This question will inevitably cross a beginner’s mind at some point. If a program says to do 5 sets of 5 on the incline bench press, do the warm up sets count towards those 5 sets?
Simple. No. You only start counting the 5 sets once you get up to your working weight. You can take as many warmup sets as you need, although I will recommend that you don’t get excessive about it.
A sample progression will look like this. Let’s say someone is performing their sets at 225 lbs on the incline bench press.
Warm up: 45 lbs (empty bar) x10
Warm up: 95 lbs x10
Warm up: 135 lbs x8
Warm up: 185 lbs x5
Warm up: 205 lbs x2
Set 1: 225 lbs x5
Set 2: 225 lbs x5
Set 3: 225 lbs x5
Set 4: 225 lbs x5
Set 5: 225 lbs x5
If the warm up sets counted towards total sets, you will have run out of working sets by the time you got to your working weight.
Do I need to warm up for every exercise?
Usually the first exercise you do during your workouts will be the heaviest and most technically involved lift. This will be the exercise you will likely need to warm up the most.
Whether you warm up for the other exercises in your workout will be up to you. Generally, I will not necessarily warm up and ramp up to the working set of my other lifts unless the working weight is particularly heavy. Usually, I will feel “warmed up” after doing the first exercise. However, there is nothing wrong with doing some warm up sets for other exercises.
For example, if my third exercise of the day was the dumbbell overhead press and I am going to use the 70 lbs dumbbells, I may perform 1 or 2 sets at lower weights if I feel like I need to work up to my working weight.
One particular situation where I will advocate for warming up on multiple exercises is for full body workouts. If you are performing the squat and bench press during the same workout at relatively high intensities, I recommend warming up for both exercises.
How many warm up sets should I perform?
This will be up to individual preference and daily variations in how you feel. If you feel particularly slow and sluggish one day, it will likely bode well to perform some extra warm up sets at lower weights to acclimate your body.
However, I recommend against performing an excessive number of warm up sets. You don’t need to take tiny jumps in weight. It should still be a relatively quick ramp up towards your first working set. Generally, taking about 3-5 warm up sets is a good place to start. If you are using heavier weights, you will likely need to take more warmup sets.
Don’t think too hard
No matter how important warming up is, remember that it’s just that: a warm up. It’s simply to prepare your body for the upcoming workout. Do whatever it takes to achieve that.
