I see this all the time—lifters don’t realize how important a proper warm-up really is.

Don’t ignore this essential piece of weightlifting advice!

While some bodybuilders perform worthless warm-ups consisting of a set of 20 reps using just the weight of the bar, others neglect this step altogether.

There are two reasons why a good warm-up can serve you both in the short and long term…

1) A good warm-up works to help increases the weight your body is capable of handling and this leads to maximum muscle stimulation and growth.

2) Your chances of injury are decreased with a proper warm-up.

Now correct me if I’m wrong, but to me that seems like two really good reasons to invest 15–20 minutes prior to each workout doing a warm-up.

Do you feel the same about this weightlifting advice?

Great! Now, a proper warm-up should look like this…

5 minutes of light cardiovascular activity is a nice start to your warm-up.

To achieve this, select any basic piece of cardio equipment such as a recumbent bike, rowing machine, or treadmill.

A basic cardio warm-up exercise will increase the core temperature of your body, stimulate your heart and lungs, and lubricate your joints with the secretion of synovial fluid.

It’s a good idea to visualize the workout that you’ll be performing while you do this 5-minute cardio warm-up.

If you can focus mentally, you will be better prepared to put forth a maximal effort in your upcoming battle.

You need to prepare both your mind and body for your workouts, because mental attitude plays a huge part in your success.

Once you’ve completed those 5 minutes, move onto the final part of your warm-up.

You will focus on doing 5 warm-up sets with the first major compound exercise in your workout routine.

To give you a clearer picture, if you were training legs using squats as your main exercise, do 5 warm-up sets of squats.

Start with high reps and light weights; then move to low reps and heavy weights.

For these 5 warm-up sets, keep in mind:.

FATIGUING YOUR MUSCLES IS NOT AN OPTION DURING THESE 5 SETS!

You are simply warming up to increase the blood flow to the muscles and surrounding connective tissue.

It is also a method of increasing the amount of weight that you will be able to lift during your actual workout by preparing your body and mind beforehand.

You are blowing the whole purpose of your warm-up if you tire your muscles during these sets.

Use this formula to calculate how much weight and how many reps you need for warm-ups.

The percentage used is based on the weight you will use in your muscle-building set.

For example, if you were going to squat 200 pounds, the first set should be performed with 100 pounds for 10 reps.

Set 1: 50% x 10 reps
Set 2: 60% x 6 reps
Set 3: 70% x 4 reps
Set 4: 80% x 3 reps
Set 5: 90% x 1 rep

Complete these basic sets before moving into your workout.

This is essential weightlifting advice; please do not underestimate the importance of the warm-up process!

You can stay injury-free and prep for hard workouts if you apply this weightlifting advice.

Using these 15–20 minutes wisely will give you major rewards.

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