Warming Up: 1RM, 5RM, or sets across

[Dillman]

I was wondering if you have opinions on how one should warm-up based on the goal of the day. I would think the warm-up may be approached differently if you were going for a 1RM vs 5x5 or 3x5.

Do you approach them the same or differently? Any reason why or why not?

[Michael Wolf]

I don't think there's a right or wrong answer to this question, as the warm up sets serve to prepare you for the work set or sets and different people could have different preferences and reactions.

I personally approach them slightly differently. At 1RM or even 5RM weights, I don't like to make a big jump between the last warmup and the work set. Since that work set is at or near maximal load, I like to feel something closer to that weight before attempting the set. When doing 5x5, however, any individual set - and especially the first, when you're still fairly fresh - isn't nearly as hard or close to limit as the 5RM, so a larger jump doesn't bother me as much.

To give you a personal example from last week, I Squatted 380x5x5 on Monday and 445x5 on Friday.

Monday Warmup
45x5x2, 135x5, 225x3, 315x2, work sets @ 380

Friday Warmup
45x5x2, 155x5, 245x3, 335x2, 405x1, work set @ 445

For 3x5, I assume you mean the Novice LP, not what some people eventually switch to as volume on the TM or any other possibility. In that case, the relatively even jumps between empty bar and work weight should work fine for most people's LPs. Maybe near the end, an additional single may be warranted, but that would be an individual decision. I added a single to my warmups on LP when my 3x5 weights got into the low 300's.