Warm-up sets calculator
This warm-up calculator builds a ramp of warm-up sets leading into your working weight, so you don't have to guess jumps between the bar and your top set. Enter your working weight and reps, your bar weight and unit, and it generates a short ladder of lighter sets at decreasing reps that ends right at your working set, ready to load one plate at a time.
Warm-up sets
4
| Set | Weight (kg) | Reps |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 20 | 10 |
| 2 | 50 | 5 |
| 3 | 70 | 3 |
| 4 | 85 | 2 |
| 5 | 100 | 5 (Working set) |
How it works
The ladder uses fixed percentages of your working weight: an empty-bar set of 10 reps, then roughly 50%, 70% and 85% of the working weight for 5, 3 and 2 reps. Each step is rounded up to the nearest weight you can actually load with plates, and the 85% step is skipped when your working set is already higher-rep, since a near-max single that close to a light top set adds fatigue without benefit.
Any step whose rounded weight matches the one before it is dropped, which happens near the bar when the working weight is light, so the ladder never repeats an identical set.
This is a general-purpose ramp, not a prescription: powerlifting-style low-rep work usually wants more steps, while high-rep hypertrophy work needs fewer. Adjust the last one or two sets by feel.
Frequently asked questions
How many warm-up sets should I do before a heavy set?
Most lifters need three to four ramp-up sets between the bar and a heavy top set: roughly 50%, 70% and 85% of the working weight, each at fewer reps than the last. This calculator generates that ladder automatically from your working weight and reps.
Do I need to warm up the same way for every exercise?
No. Compound barbell lifts like the squat or deadlift benefit from a full ramp, while isolation or machine exercises usually need only one or two light sets since the surrounding compound work has already warmed the muscle group they target.
Why does the calculator skip the 85% step sometimes?
When your working set is already high-rep, a near-maximal single at 85% adds fatigue without preparing you any better for a set of, say, 12 reps. The calculator drops that step automatically once your working reps reach eight, so it never shows up for a high-rep session.
Related tools
- 1RM calculatorEstimate your one-rep max from any set of reps and weight, with a percentage table and the same banded formula the Overload app uses.
- Plate calculatorWork out exactly which plates to load per side for any barbell weight, free, with the achieved load and shortfall shown instantly.
- RPE calculatorConvert any set to a percentage of your 1RM or a target load from RPE, free, with a full table of reps against RPE 6 to 10.
- Strength standardsFind your strength level on the squat, bench, deadlift, press or row, free, with the weight needed to reach the next level shown.
Let Overload suggest your loads
Overload remembers your last session and suggests warm-up and working loads before you even start. Free on iOS and Android.