Warming Up

When performing high intensity strength training using proper form and a slow, controlled speed of motion additional warm up sets are almost never necessary. In most cases they provide little or no benefit while wasting time and energy that could otherwise be devoted to the “work” sets.

Most of the physical benefits of a warm up – increased blood flow to the muscles, enhanced metabolic reactions, reduced muscle viscosity, increased extensibility of connective tissue, improved conduction velocity of action potentials, etc. – are obtained during the first few repetitions of an exercise. Additionally, each exercise performed helps prepare the muscles and joints for subsequent exercises they’re involved in.

I do not warm up for my workout or any specific exercises, and do not have the people I train warm up with only a few rare exceptions. I’ve been training people this way for two decades and none have been injured as a result. Like most aspects of exercise, whether to perform a warm up or not depends on the individual and the specifics of the workout being performed.

People with some physical conditions or joint problems may find they tolerate certain exercises better or experience noticeably reduced joint discomfort if they perform a warm up set prior to exercises involving the affected joints or body areas. When this is the case only a single warm up set is required, and it should be performed with half or less of the resistance to be used for the work set to provide the previously mentioned benefits while wasting as little energy as possible.

In some of these cases they can perform certain exercises better by first performing a different exercise that involves the same joints. For example, some people’s knees tolerate exercises involving extension better if they warm them up with a knee flexion exercise, and some people whose elbows tend to lock during pulling movements find it helps to perform a pushing movement first.

Some trainers still recommend stretching as part of a warm up, however stretching prior to a workout does not prevent injury, and should not be performed since it can reduce the muscles’ ability to produce force. Stretching is highly overrated and with a few exceptions there is no need to do it at all. Regularly performing exercises for all the major muscle groups over a normal range of motion will help achieve and maintain a functional, healthy level of flexibility adequate for the majority of activities a person would participate in. If stretching is performed at all it should only be performed after the workout.

References:

Darden, Ellington. The Nautilus Book: An Illustrated Guide to Physical Fitness The Nautilus Way. Chicago, IL: Contemporary Books, Inc., 1981

Hutchins, Ken. SuperSlow: The Ultimate Exercise Protocol, 2nd Edition. Casselberry, FL: Media Support. 1992

Enoka, Roger. Neuromechanics of Human Movement, 3rd Edition. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics. 2002

Herbert RD, Gabriel M. Effects of stretching before and after exercise on muscle soreness and risk of injury: systematic review. BMJ 2002; 325: 468-470

Shrier I. Stretching before exercise does not reduce the risk of local muscle injury: a critical review of the clinical and basic science literature. Clin J Sports Med 1999; 9: 221-227

MacAuley, D., Best, T. M (2002). Reducing risk of injury due to exercise. BMJ 325: 451-452

Fowles, JR. Sale, DG. MacDougal, JD. Reduced strength after passive stretch of the human plantarflexors. J Appl Physiol 2000 Sep;89(3):1179-88.

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  • oli Dec 1, 2009 @ 22:20

    would you recommend any cardio warm-up before strength training or is that not beneficial?

    • Drew Baye Dec 1, 2009 @ 22:28

      Oli,

      I do not recommend traditional “cardio” for any exercise purpose. If a warm up is required for any of the reasons mentioned in the article I recommend a set with 50% or less of the work set weight.

  • Omar Nov 21, 2010 @ 18:21

    Drew – What are your views on post workout stretching? With the aim of being able to do full ROM on exercises like full squats.

    • Drew Baye Nov 23, 2010 @ 14:50

      Omar,

      Just doing squats or any other exercise over a full range of motion will improve your flexibility. Some research suggests post workout stretching may improve strength gains slightly, and if done correctly it is not harmful. If you stretch be conservative with the range of motion starting out, focus on gradual progression, and make sure you’re stretching your muscles, not the connective tissues in your joints.

  • nikos Aug 12, 2011 @ 13:44

    hey Drew

    what about cardiovascular danger when the heart rate goes from 65-75 to 170-195 within one minute after a heavy set?
    any thoughts on cool down? is there any danger for collaps after a heavy set for the legs cause of the blood flowing down and not on the hole body?

    Nick
    ps sorry for my english
    you have the site with the most science based and gym tested information for effective and efficient training and nutrition

    • Drew Baye Aug 13, 2011 @ 10:51

      Nick,

      Assuming you have no heart condition and are not taking medications which might increase blood pressure or viscosity this kind of heart rate elevation is not harmful during resistance training, and is actually safer than during typical steady state activities like running, cycling, etc. because veinous return is greater during strength training, meaning improved cardiac bloodflow.

  • JLMA Dec 23, 2012 @ 22:34

    Drew,

    For someone doing twice-a-week slow-pace body-weight HIT-style exercising, do you see any need for (or benefit from) following full-body joint-mobility routines for the purpose of healthy longevity?

    If so, when would you say they’d be better implemented? Right next to HIT sessions? Or Not close to HIT sessions?

    Thanks,

    JLMA

    • Drew Baye Dec 28, 2012 @ 13:22

      JLMA,

      If your HIT workouts include exercises for all the major muscle groups performed through a normal range of motion there is no need for additional “joint mobility” work.

  • RandyG Feb 28, 2013 @ 9:15

    So what you are saying is just one set is all thats required on lets say leg press. Is that like ellington darden states in his “new hit” book that the first few reps will suffice as the warm up? even if the muscles are cold?

    • Drew Baye Mar 3, 2013 @ 12:19

      Randy,

      Assuming normal, healthy joints and no injuries or conditions for which a warm up is required to perform an exercise without pain, and as long as correct form is used a separate warm up or warm up sets are not necessary. I’ve been training people for about twenty years now, and after tens of thousands of sessions with almost all of them involving no warm up nobody has been injured as a result.

  • D.E. Apr 28, 2014 @ 10:17

    Hi Drew,

    I do a 2-day a week routine, as you recommend. Most exercise I do on machines, and I follow your no wamr-up protocol – you’re right: I just don’t feel it’s needed.

    But I also do Rack Deadlifts and Barbell Squat (not on the same day). I use relatively heavy weights. My instinct, since I used to train 5×5 type routines before adopting HIT protocols, is to warm up steadily on these two exercises: just 2-3 sets of low reps until my workset. Do you think that this is necessary or I can go straight to my work weight? I have no injuries or joint problems. I’m in my late 40s, and have trained for 3 years with weights.

    Thanks again,

    D.

    • Drew Baye Apr 28, 2014 @ 13:49

      DE,

      If you have no physical problems and have good form a separate warm up isn’t necessary. However, on more technical exercises some people find a single, light warm up set using around half of the work set weight helps as a way to prepare mentally and “get into the groove” for the exercise.

  • D.E. Apr 28, 2014 @ 14:32

    Drew,

    Thanks, that’s great. That makes complete sense. That’s why I felt as if I wanted to warm-up – to ‘get in the groove’; of course. Thanks so much again. Can’t wait for HIW2.

    D.

  • Ron Shekels Feb 17, 2016 @ 22:00

    Drew,

    You said that you have trained people for over two decades without using specific warm ups. Do any of these people use substantial weights in the squat or deadlift? It seems to defy all logic for example an athlete who squats 500 lbs for 12-15 reps to not take 2-3 warm up sets prior to attacking this ponderous weight. My personal experience with using just 315 on the squat or deadlift is if I lift this with out specific warm ups, I can not complete a decent set of 10-12 reps and each rep feels like it will be the last. However after taking three warm up sets progressively heavier (5-3-1) I absolutely smoke the weight and complete at least 10 good reps.

    Your recommendations work well on machines or movements that don’t involve as many muscle groups as the squat and deadlift.

    Do any of your clients use free weights as the basis of their routines? and what kind of warm ups do they employ, especially if using a lot of weight?

    Thanks,
    Ron S.

    • Drew Baye Feb 17, 2016 @ 22:23

      Hey Ron,

      I’ve trained some very strong people using free weights as well and exercises like the deadlift and squat and the same principles apply. If the exercise is done with proper form and with an amount of resistance that allows the performance of at least a moderate number of repetitions no separate warm-up is required.

  • Nigel Jul 19, 2017 @ 17:41

    Hey Drew

    There is a lot of people talking about the need to do mobility work and foam rolling etc before exercises like squats etc
    What’s your thoughts on this?

    • Drew Baye Jul 27, 2017 @ 8:38

      None of those are necessary. If a warm up is required for an exercise you should perform either a very light set of the same exercise, or a very light set of a simple exercise for the joints which require warming up, for example a seated leg curl and leg extension to warm up the knees prior to leg presses or squats.

  • Carrum Dec 11, 2017 @ 5:27

    Hello Drew,
    Very interesting. Inspired by your article, I’m thinking of trying a workout without the warm ups.
    I use approx. 4-4 and 4-2-4 cadence and have been warming up with 50% and then 75% of my work set weights.
    Will I need to reduce the weight for my work set if I’m not warming up?

    • Drew Baye Dec 11, 2017 @ 13:28

      No, you will not need to reduce the weight for your work set without the warm up sets.

      • Carrum Dec 15, 2017 @ 6:18

        OK. I’m giving this a go tomorrow morning. Thanks for the reply.

        • Carrum Dec 15, 2017 @ 18:30

          Tried it this morning. Got on the leg press first. Pushed off with the hands to get myself started (I don’t count that rep) and then used legs only for the rest of the set. Got two more reps than last week. Other exercises were also good. VERY pleased with the no warm up workout. Thanks a lot, mate.

  • Shelly Sep 6, 2018 @ 21:17

    Since warm up is not required before a HIT workout, how long should the workout be?

    • Drew Baye Sep 10, 2018 @ 11:47

      It depends on how many exercises you’re doing, your average TUL, and how long you rest in between. Most of my workouts and my clients’ last only twenty to thirty minutes, and some are shorter than that.