On Dynamic Warm Ups & Static Cool Downs (w/ prior injury)

[freeflowme]

Hey all,

I'm getting ready to start SSNLP after spending a few months doing deadlifts and overhead presses 5 days/week following Pavel's PTTP program. I made what I'd consider good progress for me (my DL 5RM went from 115-265 and my OHP from 65-115), but I found myself accumulating fatigue way too quickly deadlifting 5x/week and my press wasn't really making any progress past 115 no matter how I tried to cycle through it. I also wanted to start practicing the squat, so the SSNLP seemed like the logical programming choice.

I've read Starting Strength, 3rd ed., and plan to re-read through it as often as I can while first learning the lifts. I'm planning to start my deadlift and press low again and give them plenty of room to progress alongside my other lifts.

My main question is regarding dynamic warm ups and static stretching cool downs. Coming from the Pavel camp (a guy who also wrote Super Joints and Relax into Stretch, along with a lot of other mobility/flexibility books in addition to his strength programs), I'm used to seeing recommendations with regards to adding joint mobility and static flexibility work to one's lifting regimen, whether on off days or before/after. Reading around the SS camp, though, I see a lot of talk that anything other than warming up starting with 2x45x5 on your particular movement is a waste of time.

So, I guess my question is this: As a person who's had shoulder pain and limited range of motion for 10+ years (I can tell that my press mobility is severely limited), who's herniated their L4/L5 multiple times over the years, and who generally has really poor flexibility, should I just trust that not doing any warm up or cool down other than starting each workout out with 2x45x2 on squats is the best use of my time / the best way to go? I want to be strong, and perhaps most importantly, I want to move throughout daily life without pain (something I haven't done in 15+ years). One thing that confuses me is seeing Rip state that he does some hamstring stretches before deadlifting to help get his starting position right due to a previous back injury (I wish I had saved the thread to link). So, Rip himself does a little bit of specific flexibility work. What's the "party line?" Don't do any (it's a waste of time)? Do injury-specific work? Do full routines as preventative / prehab measures? Each to his own?

Thanks in advance.

[Mark Rippetoe]

If you are sufficiently flexible to perform the lifts and your sport through a full ROM, you don't need to stretch. If you are not, you need to stretch until you can. That is all.