Video summary
The video outlines a practical approach to warming up for heavy barbell lifts, emphasizing the importance of starting with an empty bar on most exercises except for the deadlift. For movements like squats, bench presses, and overhead presses, the speaker recommends performing a set of five repetitions with the empty bar to establish the correct movement pattern and engage the joints, muscles, and central nervous system. On the deadlift, the warm-up differs slightly; instead of starting with an empty bar, lifters should add enough weight—such as 45-pound plates or bumper plates—to raise the barbell about nine inches off the ground, simulating the actual starting position of a heavy lift. This ensures that the lifter can properly clear the floor and engage the necessary muscles without overloading the system too early.
Between the initial empty bar set and the main working sets, the speaker suggests performing two to three additional warm-up sets with incrementally heavier weights, typically using descending rep schemes. For example, if a lifter plans to squat 225 pounds for three sets of five, they might progress from the empty bar to 135 pounds for a set of five, then to 185 pounds for a set of three before hitting their working weight. The rest periods between these warm-up sets should be minimal, as the goal is to gradually increase heart rate and blood flow without exhausting the body like a full workout. This process helps prepare the body efficiently, usually taking only three to five minutes, even for those lifting extremely heavy loads.
A common mistake people make is overthinking the warm-up routine or skipping it entirely by jumping straight from an empty bar to their working weight. The speaker advises against this, noting that such a sudden increase in load can be risky and counterproductive. While some individuals may follow detailed intermediate steps from specific training programs, the core principle remains simple: use fewer reps with lighter weights initially to set the motor pattern, then quickly progress toward the working sets. The focus should be on efficiency and safety rather than perfection, ensuring that lifters are ready for their main lifts without unnecessary fatigue or wasted time.
Ultimately, the goal of a proper warm-up is to prepare the body physically and mentally for heavy lifting without turning it into a separate conditioning session. By following a structured yet flexible approach—starting with an empty bar, adding weight in manageable increments, and keeping rest periods short—lifters can effectively prime their bodies for performance. Whether lifting 225 pounds or 500 pounds, the key is to avoid overcomplicating the process while ensuring that all major muscle groups and joints are adequately activated. Once the warm-up sets are complete, lifters should feel ready to tackle their working sets with confidence, having safely bridged the gap between rest and heavy effort.
Read the full video transcript
So, for specific warm-ups,
for the barbell movements, I really like
to start with the empty bar on all the
lifts with the exception of the
deadlift, which we'll talk about here in
a second.
Stick the empty bar,
and I I I want to just warm up the
movement pattern with the empty bar. So,
empty bar is 45 lbs. For some of you,
you might be a ladies listening, you
might be using a 33-lb bar, a 15-kilo
bar, or something like that. I like
doing set of squat, I still do today,
set of squat, empty bar, set of five.
Bench press, empty bar, set of five.
Press, empty bar, set of five. Sometimes
I might even do more if everything feels
a little stiff, a little tight. Might do
eight reps, might do 10 reps. It's fine.
Empty bar, right?
On the deadlift, I want to add enough
weight that I can get the barbell off
the ground to the right spot, which is
about 9 in off the ground, and where it
would be on a deadlift. So, you can put
bumper plates on, you can use 10s or
25s, or even if you deadlift generally
heavy, you can start with 135. It's
typically what I do. 45s and empty bar.
I'm going to do that. I'm going to do a
solid set of five. That's kind of the
empty bar warm-up.
What do I do between that
and the work sets, right? So, rest, by
the way, should be minimal on these
warm-up sets from set to set. So, from
that spot, from the empty bar set,
you're going to do about two to three
warm-up sets of similar spaced jumps or
increments.
Often with descending reps,
and that will work just fine. So, let's
say, for example, I'm going to squat 225
for three sets of five. I would do the
bar for a set of five, very little rest,
throw plates on, do 135 for a set of
five, very little rest, throw 25s on, do
185
for probably a set of three,
and that's probably enough for a warm-up
for a squat, and then I can go right
into my 225 for three sets of five,
right? That's probably all you need to
do. So, very minimal rest, it's not a
workout, you shouldn't be worn out, it's
just properly warming up your body, your
the joints, your muscles, your CNS, your
heart rate blood flow is getting up a
little bit. Your heart rate is coming up
just a tad, but it's not like a workout.
It's not cardio. It's not conditioning.
And people tend to overthink this. Now,
we have a really good warm-up
section on TKC for all of the exercises.
And I have a lot of clients that are
like if they're very type A, very
pedantic, they'll actually follow those
exact It's like exact intermediate
steps. And that's fine. Nothing wrong
with that at all. But for the most part,
I'm just going to do about three warm-up
sets with the empty bar, maybe two to
three warm-up sets max between the empty
bar and my work sets. And that's enough.
And I'm going to get through that
typically in 5 minutes or less.
Sometimes 3 minutes. If you're really
squatting or deadlifting heavy like 500
lb, maybe it takes 6 or 7 minutes, but
it doesn't take long to get to the work
sets itself with the main barbell lifts,
right? So, that's that's it. Empty bar,
set of five, 135 or like kind of giant
general incremental weight, set of five,
go up another one, hit a set of three,
maybe you want another
You want to hit 205 for a single or
something. And then 225 and you're good
to go, right? Or 135, 225, 315, you're
good to go. Or maybe you hit 275. Don't
overthink it. The key is like less reps
is probably better. More reps when it's
empty bar just to get the movement
pattern down and kind of set that motor
pattern. And as quickly as you can, you
want to get to the working sets. Don't
go from the empty bar to 225 or the
empty bar to 315 or just throw on your
working weight with no warm-ups. That's
We don't want to do that, right? So,
that's that's it. That's That's the
whole show. Thank you guys. Thanks for
listening on a Monday. I mean, that's
basically it for the for the barbell
lifts.