Warming up for weight lifting is crucial to avoid injuries, making gains and performance. I use a two part warmup protocol before every weight lifting session, as should you!!
Part 1: General warmup, the purpose of the general warm-up is to increase body temperature, blood flow and loosen up tight muscles. I include my "lifting warmup flow" to achieve this in all my weight based workouts!
Part 2: Ramping up sets, this is one of the most powerful yet underused techniques to get the most out of every session. Let's use dumbbell bench press as an example, in the program it states 12/10/8/6 reps these will be your "working sets". So this means my first working set will be for 12 reps, second set 10 reps, third set 8 reps and fourth set 8 reps. Let's say I can do 50lbs dumbbells for 12 reps to ramp up I would do the following:
Ramp up sets:
30lbs for 12 reps
40lbs for 12 reps
Working sets:
50lbs for 12 reps
55lbs for 10 reps
60lbs for 8 reps
65lbs for 6 reps
What are the goals of the program? Build lean muscle/strength and burn body fat simultaneously
How to get the best outcome of the program? Stay consistent and give every workout your all!!
How to schedule the program into a week? This programs consists of 3 full body workouts per week. I suggest you leave a rest day between each heavy lifting session Example: Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
On non lifting days I suggest you you 30-60 minutes of cardio or an active recovery/core routine from my 20 minutes or less workouts! This way you will continue to progress towards your goals even when your not in the gym!
What do I need to participate in this program? A gym with barbells, dumbbells and cable machines
Who are these workouts for (skill-level)? All skill levels. If your new to weight lifting simply start very light and get your form right first before progressing to heavier weights.
How to choose the right starting weights? A lot of people have trouble knowing what weight to start with. I simply using ramp up sets to find the right weight for the particular exercises (see warmup/ramp up sets section). Start lighter than you think, you can always do an extra set and go heavier!