08-29-08 07:41 AM - Post#477738    

I was looking into the 5x5 w/ the spreadsheet but I don't understand all the warm up sets before the actual 5x5. Is it necessary to do all of these? I have very limited time in the gym so it is important for me to cut out all unnecessary extra work so I'm not there for 3 hours.

Doing a little something is always better than doing a lot of nothing! If you can't do it. Work harder! Live,Learn,Lift

08-29-08 08:40 AM - Post#477747    

IMO warmups are very important. I wouldn't cut any warmups out but you may want to try the MAX-OT style of warmup, works really well and doesn't take very long. Here is a example of the MAX-OT warmup as descibed by Jeff Willet
http://www.bodyconcept.com/Body_Building_Article s/Max-OT%20Warm-ups%20-%2 0A%20Closer%20Look/a-457.html

Give it a try and if it is not for you then try something else

08-29-08 09:54 AM - Post#477771    

A good set of warmups is essential, IMO. Both to prepare the joints and muscles for the load they are about to do _and_ accomplish the same goal for the brain.

A good set of warmups should not take very long. I prefer one a PL trainer told me, mainly because it is simple and easy to remember.

10x bar
5x +40 (two 10's on a side)
3x +70 (take the 10's off and replace with 35's)
3x +90 (ditch the 35's, put on 45's)

repeat the cycle till you get to your working weights, you don't need a rest between them beyond the one you get changing weights. Sounds like a lot, but goes very quickly.

Come visit my log, please.

08-29-08 09:59 AM - Post#477775    

I'm in the same boat as you John. My workouts are 45 minutes at most in the mornings before work. For warm-ups, I do two sets of a lower weight and then hit it full force. Today was the end of my first 5x5 week if you care to look at my log for an example.

"Mens sana in corpore sano" ---- "Simply being amid the iron and at work is a triumph. You hear the metal, feel its coolness, leverage its gravity and fight the fight. You finish with a smile somewhere on your face and joy someplace in your heart and an ache of fulfillment all over."

08-29-08 02:04 PM - Post#477838    

The warmups in the spreadsheet are just a suggestion. That said, they should not take much time. The initial warmup sets are so light you probably don't need to rest any longer than it takes to change plates.

Everyone is different with respect to warmups. If you can get really warm quicker no problem. Imagine how far apart these two people are

-An 18 year old, 165 pound kid that squats 225 trains after work in a garage with no air conditioning at 3:30PM after walking home from school in Florida, in September

-A fifty year old, 275 pound lifer that squats 550 and trains in a garage with no heat after he rolls out of bed at 5:00AM in Michigan, in January

But the bottom line is, to quote Dan Martin, if you don't have time to warm up, you don't have time to work out.

The most important test a lifter has to pass is the test of time. -Jon Cole

Why so many warm up sets?
08-30-08 10:14 AM - Post#478015    

• ccrow Said:

Brilliant!

Goes along with the thinking "I don't have time to warm up" but do have time to take six months off lifting to heal this pec tear (etc).

Come visit my log, please.

Edited by Dean3228 on 08-30-08 10:15 AM. Reason for edit: No reason given.

08-30-08 01:31 PM - Post#478061    

• ccrow Said:

Bingo. In addition to warm up needs varying widely from person to person, they can also vary for specific conditions for the same individual.

If I work out in the morning, my warm up is more extensive than if I work out in the evening and have been moving around all day long.

Byron noted environmental factors and there is also the dreaded 'age' factor. As a comparative youngster, I'd do one warm up set and dive into working weights. As a more, ahem, mature person, I am now far more deliberate and comprehensive in preparing for the weights to come.

The most important distinction to me is to 'warm up' not 'wear out'.

Bill2 Integrity is what you do when you think nobody is watching.

09-03-08 02:08 PM - Post#479277    

I also find different parts need more warm-up than others.

/sk

09-03-08 02:19 PM - Post#479281    

I find that the warmups are pretty darn close to wearing me out. I mean, the last set is typically almost as much as the working set weight

Start date 10-5-09: 215 lbs current weight: 187 lbs, 15 weeks in Goal: 175 lbs

09-03-08 02:26 PM - Post#479286    

No kidding, Mike. They're like cardio... It all depends.

Sam Tsang

09-03-08 06:56 PM - Post#479352    

• gman Said:

On which days, the 5x5 / 3x3 days, or the 1x5 / 1x3 days?

The most important test a lifter has to pass is the test of time. -Jon Cole

09-03-08 09:43 PM - Post#479382    

I've never understood why you'd do a warm-up set with weight near your working weight. I suppose if you need to get a feel for how heavy you'll be working maybe.. My warm-ups are lower weight with more reps to get blood in there and remind me of the movement.

"Mens sana in corpore sano" ---- "Simply being amid the iron and at work is a triumph. You hear the metal, feel its coolness, leverage its gravity and fight the fight. You finish with a smile somewhere on your face and joy someplace in your heart and an ache of fulfillment all over."

09-04-08 09:41 PM - Post#479732    

Note that the REPS are different for the some of the sets on the 1x3 and 1x5 days. You are working close to goal weight for the day, but you are doing fewer reps.

Ask any powerlifter, no matter how warm you are, you do warmups in fairly small jumps if you want to do your best. For example, squatting 225 does not really prepare you very well for squatting 315. With 315 on your back, the center of gravity changes a lot, your form will be very different. If you warm up with 225, you may be warm, but you are not yet prepared to lift 315.

The most important test a lifter has to pass is the test of time. -Jon Cole

09-05-08 09:50 AM - Post#479812    

Very excellent point, Byron. I find my best warm-up for very heavy lifting comes from doing a weight I can triple. Then I go looking for heavy singles.

/sk

09-05-08 12:00 PM - Post#479881    

I have not noticed the balance shifting so far, but it could be the low weights I am using. My weight is 175 lbs and the heaviest squats the my 5x5 has given me for squats is 240 lbs at the end of week 2 (today). Perhaps I'll notice a shift in balance as the weight increases.

"Mens sana in corpore sano" ---- "Simply being amid the iron and at work is a triumph. You hear the metal, feel its coolness, leverage its gravity and fight the fight. You finish with a smile somewhere on your face and joy someplace in your heart and an ache of fulfillment all over."