Fighters Only

Issue 109

December 2013

Paul McVeigh Sports scientist, TUF 14 cast member and full-time coach – each issue he presents his best conditioning tips

With so much strength and conditioning information floating around on the internet it’s not surprising so many people feel overwhelmed, especially when you consider how many variables can be altered and how many different protocols there are to be followed.

What should you lift? How much should you lift? What sets and reps should be used? Should you vary the tempo? As with all these S&C questions the answer is: it depends on what you are trying to do.

A common problem for those new to lifting, and some more experienced lifters, is that they see five sets of five reps as a movement in their program and assume they are working their way up to their heaviest set within that framework. In other words, they just don’t realize how vital warm-up sets are.

Take the example to the right, which is a common workout. If you think about it carefully the final two sets are the only ones where work is really being done.

A good rule of thumb to use is that anything below 90% of your maximum weight for the day should be classified as a warm-up set. In this example (left) that would be sets one to three. They probably wouldn’t be very challenging for the athlete and would only serve to prepare them for the final heavier loads in sets four and five.

However, by not understanding how to use warm-up sets properly the athlete would simply be performing a two-sets-of-five workout.

The purpose of the warm-up set is to prepare your body to lift increasingly heavier weights. They activate an athlete’s nervous system, make the associated musculature more pliable and also reduce the perception of effort experienced.

The evidence, both research-based and anecdotal, is pretty conclusive. Those who warm up and prepare correctly will lift heavier weights than those who do not. For an experienced lifter it would be unthinkable for them to go to the gym and start squatting anywhere near a maximum weight from the get-go.

HOW TO USE WARM-UP SETS

A good general rule to follow is for every 50kg you intend to lift you should perform one to three warm-up sets with a weight below 90% of your daily maximum. Start with a barbell and bang out eight reps to get the muscles working. It’s important to treat every rep of your warm-up sets like it’s the heaviest thing you’ve ever lifted so that solid fundamental technique is ingrained. If you treat every rep like it’s a killer you will be ready to attack the bigger weights.

Next, move on up to 50% of your expected daily maximum and perform three reps. Follow that by moving up to 70% for another three reps and then up to 80% for a single rep. Our final warm-up set is a single at 90% of your planned working weight.

This final set can also be used to determine what your actual working weight will be. If your single at 90% felt like cake you may want to project your planned working weight upwards. If you felt like you were going to get stapled you might want to drop the weight down for the day.

Another great rule to lift by is this: your heaviest load for the movement should become the weight you load up with the next time the workout is performed. This is an easy way to ensure that you continue to get stronger and develop as an athlete.

There are a host of ways to use warm-up sets. With experience it becomes a matter of personal preference. More experienced lifters tend to use warm-up sets more regularly than less experienced lifters. What I have tried to do is give you a protocol to use in your own workouts to ensure you are maximizing your time in the gym and not cheating yourself.

COMMON WORKOUT EXAMPLE

SET LOADING

1 60KG

2 70KG

3 80KG

4 90KG

5 100KG

FO's EXAMPLE: WARM-UP LOADS

BARBELL 50%-70%-80%-90%

FO's WARM-UP SET

Dead lift (150kg, 5 sets, 5 reps) LOAD

WARM UP