutes or less.
Too Much, or Too Little?
Well, there you have it. How I warm-up for a workout in 10 minutes or less.
Most people’s warm-ups are on opposite ends of the spectrum. They either subscribe to the mobility era style of mobilizing every joint before doing an air squat or come in off the street and load 225 pounds on the bench. As with most things, the answer lies in the middle. Ten minutes is the sweet spot—enough time to get yourself ready but not so much that it wastes valuable gym time.
I hope you enjoyed the article. As always, if you have any questions, reach out.
Looking for a new workout split? Check out my 4,5, and 6-day guides.
4-Day Workout Splits: https://kylehuntfitness.com/the-best-4-day-workout-splits-to-build-muscle/
5-Day Workout Splits: https://kylehuntfitness.com/the-best-5-day-workout-splits-to-build-muscle/
6-Day Workout Splits: https://kylehuntfitness.com/the-best-6-day-workout-splits-to-build-muscle/
Author: Kyle Hunt
Email: KyleHuntFitness@gmail.com
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