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Warm-up set calculator

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Every formula here is published and cited, and the arithmetic is shown on the page. How we know this.

Short answer

Enter your working weight and this warm-up calculator builds the ramp: every set, every rep, and the plates that go on each side, rounded to weights you can load.

Units
lb
Ramp
Warm-up ramp to 225 lb
SetWeightRepsPlates per side
145 lb8Bar only
290 lb52 x 10 + 1 x 2.5
3120 lb51 x 35 + 1 x 2.5
4155 lb31 x 45 + 1 x 10
5190 lb21 x 45 + 1 x 25 + 1 x 2.5
Work225 lb52 x 45

A percentage ramp is a training scheme, not a research finding. Rungs are rounded down to weights your plates can actually make, so the percentages shown in the scheme and the loaded weights will not match exactly. Rest longer as the bar gets heavier.

Gear that fits the math

What makes a warm-up ramp actually loadable

Every ramp above is limited by the smallest plate you own. Change plates and adjustable dumbbells are what close the gaps the solver keeps rounding away.

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Smaller jumps on the bar

Amazon Basics 2-Inch Olympic Grip Weight Plates

B0DNS4B576
PlatesAmazon Basics2 in Olympic
Bore
2 in Olympic
Material
Cast iron

Best for: Iron plates for a rack-and-bar gym where nothing gets dropped.

Skip if: You deadlift on a floor you care about. Iron is not a bumper.

Check these yourself before ordering

  • — Which weights the option you selected actually contains
  • — Whether they are sold singly or in pairs
  • — Plate thickness against your sleeve length — see the bar data on this site
View on Amazon

Specs read from the listing on 2026-07-24. Listings change — confirm the current spec and option before you order.

Full iron set

CAP Barbell 2-Inch Olympic Cast Iron Plate Weight Set

B0FMS919GQ
PlatesCAP Barbell2 in Olympic
Bore
2 in Olympic
Set Weight
75 to 285 lb depending on option

Best for: The cheapest route to a full plate set when you are not dropping the bar.

Skip if: You deadlift to the floor without a platform.

Check these yourself before ordering

  • — Which set size you selected
  • — The exact plate breakdown — a stated total does not tell you the increments
  • — Sleeve length against total plate thickness
View on Amazon

Specs read from the listing on 2026-07-24. Listings change — confirm the current spec and option before you order.

Warm-up without the bar

PowerBlock Elite EXP Adjustable Dumbbells, Stage 1

B00A21NRNO
Adjustable dumbbellsPowerBlock5 to 50 lb per dumbbell (Stage 1)
Weight Range
5 to 50 lb per dumbbell (Stage 1)
Sold
Sold in pairs
Build
Steel
Expandable
Stage 1 of an expandable system

Best for: Someone who wants a path past 50 lb later. The EXP design is meant to be expanded rather than replaced.

Skip if: You dislike the block-and-handle shape. It sits differently in the hand from a round dumbbell and some people never get on with it.

Check these yourself before ordering

  • — That Stage 1 is the stage you want — expansion kits are separate purchases
  • — The handle width against your grip
  • — Whether a stand is included
View on Amazon

Specs read from the listing on 2026-07-24. Listings change — confirm the current spec and option before you order.

The standard ramp to 225 lb

Rendered on the server so it is here with JavaScript off. Same generator as above.

Warm-up ramp to 225 pounds on a 45 pound bar
SetWeightRepsPlates per side
145 lb8Bar only
290 lb52 x 10 + 1 x 2.5
3120 lb51 x 35 + 1 x 2.5
4155 lb31 x 45 + 1 x 10
5190 lb21 x 45 + 1 x 25 + 1 x 2.5
Work225 lb52 x 45

The three ramps

Standard (5 rungs)

The everyday ramp. Bar, then four jumps. Works for squat, bench, and press.

bar → 40% → 55% → 70% → 85% → 100%

Heavy day (7 rungs)

For a top single or a heavy triple. Smaller jumps up top so nothing sneaks up on you.

bar → 35% → 50% → 65% → 75% → 85% → 93% → 100%

Short on time (3 rungs)

Minimum viable ramp. Bar, two jumps, go.

bar → 50% → 75% → 100%

How to use the ramp

Warming up has two jobs. Get tissue warm and blood moving, and rehearse the exact movement pattern under gradually increasing load so the working set is not the first time your body sees that groove today. A percentage ramp does both without burning you out.

Keep the reps low as the weight climbs. Five at 40 percent is fine; five at 85 percent is a working set, not a warm-up, and it will cost you the set you actually came to do. Rest longer between the top rungs than the bottom ones.

What this is not

These schemes are conventional structures, not research findings, and this page is not medical advice. If something hurts, that is information the calculator does not have.

Related tools

Equipment by category

Looking for the gear itself?

Every piece of equipment we have spec’d, split by what it is. Each page compares the same published numbers side by side — no prices, no ratings, nothing we pretend to have tested.

Questions people actually ask

▶How many warm-up sets should I do?

Four to five rungs including the empty bar covers most working weights. Go heavier and you want more rungs with smaller jumps at the top; a light day needs fewer. This calculator offers a 3-rung, 5-rung, and 7-rung ramp so you can pick.

▶How many reps in a warm-up set?

Reps come down as the weight goes up. Five at the light end, three in the middle, one or two near your working weight. The point is to rehearse the movement and get warm, not to accumulate fatigue before the set that matters.

▶Should I warm up to the same percentages every session?

A percentage ramp is a scheme, not a law. It is a repeatable starting structure. Cold mornings, heavy singles, and beat-up joints all justify more rungs. Nothing here is a research finding and it should not be treated as one.

▶Why do the loaded weights not match the percentages exactly?

Because plates are not infinitely divisible. Fifty-five percent of 225 lb is 123.75 lb, and no standard pound set builds that. The calculator rounds down to 120 lb, which you can actually load, and shows you the plates for it.

▶Do I warm up with the bar every time?

For the big barbell lifts it costs you almost nothing and it is the cheapest way to check that the groove feels normal before you add load. You can switch the empty-bar rung off if your working weight is already close to the bar.