If it’s not HARD, it DOESN’T COUNT!

The beauty of my training app is that even when clients aren’t with me I can go back and look at their recorded sets.

Something I’ve been noticing recently in a few of them is that their first recorded set is 15-30lbs less than their final set of an exercise.

What this tells me is that their first 2 sets were actually WARM UPS!

That’s a waste of sets right there. When you only have 3 and 2 of them aren’t even hard – that’s a sure fire way to not see progress.

WARM UP / RAMP UP SETS

❗️SET 1: WARM UP -I always suggest starting with an empty bar I don’t care how heavy it will eventually get. Groove the movement, find tension without weight.

❗️Set 2: WARM UP- The percentage of weight you add from there will depend on your experience, your ending weight and your end rep range goal. But it should be an RPE of like 3-4.

❗️Set 3: POSSIBLY WORKING BUT PROBABLY STILL WARM UP – Now we can be working up into the RPE of 6-8 possibly a working set depending on your experience

❗️Set 4: NOW we might be at a working set. Hit at least your top reps if not your bottom range goal at an RPE OF 7-9 and we WORKIN.

‼️On that same note – you should ALWAYS HAVE AT LEAST A COUPLE WARM UP SETS! Unless it’s your 3rd or 4th exercise of the day and you’re experienced with it I always suggest ramping up.

Have you made these mistakes? Are you checking your RPE?