How many warm-up sets before squat, bench and deadlift?

Updated October 25, 2026

Short answer: most lifters do 3 to 5 warm-up sets before a heavy squat, bench press or deadlift, and more as the work set gets heavier. A simple ramp is four sets: 40% of your work set for 5 reps, 60% for 5, 75% for 3 and 85% for 2. Before 315 lb that is 125, 190, 235 and 270 lb. Before 140 kg it is 55, 85, 105 and 120 kg.

Example: warming up for 315 lb

Your top set today is 315 lb. Take each percentage of 315 lb and round it to the nearest 5 lb, a weight you can load with pound plates on a 45 lb bar:

The exact 40% of 315 lb is 126 lb and the exact 85% is 267.75 lb; every row is rounded the same way. The warmup calculator builds this ramp for any work weight in lb or kg.

Example: warming up for 140 kg

The same ramp before a 140 kg top set, rounded to the nearest 2.5 kg for kilo plates on a 20 kg bar:

Here the exact values are 56, 84, 105 and 119 kg. Rounding moves each set by 1 kg at most, which makes no difference to how the warm-up feels.

Why the reps drop as the weight rises

Warm-up sets get you ready for the work set; they should not tire you before it. The light sets get more reps because they cost almost nothing and let you practise the movement. Near the top the reps drop to 3 and then 2, so you feel a heavy bar in your hands without spending the energy the work set needs. The jumps in this ramp stay between 10 and 20 percentage points: 40 to 60, 60 to 75, 75 to 85, then 85 to 100.

Squat, bench press and deadlift

• Squat. Hips, knees and ankles all have to move through a full range, so many lifters do a set or two with the empty bar before the first loaded set. The ramp then works as written.
• Bench press. The shoulders and elbows take the load. Touch the chest on every warm-up rep the same way you will on the work set, so the groove is set before the weight is heavy.
• Deadlift. The bar starts on the floor, and an empty bar sits too low to pull from with a normal setup. Most lifters start with one full-size plate on each side: 135 lb with 45 lb plates or 60 kg with 20 kg plates. Before a 315 lb deadlift, the 40% step (125 lb) is lighter than that, so start at 135 lb and go on to 190, 235 and 270 lb.

Light and heavy work sets

The right number of warm-up sets follows the work weight. For a light work set, the first steps fall at or near the empty bar. Before 95 lb the ramp gives 40, 55, 70 and 80 lb, and 40 lb is less than a 45 lb bar, so use the bar for that step. Before 60 kg it gives 25, 35, 45 and 50 kg, and 25 kg is only 5 kg over a 20 kg bar. Two or three sets are plenty there.

For a heavy work set the gap at the top grows. From 85% to the work set is 45 lb (270 to 315 lb) or 20 kg (120 to 140 kg). That is fine for a set of several reps. Before a heavy single or a max attempt, add singles above 85%; how to test your 1RM safely lays them out.

Loading each warm-up set

Every warm-up set is a new weight to load, which is where most of the plate math in a session happens. The plate calculator shows the plates on each side for any of the weights above. The LoadPR app does not plan warm-up sets for you. You type a weight and it draws one side of the bar with the plates to put on, so you can enter each warm-up weight in turn. More in plate loading.

Mistakes with warm-up sets

• Too many reps near the top. Sets of 5 or more at 85% tire you before the set that matters.
• One big jump. Going from the empty bar straight to the work set skips the practice at a heavy weight.
• Taking the percentages from your 1RM. This ramp is a percentage of today's work set, not of your max.
• Loading the exact number. 126 lb cannot be made with standard pound plates on a 45 lb bar; 125 lb can.
• The same warm-up for every lift. A deadlift starts from a plate on each side, not from the empty bar.