How to Warm Up Properly Before a Heavy Lift
A good warm-up is not a jog on the treadmill. It is a short, specific sequence that raises your core temperature, moves the joints you are about to load, and rehearses the movement with lighter weight.
Rowing, the bike, or a brisk walk on an incline. You want to feel warm, not tired.
Squatting today? Ankle rocks, hip openers, a few bodyweight squats to depth. Pressing? Band pull-aparts, wall slides, thoracic rotations.
Start with the empty bar and add small jumps: bar, then roughly 40%, 60%, 75%, 85% of your top set, one to three reps each. By the time you reach your working weight your nervous system already knows what is coming.
Skip the warm-up and your first work set becomes the warm-up, at a weight that punishes bad positions. Do it properly and your first rep looks like your last rep. If you are not sure how to ramp your own lifts, grab a coach on the floor and we will build it with you.
