Warm-up set calculator
Builds warm-up sets from the working weight of an exercise. Loads are rounded to your smallest plate, so every number it gives you can actually be loaded.
Result
Fill in the fields and the result appears here.
How it is calculated
A warm-up set exists to prepare the nervous system and the movement pattern, not to create fatigue. That is why reps drop as load goes up: 10 on the empty bar, 2 at 85%.
The steps used are roughly 40%, 55%, 70% and 85% of the working weight. This is not a research finding — it is a common practice pattern in strength training. Unlike the other calculators on this site there is no published equation behind it, and it is not presented as if there were.
On lighter loads some steps drop out: a set that lands below the bar, or that rounds to the same weight as the previous one, is not shown. Doing two warm-up sets at the same weight gains nothing.
How many sets you need depends on the exercise and on you. Compound lifts with high technical demand (squat, deadlift) benefit from more steps; an isolation movement may need one or two.
Sources
- McGowan C.J. ve ark. (2015). Warm-up strategies for sport and exercise: mechanisms and applications. Sports Med 45(11): 1523-1546.
- Ribeiro B. ve ark. (2020). The role of specific warm-up during bench press and squat exercises. Int J Environ Res Public Health 17(18): 6882.
You have the number — now comes the decision
Comparing these numbers against weekly data and revising with a stated reason is the actual work. That is how online coaching runs here.