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training · warm-up

How to coach a warm-up for your clients.

A good warm-up has two jobs: raise the client's body temperature so it is ready to move, then prime the exact lifts the session demands. This guide is for the coach prescribing it - how to sequence the general warm-up, dynamic stretches, and the ramp-up sets that climb toward the working weight, what to cue and watch for, how to program it into the plan, and why static stretching belongs after the session, not before.

By Markus Evers · Updated June 2026

the short answer

To warm up for a workout, do a general warm-up of 5 to 10 minutes of easy cardio to raise body temperature, follow it with dynamic stretches that move the joints through the session's ranges, then do a few specific ramp-up sets on the first lift that climb toward your working weight. Save static stretching for after the session.

This article is general information for coaches and clients, not medical advice. Severe or persistent soreness, swelling, or dark urine after training is not normal - refer clients to a doctor rather than coaching through it.

the structure

A warm-up has two parts: general and specific.

Almost every effective warm-up is built from two layers. The general warm-up raises the whole body's temperature and gets blood moving - a few minutes of easy cardio so the client is warm, loose, and slightly sweaty. The specific warm-up then rehearses the exact movement the session calls for, using light ramp-up sets that climb toward the working weight.

The general part is what most people picture when they hear "warm-up." The specific part is the one lifters skip most often and the one that matters most for a heavy session - it grooves the pattern, wakes up the right muscles, and surfaces any technique problem while the load is still light. Between them sits dynamic stretching, which bridges the general warm and the first loaded set.

The mistake to avoid is turning the warm-up into a second workout. The aim is to feel ready, not tired. A warm-up that leaves the client fatigued before their first working set is too long or too hard - it should support the session, not compete with it.

building blocks

The four building blocks, in order.

Most warm-ups use these four pieces. The order matters: raise temperature, move through range, ramp up the load, and leave static stretching for the end. Use the table as a quick reference for sequencing a client's session.

Block What it is Coaching note
General warm-up 5 to 10 minutes of easy cardio - bike, row, brisk walk - to raise body temperature, blood flow, and heart rate. Goal is warm and slightly sweaty, not tired. Keep it light.
Dynamic stretches Active, moving drills through full range - leg swings, hip openers, arm circles, bodyweight squats. Use before lifting. Mimic the patterns in the session ahead.
Specific warm-up (ramp-up sets) A few light sets of the first exercise, climbing toward the working weight to groove the movement. This is the part most lifters skip - and the one that matters most.
Static stretching Holding a stretch in place for 20 to 60 seconds to build or maintain flexibility. Belongs after the session, not before - it can briefly cut strength.

The big point coaches need to land with clients: dynamic stretching goes before lifting, static stretching goes after. A long static hold before a heavy set can briefly reduce the force a muscle produces, so it is the wrong tool right before working sets. Movement-based, active drills are what prepare the body to lift.

the specific warm-up

Ramp-up sets: climbing to the working weight.

Ramp-up sets are light sets of an exercise that build toward the working weight. On a heavy compound lift, a common pattern is the empty bar, then roughly 40%, 60%, and 80% of the top set for a few reps each, before the first true working set. They are not training volume in the sense that grows muscle - keep the reps low so they prepare rather than fatigue. The hard work is the working sets, and how you progress those over time is the subject of progressive overload.

How many ramp-up sets a lift needs depends on the load and the movement. A heavy squat or deadlift earns more build-up sets than a cable curl, and big multi-joint lifts need more grooving than small single-joint ones - the distinction we cover in compound vs isolation exercises. Later exercises in the same session usually need only one or two light sets, since the body is already warm. The first working set should feel hard but controlled, not like a cold shock.

Keep the rest between ramp-up sets short - just long enough to add weight - and save full recovery for the working sets, where rest length actually drives performance. Our guide on rest between sets covers how to set those rest periods for strength versus hypertrophy.

step by step

A warm-up, start to finish.

The full sequence for a typical strength session, in the order a client should run it. Total time is usually 10 to 15 minutes - longer for heavy or technical days, shorter for accessory work.

  1. 01

    Raise the temperature (general warm-up)

    Start with 5 to 10 minutes of easy cardio to lift body temperature, blood flow, and heart rate. The point is to get warm and loose, not to pre-fatigue the client before the real work. A treadmill, bike, rower, or brisk walk all do the job. Match the intensity to the person - an older or deconditioned client may need a gentler ramp than a competitive lifter.

  2. 02

    Move through range (dynamic stretches)

    Follow with dynamic drills that take the joints through the ranges the session will demand - leg swings and hip openers before squats, band pull-aparts and arm circles before pressing. Dynamic stretching is active and moving, and unlike a long static hold it prepares the body to produce force rather than dampening it. Two to four minutes is plenty.

  3. 03

    Ramp up to the working weight (specific warm-up)

    For the first big lift, do a few build-up sets that climb toward the working weight - for example an empty bar, then roughly 40%, 60%, and 80% of the top set for a couple of reps each. These ramp-up sets rehearse the exact movement, wake up the right muscles, and let the client (and you) catch any technique issue before the load is heavy.

  4. 04

    Get into the working sets

    Once the specific warm-up feels smooth, the first working set should feel hard but controlled - not like a cold shock. Later exercises in the same session usually need only one or two light ramp-up sets, because the body is already warm. Smaller isolation moves often need none beyond a single feeler set.

  5. 05

    Save static stretching for after

    Put long static holds and any mobility-for-flexibility work at the end of the session or on a separate day. Stretching after training, when tissues are warm, is comfortable and a reasonable time to build range - without the small strength and power dip that a long static hold before lifting can cause.

One honest caveat to give clients: a warm-up reliably improves how ready you feel and your first-set performance, but the evidence that it dramatically prevents injury is mixed, and it will not erase next-day soreness. That soreness, delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS), is normal and is not a measure of a good workout or of muscle growth - so do not let a client chase it or panic when a session leaves them fresh.

programming the warm-up

How coaches build warm-ups into the program.

A warm-up only happens consistently if it is written into the plan, not left to the client to remember. In a coaching platform you build it into the session the same way you build the working sets - so the ramp-up is part of the program, not an afterthought.

Warm-up sets in the builder

In Coachway's workout builder you can add warm-up sets to a lift so the client sees the ramp-up before their working sets, and log each set as they go. The plan tells them exactly how to build to the top weight.

Per-set logging and a rest timer

Clients log each set individually and a built-in rest timer keeps ramp-up rests short and working-set rests honest - so the warm-up stays a warm-up and does not drift into wasted time on the gym floor.

Reusable across the plan

Build a warm-up template once and reuse it across clients and sessions, so every plan opens with a proper ramp-up. Pair it with the right weekly training volume for the goal.

The same programming discipline applies when you dial intensity up or down - a heavy week wants a longer ramp, and a deload week can keep the warm-up while easing the working sets. On the wearable side, Coachway syncs steps and Apple Watch workout sessions, which is useful for tracking activity around training; it does not pull heart-rate, sleep, or Garmin data, so a warm-up's quality is judged on the floor and in the logs, not from a recovery score. For the muscle-building rationale behind ramping into heavy work, see hypertrophy training.

the honest picture

What a warm-up does - and what it does not.

A warm-up improves first-set performance, readiness, and movement quality, and it is sensible practice. What it does not do is guarantee no injury, erase soreness, or change body composition. Clients sometimes blur the warm-up into "fat-burning cardio" - worth untangling. Fat loss is driven by the calorie deficit, not by cardio specifically. Lifting preserves muscle while you lose fat; cardio simply adds to the deficit. If a client's goal is fat loss, the warm-up's cardio is for warming up, and the result comes from the diet, as covered in cardio vs weights for fat loss.

Recovery sits in the same honest bucket. Sleep genuinely matters for recovery and performance - it is one of the few levers with a real effect on how a client trains and adapts - but it is not a magic fix, and chronic sleep problems belong with a doctor, not a coaching app. We cover the realistic version in sleep and recovery for training. The same goes for fuel: take a food-first approach to micronutrients and dietary fiber rather than reaching for supplements, and refer suspected deficiencies to a registered dietitian.

If you want to put numbers to the deficit side for a client, our calorie deficit calculator and TDEE calculator give a starting estimate to refine against real-world results - and the nutrition side of coaching is where most fat-loss progress is actually won, as we lay out in how to do nutrition coaching online.

questions coaches and clients ask

Frequently asked questions.

How do I warm up for a workout?

Warm up in three stages: 5 to 10 minutes of easy cardio to raise body temperature, then dynamic stretches that move the joints through the ranges your session needs, then a few specific ramp-up sets on the first lift climbing toward your working weight. This prepares the body to produce force. Save long static stretches for after the session, since holding them beforehand can slightly reduce strength.

Should I stretch before or after a workout?

Do dynamic stretching before and static stretching after. Dynamic drills - leg swings, hip openers, arm circles - are active and prime the body to move. A long static hold before lifting can briefly reduce strength and power, so it is better placed at the end of the session when tissues are warm and you want to build or maintain flexibility comfortably.

What are warm-up sets and how many should I do?

Warm-up sets, or ramp-up sets, are light sets of an exercise that climb toward your working weight to rehearse the movement and prepare the muscles. A common pattern on a heavy compound lift is the empty bar, then roughly 40, 60, and 80 percent of the top set for a few reps each. Later exercises in the same session usually need only one or two.

Does warming up prevent injury or muscle soreness?

A good warm-up improves performance and how ready you feel, and is sensible practice, but the evidence that it dramatically prevents injury is mixed rather than guaranteed. It also will not erase delayed onset muscle soreness - soreness is normal and is not a measure of a good workout. Persistent severe soreness, swelling, or dark urine is not normal and should be checked by a doctor.

How long should a warm-up be?

For most strength sessions, 10 to 15 minutes total is enough - a few minutes of easy cardio, a couple of minutes of dynamic drills, and a handful of ramp-up sets on the first lift. Heavier or more technical sessions justify a longer ramp; quick accessory days need less. The aim is to feel warm and ready, not tired.

This article is general information for coaches and clients, not medical advice. Severe or persistent soreness, swelling, or dark urine after training (possible signs of rhabdomyolysis), suspected nutrient deficiencies, and chronic sleep problems should be referred to a doctor or registered dietitian - keep coaching within your scope of practice.

When you are ready to write warm-up sets straight into a client's session, our workout builder lets you add ramp-up sets, a rest timer, and per-set logging so every plan opens with a proper warm-up.

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