The Ultimate Guide to Powerlifting Warmup Routines

I'm starting to think my warmup is actually taking more out of me than the workout. I spent 45 minutes on the foam roller and bands yesterday before I even touched the bar. What are y'all doing to get ready for heavy triples without spending half the morning on it?

45 minutes is mental, mate! You're basically doing a whole workout before the main event. I keep it simple: 5 mins on the rower to get the blood moving, some agile 8 movements, and then straight into the empty bar. The best warmup for a squat is a squat.

I used to be like you, TXguy. Now I follow a strict '15-minute rule.' If I'm not under the bar by the 15-minute mark, I'm just procrastinating. I do some bird-dogs, cat-camels, and goblet squats. That's it.

Anyone here advocate for static stretching? I've heard it can actually decrease power output if done right before a max effort squat. I stick to dynamic stuff only until after the session.

Static stretching is a bit old fashioned now, isn't it? I'm in Leeds and it's freezing in my garage gym right now, so I have to spend a bit longer just to stop my joints creaking. Lots of jumping jacks and bodyweight lunges for me.

Totally agree with NorthernLass. When it's -20 in Winnipeg, you can't just jump into heavy sets. I use a heating pad on my lower back while I'm driving to the gym. It sounds crazy but it actually helps prime the tissue.

Heating pad in the car... now that's a Canadian hack if I ever heard one! So for bench day, are y'all doing much for the rotator cuffs? I usually do facepulls and band pull-aparts.

Facepulls are essential. I also like to do some light lat work before benching. It helps create that 'shelf' to press off of. Nothing heavy, just enough to feel the muscle engage.

Does anyone do 'over-warmups'? Like pulling a heavy single at 90% before dropping back down to your 75% working sets? I find it makes the working weight feel like a toy.

I love over-warmups for the CNS! It's called Post-Activation Potentiation. Just don't grind that heavy single or you'll fry yourself before the actual volume work begins.

How many bar sets do you lot do? I usually do the empty bar for 3 sets of 10 before adding any plates at all. Is that overkill?

Nah, I do the same. Empty bar helps me find my foot placement and check my hip depth. If the bar feels heavy, I know it's gonna be a long day.

I'm a bit more aggressive. Bar x 10, 60kg x 5, 100kg x 3, then straight into working sets. I hate wasting energy on light weights. Time is money, or in this case, kilos on the bar.

@LondonLad that works if you're strong as an ox! If my working set is only 120kg, jumping from 60 to 100 is a huge leap. I prefer smaller increments.

One thing that helped my deadlift warmup was doing some kettlebell swings. It really wakes up the posterior chain and gets the hinges moving without much fatigue.

Deadlift warmups are the hardest for me. My grip always feels cold. I've started doing some hangs from the pull-up bar just to wake up my hands.

Hangs are great! Also helps decompress the spine before you go and squash it with a heavy load.

What about meet day? Do y'all change your warmup when you're at a competition? I've heard the backstage areas can be a bit of a zoo.

Meet day is all about timing. You have to work backward from your flight time. If you start too early, you're cold; too late and you're rushing your opener. It's an art form.

I usually bring a resistance band to meets. Sometimes there aren't enough bars in the warmup room and you need to keep the blood flowing while you wait.