3d • General discussion
When are warmups needed!!
🔥 When Are Warm-Ups Actually Needed?
Most lifters waste energy on too many warm-ups.
They spend 15–20 minutes doing light sets…
By the time they get to the real work, they’re already tired.
That’s not the Get After It way.
Remember our philosophy:
Intensity drives hypertrophy.
Warm-ups exist for preparation, not fatigue.
The Get After It Warm-Up Rule
Warm-ups should do three things only:
Prepare the joints
Groove the movement
Prime the nervous system
They are NOT part of your training volume.
We only count hard sets.
When Warm-Ups ARE Needed
Warm-ups matter most when the exercise:
1️⃣ Is Heavy or High Risk
Big compound movements require preparation.
Examples:
Squats
Deadlifts
Bench press
Overhead press
Heavy rows
These lifts load a lot of muscle and joints, so warming up prevents injury and improves performance.
Example warm-up progression:
Bench Press Working Weight = 225
Warm-up sets:
95 x 8
135 x 5
185 x 3
Then:
225 x Hard Set (0–1 RIR)
Notice something important:
None of those warm-ups create fatigue.
They just prime you to attack the working set.
2️⃣ The First Exercise of the Session
Your body isn't fully prepared yet.
The first movement usually needs 2–4 ramp sets.
After that?
You usually only need 1 quick feeder set for later exercises.
Example:
Chest day
Bench press
→ 3 warm-ups
Incline machine press
→ 1 warm-up
Cable fly
→ Often none needed
3️⃣ When You Haven't Done the Movement in a While
If a lift feels unfamiliar:
Add an extra warm-up to groove the pattern.
Skill improves performance.
When Warm-Ups Are NOT Needed
Many isolation exercises don’t require much preparation.
Examples:
Lateral raises
Cable curls
Leg extensions
Tricep pushdowns
Machine work
Often the first moderate set becomes the warm-up.
Example:
Cable curls
Set 1: 12 reps (warm-up)
Set 2: Hard set to failure
Done.
Remember:
We are chasing mechanical tension, not marathon workouts.
The Big Mistake Most Lifters Make
They confuse warm-ups with volume.
Example:
5 warm-up sets
3 working sets
That’s 8 sets for one exercise.
Most of that is junk work.
In the Get After It system we do:
2–3 warm-ups
1–2 brutal working sets
Then move on.
Maximum stimulus.
Minimum fatigue.
The Get After It Rule
Warm up just enough to perform your hardest set safely.
No more.
Save your energy for the sets that actually build muscle.
The hard sets.
💬 Discussion
Answer in the comments:
How many warm-up sets do you usually perform before your first working set?
Too many?
Or are you already training the Get After It way? 💪🔥
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When are warmups needed!!
