Choosing the right weight for your warm-up sets can be critical to optimizing your workout performance. Recent research suggests that the load chosen during your warm-up can significantly impact muscle growth by comparing the effects of using different percentages of your one-rep maximum (1RM) in warm-up sets. By fine-tuning your warm-up strategy, you may be able to improve muscle gains and overall workout efficiency.
New study examines the effects of lighter and heavier warm-up weights on total volume and hypertrophy. Discover how adjusting your warm-up routine can help you train smarter and get better results.
The study
Published in The Journal for Bodywork and Movement TherapiesThe study examined how different warm-up load intensities affect exercise performance. Different warm-up weights were compared to assess their effects on the total volume of strength training
The methods
The study involved 15 weightlifters with at least 6 months of experience. They completed three training sessions with warm-up intensities of:
- 40% warm-up: 15 reps at 40% of 10 rep maximum
- 60% warm-up: 10 reps at 60% of the 10-rep maximum
- 80% warm-up: 5 reps at 80% of 10 rep maximum
In each workout, participants completed three sets to failure with two minutes of rest between sets. Exercises included bench presses, incline leg presses, and wide grip lat pulldowns. Researchers assessed number of repetitions, total exercise volume, and decline in repetitions across sets as an indicator of fatigue.
The results
- The 80% warm-up resulted in a significantly higher total training volume compared to the 60% and 40% warm-up conditions.
The conclusion
The researchers concluded that before starting a strength training session, a warm-up should be performed for each exercise at 80% of the initial training load.
What does this mean for us?
This means that in hypertrophy training, when maximum volume is the goal, warming up with at least one set at 80% of the workload is most beneficial. Before you start your work set, it might look like this:
- You do a lighter set, maybe 50% of your working set load, and then a heavier set at 80% of your working set load.
- You start directly with one or two sets with 80% of the load of the working set (assuming you are experienced and your body is prepared for such weights).
For a detailed breakdown of how to structure your warm-up, check out our guide here:
Kate is a fitness writer for Men’s Health UK There she regularly delivers workouts, training tips and nutrition advice. She has a postgraduate degree in sports nutrition and before joining Men’s Health she was a nutritionist, fitness writer and personal trainer with over 5,000 hours of gym coaching. Kate volunteers for animal shelters and when she’s not lifting weights in her garden, she walks her rescue dog.
