Warm-up sets: how to write them, how to log them, and why they stay out of your numbers
Warm-up sets prepare a lift and should be recorded, but they are not a strength expression and should not move your numbers. This guide covers writing them into a plan, logging them, and exactly how Method keeps them out of analytics.
GuideUpdated 4 min readMarkdown version
What a warm-up set is for
A warm-up set raises tissue temperature, rehearses the movement, and lets you feel the bar before the weight matters. It is preparation. It is not an attempt to express strength, and that is the reason it should be recorded differently from a working set.
The general case for warming up is well supported. A systematic review and meta-analysis of 32 studies found a warm-up improved performance in 79 percent of the criteria examined, with little evidence of harm [1]. The specific case for ramping sets before lifting is less settled. In one crossover study, 15 men performed four sets to failure of bench press, squat, and arm curl at 80 percent of 1RM after no warm-up, a specific warm-up, an aerobic warm-up, or both, and the total repetitions did not differ between conditions [2]. Read that as a reason to warm up for readiness and technique rather than for extra reps, and to keep the warm-up proportionate.
Writing warm-ups into a program
A simple pattern that covers most lifts:
| Slot in the session | Typical warm-up |
|---|---|
| First heavy compound (squat, bench, deadlift, press) | Two to four sets ramping from light to just under the first working weight, reps falling as load rises, for example 8, 5, 3, 1 |
| Second compound in the same pattern | One or two sets, since the tissue is already warm |
| Accessories and machines | Often none, or one light set to find the setting |
Write the warm-ups into the prescription so the session opens with them in place. In Method, each set carries a set type, and warm-up is one of them alongside working, backoff, drop, failure, and custom. Give warm-up sets their reps and, if you like, rest; leave the load blank if it depends on the day, or write it if the lift is stable.
Method does not have a warm-up calculator and does not derive warm-up loads from your working weight. You choose them. Many people use round fractions of the first working set and adjust by feel.
Logging warm-ups
On iPhone, warm-up sets appear in the session like any other set with their type shown. Tick them as you go. The rest timer runs for whatever rest is written on the set, so a short rest on warm-ups keeps the timer honest. If you add a set during the session that was not prescribed and it is a warm-up, set its type to warm-up so it is classified correctly.
Logged warm-ups are part of the completed record and appear in the session history and in the CSV export with setType of warmup.
Why warm-ups stay out of the numbers
Three of Method's analytics explicitly skip warm-up sets, for the same reason. They are not strength expressions.
- Estimated 1RM. Only working, backoff, failure, and custom sets with weight and reps produce an estimate. Without the exclusion, a day cut short after the warm-ups would put a 60 kg warm-up on your bench series as that day's number. See estimated 1RM.
- Records. A strength PR is judged against working sets. A warm-up cannot set or break a record.
- Muscle coverage. Effective sets count completed working sets. Warm-up and drop sets are excluded. See muscle coverage.
Suggested loads also ignore warm-ups as a source. The suggestion for your first working set comes from your most recent eligible working or backoff set for the exercise, never from a warm-up, so the number reflects what you actually lifted for work.
Drop sets get the same treatment
A drop set is performed after fatigue, so its reps overstate weakness if read as a fresh set. Method treats drop sets like warm-ups in analytics. They are logged, visible, and exported, and excluded from estimated 1RM, records, and coverage.
When a warm-up becomes a working set
If you planned 100 kg for 5 as a warm-up and it turned out to be the hardest set of the day, change its type to working before you save. The type is the only thing that decides how the set is counted, so getting it right is worth the tap.
Common questions
- Should I log warm-up sets?
- Yes, if you want the session record to be complete and the rest timer to run for them. Mark them as warm-up sets. Method records them and keeps them out of estimated 1RM, records, and muscle coverage.
- Do warm-up sets count towards sets per muscle?
- Not in Method. Muscle coverage counts completed working sets only. Warm-up and drop sets are excluded.
- How many warm-up sets do I need?
- Enough to arrive at the first working weight moving well and no more. For a heavy compound lift, two to four ramping sets is common; for a later accessory, often none. Write the number that fits the lift and the slot in the session.
- Can Method calculate my warm-up weights?
- No. Method has no warm-up calculator. You write the warm-up sets into the prescription, or add them during the session, and enter the loads yourself.
References
Numbered citations in the text refer to this list. Each entry links to the paper on PubMed or by DOI.
- Fradkin AJ, Zazryn TR, Smoliga JM. Effects of warming-up on physical performance: a systematic review with meta-analysis. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 2010. PubMed 19996770
- Ribeiro AS, Romanzini M, Schoenfeld BJ, Souza MF, Avelar A, Cyrino ES. Effect of different warm-up procedures on the performance of resistance training exercises. Perceptual and Motor Skills, 2014. PubMed 25153744
Try Method
Write your program on the web, log every set on iPhone, and keep the whole history in one place. Free to start.
Related reading
Estimated 1RM: the formula, why reps in reserve belong in it, and how Method calculates yours
An estimated 1RM turns any hard set into a single comparable number. This guide gives the formula, shows why reps in reserve must be counted, explains which sets to exclude, and walks through how Method computes one point per training day.
Muscle coverage with effective sets: how to count which muscles your training reached
Counting sets per muscle is only useful if the rule is stated. This guide gives the effective sets rule, explains why secondary muscles count half and why warm-ups count nothing, and shows how Method keeps every number decomposable.
How to program workouts in advance and log against the plan
Programming in advance means deciding the work before the day arrives so the gym is execution, not decision-making. This guide covers what to write down, how far ahead to plan, and how Method keeps the plan and the log connected.
Deload weeks: what they are, how to write one, and how they show up in your log
A deload is a planned easy week, not a missed week. This guide covers the common ways to write one, how to build it in a few edits in Method, and why a deload looks different from a skipped week in your history.
Method writes and maintains this page. Every statement about Method is checked against the shipped product. If something here is out of date, email contact@methodapp.net. For general references, link to the Method homepage.