Warm-Up Sets: How Many to Do and What Weight to Use

Before your first heavy exercise, most lifters do 2–4 warm-up sets: start with a light weight such as the empty bar, then build up in steps to roughly 80–90 % of your working weight, doing fewer reps as the weight goes up and resting only briefly. If your working weight is light, one warm-up set is often enough. If you are lifting heavy sets of 1–5 reps, add a step or two. Warm-up sets should leave you feeling ready, not tired.

Below you will find a simple template, two worked examples in kilograms and the mistakes that turn a good warm-up into extra fatigue. If your plan uses percentages of your one rep max, our one rep max calculator gives you the working weight first, and you can build your warm-up from there.

General warm-up vs warm-up sets

A good warm-up for strength training has two parts:

1. General warm-up (3–5 minutes): easy cardio such as brisk walking, cycling or rowing, followed by a few movements for the joints you are about to use. Bodyweight squats, glute bridges and arm circles are plenty. Our mobility routine for beginners has more ideas if your hips or shoulders feel stiff.
2. Specific warm-up (the warm-up sets): the exact exercise you are about to train, with lighter weights that ramp up to your working weight.

The general warm-up raises your body temperature and gets you moving. The warm-up sets do something different: they let you rehearse the exact movement, check your technique and get a feel for the weight before the sets that count.

How many warm-up sets do you need?

The number depends mostly on how heavy your working sets are compared with what you can lift. These are practical starting points, not strict rules.

Your working sets	Warm-up sets	Why
Light, 12+ reps, feels easy	0–1	The first working set is almost a warm-up itself
Moderate, about 8–12 reps	2–3	A short ramp is enough to groove the movement
Heavy, about 3–6 reps	3–4	Bigger jump from rest to working weight
Very heavy singles or doubles	4–5	Smaller steps keep each jump manageable

Other things that call for one extra set: training early in the morning, a cold gym, a lift that still feels technically new, or a day when you feel stiff. On the other hand, if you have just trained the same muscles with another exercise, you usually need fewer.

A simple warm-up set template

Here is a template that works for most barbell and dumbbell lifts. Percentages refer to your working weight, the weight you will use for your actual sets that day.

Step	Weight	Reps	Rest afterwards
1	Empty bar or about 40–50 %	8–10	30–60 seconds
2	About 60–70 %	4–6	30–60 seconds
3	About 80 %	2–3	1–2 minutes
4 (heavy days only)	About 90 %	1	1–2 minutes

Then start your working sets.

The idea behind it: reps go down as the weight goes up. The early sets are for movement and technique, the later ones for getting used to the load. None of them should feel hard. If a warm-up set feels heavy, your working weight may be too ambitious for today.

Round to whatever your equipment allows. With plates, steps of 2.5 or 5 kg are easiest. With fixed dumbbells, just pick the nearest pair.

Worked example 1: squat for sets of 8

A hypothetical beginner squats 3 sets of 8 reps at 60 kg with a 20 kg barbell.

Set	Weight	Reps	Roughly
Warm-up 1	20 kg (empty bar)	10	33 %
Warm-up 2	35 kg	5	58 %
Warm-up 3	47.5 kg	3	79 %
Working sets	60 kg	3 × 8	100 %

That is three short warm-up sets and about 5 minutes, including rests. A moderate weight for 8 reps does not need more.

Worked example 2: bench press from an estimated 1RM

Another hypothetical lifter's estimated one rep max on the bench press is 95 kg. The plan says 3 sets of 5 at about 85 %. 95 × 0.85 = 80.75, so the working weight is about 80 kg.

Set	Weight	Reps	Roughly
Warm-up 1	20 kg (empty bar)	10	25 %
Warm-up 2	40 kg	5	50 %
Warm-up 3	55 kg	3	69 %
Warm-up 4	70 kg	1–2	88 %
Working sets	80 kg	3 × 5	100 %

Because the working sets are heavier and lower in reps, the ramp has one more step. The last warm-up is a single rep or a double: just enough to feel the weight without spending energy.

If you use percentages like this, the one rep max calculator shows the weights for common training percentages, which makes the first step (finding your working weight) quick.

Dumbbells, machines and bodyweight exercises

The principle stays the same with other equipment:

• Dumbbells: one or two sets with lighter dumbbells, for example 8 reps at about half the weight, then 3–4 reps at about 75 %.
• Machines: one light set of 10–12 reps is usually enough, because the movement path is fixed.
• Bodyweight: use an easier variation first. Do a set of incline push-ups before floor push-ups, or a few assisted squats before split squats.
• Kettlebells: a lighter bell for one set, or a few slow reps of the movement with the working bell.

For a complete beginner plan that includes a warm-up and these kinds of exercises, see our 3 day full body workout for beginners.

Warm-ups for your second and third exercise

Your first exercise of the day needs the most preparation. After that, look at what is already warm:

• Same muscles, similar movement (for example Romanian deadlifts after squats): one light set or none.
• New muscle group (for example rows after squats): one or two short warm-up sets.
• A new, technical lift later in the session: treat it like a first exercise and ramp up gradually.

This keeps your session short. Long warm-ups for every exercise add up and leave less time and energy for the work that drives progress.

How long to rest between warm-up sets

Keep rest short early on: 30–60 seconds is enough after light sets, about the time it takes to change plates. Before the heavier warm-up sets and before your first working set, take 1–2 minutes. You want to be warm and ready, not cooled down after a long chat.

If you train at home with limited time, combine the general warm-up with your first exercise: a few minutes of movement, then straight into the ramp.

Common warm-up set mistakes

• Too many reps. Ten reps at 80 % is not a warm-up, it is a working set. Keep reps low as the weight rises.
• Skipping the ramp. Jumping from the empty bar straight to your working weight makes the first working set feel heavier and gives you no chance to check your technique.
• Too many small steps. Six or seven warm-up sets for a moderate weight just add fatigue.
• Warm-ups to failure. Every warm-up set should feel easy and crisp.
• Long breaks after warming up. If you wait ten minutes before your first working set, you lose much of the effect.
• Ignoring warning signs. If a warm-up set hurts (not just feels unfamiliar), stop that exercise. Persistent pain or a recent injury is a reason to speak to a physiotherapist or doctor before you load it again.

How warm-up sets help your progress

Warm-up sets also act as a daily check. If the bar moves well at 80 %, you can go ahead as planned. If your warm-ups feel unusually heavy, it can make sense to stay at last week's weight instead of adding more. That way your warm-up supports steady progressive overload instead of forcing it on a bad day.

They are also a good place to practise technique without fatigue. The cues from our strength training for beginners guide are easiest to rehearse on light sets.

Warm-up set checklist

• 3–5 minutes of general warm-up and a few mobility moves
• 2–4 warm-up sets for the first exercise, fewer if the weight is light
• Start light, finish at about 80–90 % of the working weight
• Reps go down as the weight goes up
• 30–60 seconds rest early, 1–2 minutes before the heavier sets
• One light set or none for later exercises using warm muscles
• Warm-up sets feel easy and never go to failure

A good warm-up takes five to ten minutes, lets you check your technique and helps you start your working sets prepared. Keep it short, keep it light, and save your effort for the sets that count.