“The importance of warming up varies from sport to sport. It is especially effective for brief power exercises,” declared prominent Soviet sport scientist Prof. Kotz. “…A warm-up does not have a statistically significant positive effect on muscular strength…”
One would think that since a thorough warm-up greatly boosts power—an increase of the core temperature by 2 degrees Celsius increases it by up to 7%—it should do the same for strength. But it does not.
Dr. Judd Biasiotto never bothered warming up before making his world record lifts. He decided to do a study involving other advanced powerlifters to prove that he was not a freak of nature. One group warmed up with lighter weight before performing maximum lifts, the other did not.
(By the way, there were no injuries in the study, although over 500 of maximal or near maximal lifts were made.)
5 out of 6 times the non-warm up group showed better results in the squat and the bench press.
Perhaps the reason lies in the “thixotropic” or gel like nature of muscle tissue. Gels thicken and become more viscous when they are static and they thin in response to movement. Movement (e.g., a “warm-up”) reduces muscle stiffness. Could this loss of stiffness cancel out the gains made through warming up?
The deadlift was a different story in Dr. Judd’s experiment. In all six studies the warmed-up subjects did better.
Dr. Biasiotto suggested that the deadlift is a “mind lift.” The “dead” weight is just sitting there looking impossible to move. You do not get a chance to feel the poundage and judge how much force is needed to lift it and whether it is within your abilities.
The no warm-up group lifters must have got psyched out without the reassurance of gradually increasing poundage. All of them expressed fear and anxiety before the deadlift. There was none of that before the other two powerlifts, because, Dr. Judd surmised, in the squat and bench press you get the feel the weight when you unrack and lower it.
Prof. Zimkin explains one the reasons the heaviest weight is rarely lifted on the first attempt: the lifter is lacking the exact information about the state of the working muscles. The purpose of lighter preliminary lifts is to provide this information. |
| | Another day at the gym for 85-year-old Vladimir, Pavel’s father
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| | What you need before your max deadlift is not a warm-up but a progressive rehearsal with very low reps and large weight jumps.
After your joint mobility exercises pick a very light weight, below 50% of your max, and do five reps with it.
Rest for several minutes, walking around. |
| | Repeat if necessary. Powerlifters say: “Take 135 as many times as you need to feel great.”
After this first ultralight poundage limit the reps per set to 2-3. And when you go over 70% of your 1RM, switch to “singles” and rest for 5min between sets.
Take large weight jumps. It is essential for your psychological preparation.
How heavy to go in your warm-up depends on your confidence. Dr. Fred Hatfield’s standard recommendation is 90% of your first competition attempt.
For example, your last deadlift PR set months ago was 405. You recently pulled this weight for two strong “doubles” and you decide to open with it at the upcoming Tactical Strength Challenge™. 90% of 405 is 365.
Your entire “warm-up” and competition attempts might look like this: |
| 135x5, 225x3, 275x2/2, 315x1/2, 365; 405, 425, 440
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