Warming up with a single plate on each side....

[Blacktail]

At 52 years old I most definitely warm up with light weight.

 

[KillerStack]

I used to warm up with two plates at 16 or 17, my idea was that I would adapt my body to heavy weights better Lol. Then I watched some 600 bencher do a couple of sets with just the bar to start. That's what I would do today.

 

[Gunsmith]

I mean if world record holders are doing it then there must be something to it.

I don't do shit with a barbell anymore but I do start off very light , even leg press I start with a ate on each side , 15 reps nice a slow with a couple different foot positions , then do each leg by itself for 10 reps or so.
In my mind it's just a good way to put a little blood in the muscles and joints before pounding on them

 

[qbkilla]

Do yall rest in between warm up sets or is it more of one big progressive set?

I think JP gives exact protocol in his education series a little too ocd for my liking. I typically rest longer if not in a hurry but if I need to get in and get out don't. Haven't noticed any difference in performance for my real sets either way

 

[Mufasa123]

Great way to tear something or get injured.

I start with the bar. I've trained with some serious guys including one that held the SHW world record and dominated bench with a few others for a long time. They start with the bar.

High school kids start with 135.

That's called a clue.

 

[fisther69]

On squats and dead’s I start with 40% max.

On bench I start with the bar and that might be a few sets..the the 25’s..I’ve had a major pec tear and two rotator cuff surgeries on the left and three on the right..even if I work up to 405 it takes me like 10 sets of bench to get there

 

[KillerStack]

Back in the day I read that Bulgarian Burst traning manual, weightlifting adapted to bodybuilding. The author claimed the Bulgarians only used 90-95% 1RM for everything, warmups, working sets, everything Lol. I don't know if it was true but I saw some documentary about them and in the footage every one of them looked depressed and defeated Lol. If you got injured, get fucked, we'll just train the next guy with champion genes Lol.

 

[Biggerp73]

I like starting with 50 of target weight. For example when I was doing bench I was doing

225 for two or three reps

Gauge how I feel then either do 225 for another 2-3 or just straight up to

315 for one to two reps then gauge how I feel and either do 315 for another one to two reps or go up to

405 for one rep then go back down to

315 till about 1-2 shy of failure

Done

The heavy set with 405 wasn't a 1rm it was just to feel something heavy before I did my work set with 315... It made 315 feel a lot lighter and I'd get a lot more reps...

Now I'm doing a hammer press for chest because I hit a wall on bench and strength was stagnant

Back in the day I read that Bulgarian Burst traning manual, weightlifting adapted to bodybuilding. The author claimed the Bulgarians only used 90-95% 1RM for everything, warmups, working sets, everything Lol. I don't know if it was true but I saw some documentary about them and in the footage every one of them looked depressed and defeated Lol. If you got injured, get fucked, we'll just train the next guy with champion genes Lol.

I remember a guy on getbig named JP who talked about European powerlifters coming into the gym, walking straight up to a bar with 600-800lbs, squatting it a couple times no warm up, then leaving the gym right after. And doing that 2-3x per day.

 

[Hammer4]

I think JP gives exact protocol in his education series a little too ocd for my liking. I typically rest longer if not in a hurry but if I need to get in and get out don't. Haven't noticed any difference in performance for my real sets either way

Same here brother. Only if I don't warm up enough! I feel like the warm ups help the neural pathways more than the muscle but I suppose those are kinda one and the same

 

[TheOtherOne55]

The biggest, strongest guys at the gym spend the most time warming up. No u don’t need to progress 1 plate at a time… but the first give away to someone having clearly no idea what they are doing is massive jumps in warm up weights or no warmup weight at all …going right into something heavy like a 3RM.

 

[totalrecomp]

So y’all walk up to a flat bench cold and start with 135?

Y’all brave lol. I do the damn bar a few times to get shit moving

I think one's injury/wear and tear history plays a role in how people warm up. I start chest/shoulders with arm circles, pink DB's and empty bars until things feel proper warm and semi-pumped. If doing all this lowers the weight a touch on the final set so be it because being out for a month with an arm I can't lift overhead without massive pain is not helping anything either.

 

[kendoNagasaki]

Why have we always done this?

I watch even world record powerlifters who are getting ready to lift around 1,000 pounds start their warm up with a single 45lb plate on the bar.

First of all, it's completely arbitrary. If plates had been designed to be 40 or 50lbs or some other number, guys would probably still warm up with one. There's no reason to warm up with progression of 45lbs, then, 135lbs, then 225lbs, etc.

Second, what's the benefit of starting with such a light weight? If I'm doing any major compound movement, 135lbs isn't even a "warm up." It's just useless reps with too light a weight.

I start with 50 free hand squats.
It's about getting the blood flowing & stretching to an extent.
The first thing I do though is use a stationery bike to pump up my quads.