The Warm-Up : Efficient, Effective, and Not an Hour Long
- Josh Hezza
- Mar 15
- 14 min read
The Warm-Up : Efficient, Effective, and Not an Hour Long
Warming up is probably the most neglected part of training. Some lifters skip it entirely, convinced they "don’t need it," while others waste 30+ minutes rolling around on the floor doing endless mobility drills. The reality? Neither extreme is ideal.
The key to an effective warm-up is efficiency—doing just enough to prime performance and reduce injury risk without draining yourself before training even begins.
The Importance of Warming Up: The Key to Strength, Longevity, and Injury Prevention
Warming up is often one of the most misunderstood aspects of training. Many lifters either skip it entirely or spend far too long on unnecessary drills that waste energy before the real work even begins. But for strength athletes—particularly those following a Conjugate-based system—an effective warm-up is non-negotiable.
An optimal warm-up should accomplish three key objectives:
Prepare the body for maximal performance – Enhancing tissue quality, increasing neuromuscular activation, and improving movement efficiency.
Reduce injury risk – Addressing weak points, reinforcing stability, and integrating essential prehab/rehab elements.
Be time-efficient – Cutting out the fluff and avoiding warm-ups that feel like an entire training session on their own.
This isn’t just about getting your heart rate up or throwing a few bands around before lifting. A structured, purposeful warm-up sets the foundation for strength, power, and longevity in the gym.
Why Strength Athletes Need to Warm Up
If your goal is to lift heavy, move explosively, and stay injury-free, a proper warm-up is non-negotiable. A well-designed warm-up will:
Improve joint mobility and tissue resilience – Making movement smoother and reducing stress on the joints.
Increase neuromuscular efficiency – Helping you recruit the right muscles at the right time, ensuring better force output.
Prime the nervous system – Enhancing coordination and reaction time, which is especially critical for max-effort and dynamic-effort lifts.
Address muscular imbalances and weak links – Allowing you to maintain structural balance and minimise compensation patterns that lead to injuries over time.
Too many lifters assume that they don’t need to warm up because they feel "fine" walking into the gym. But over time, skipping warm-ups adds up, leading to chronic stiffness, performance drops, and eventual injuries that could have been easily prevented.
The Role of Prehab and Rehab in Warming Up
Strength training is brutal on the body. Heavy loads expose weak links—and without proper preparation, those weak links can turn into chronic pain or major injuries. This is where prehab and rehab work become essential components of a good warm-up.
Key elements of prehab-based warm-ups include:
Joint stability work – Engaging stabilisers to prevent compensations (e.g., scapular control drills for pressing).
Tendon resilience drills – Strengthening connective tissues to withstand heavy loading (e.g., slow eccentrics for patellar and Achilles tendons).
Core activation – Ensuring spinal rigidity and preventing energy leaks (e.g., McGill’s Big 3 exercises).
For lifters with chronic conditions like Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS) or hypermobility, a well-structured warm-up is even more critical. Without proper activation and controlled range of motion (ROM) drills, loose joints become vulnerable to dislocations, strains, and excessive wear. The key is finding the balance—mobilising where needed, but reinforcing stability and control over flexibility.
Joint-Specific vs. Movement-Specific Warm-Ups: The Key Distinction
Many lifters mistakenly think of warm-ups as joint-focused—doing separate drills for hips, shoulders, or knees. While joint health matters, warm-ups should be movement-focused instead.
✅ Joint-Specific Warm-Up Example (Less Effective):
Banded hip stretches
Shoulder dislocations
Ankle mobility drills
✅ Movement-Specific Warm-Up Example (More Effective):
Goblet Squats & Reverse Lunges – Mobilises hips while reinforcing the squat pattern.
Push-Up Variations & Shoulder Taps – Activates pressing muscles and scapular stability.
Step-Ups or Jump Variations – Warms up knee extensors dynamically.
By mobilising while reinforcing the movement, your warm-up translates directly to your training.
While movement-focused warm-ups are generally more effective, the next key step is ensuring your nervous system is primed for explosive strength and bar speed. This is where neuromuscular activation comes in.
Neuromuscular Activation: The Missing Link in Most Warm-Ups
A crucial but often overlooked aspect of warm-ups is neuromuscular activation—getting the central nervous system (CNS) firing efficiently before heavy lifts. While mobility and stability drills are useful, a primed CNS ensures explosive strength, faster bar speed, and greater overall force production.
Key neuromuscular activation strategies include:
Explosive Jumps – Box jumps, broad jumps, or vertical jumps prepare the lower body for dynamic work.
Med Ball Throws – Rotational or overhead slams activate fast-twitch fibres and upper-body power output.
Overcoming Isometrics – Pushing or pulling against an immovable object (e.g., an isometric pin press) fires up motor unit recruitment.
Short Accelerative Sprints – 5-10 metre sprints wake up the nervous system for heavy lower-body lifts.
A warm-up should prepare you to be fast and powerful, not just mobile. If you're feeling sluggish at the start of a session, adding 2-3 sets of explosive movements before your main lift can make a noticeable difference.
The Time Factor: Efficient Warm-Ups That Don’t Drain You
One of the biggest mistakes lifters make is spending too much time warming up. If your warm-up takes longer than your actual session, you’re likely wasting energy on unnecessary movements.
A good warm-up should be effective yet efficient, typically taking 5-15 minutes depending on your needs. The goal is to get to your first working set feeling primed and ready—not exhausted from excessive prep work.
Some key strategies to keep warm-ups short but effective:
Integrate ramp-up sets as part of your warm-up – Your first few lighter sets should serve as movement preparation, not just an afterthought.
Superset activation drills with your warm-up sets – Banded face pulls between warm-up squats, isometric holds between pressing, etc.
Prioritise quality over quantity – A few targeted drills done properly are more effective than 20 different movements done half-heartedly.
Are You Wasting Too Much Energy on Warm-Ups?
A warm-up should enhance your session, not drain you before it starts. Too many lifters spend 30+ minutes on mobility drills and prehab work, only to find they have less energy left for their main lifts.
The best way to check if your warm-up is too long is by asking:
❌ Are you feeling tired before you start your first working set?
❌ Are your warm-ups longer than 15-20 minutes?
❌ Are you doing unnecessary isolation movements that don’t impact your main lift?
A good warm-up is short and sharp—by the time you hit your top sets, you should feel fresh and powerful, not pre-fatigued.
A Warm-Up That Works for You
There’s no universal warm-up that works for everyone. Your sport, injury history, training age, and weaknesses all play a role in determining what you need. The key is efficiency—warming up enough to enhance performance and reduce injury risk without wasting time or energy.
If you find yourself skipping warm-ups or spending too long on unnecessary mobility drills, it’s time to reassess. A well-structured approach will help you stay strong, resilient, and pain-free while maximising training longevity and performance.
Tailoring Warm-Ups to Different Training Disciplines
Not all strength training is the same, so warm-ups should reflect the demands of the session.
Powerlifting-Specific Warm-Ups
Powerlifters benefit from technical reinforcement and joint integrity work, focusing on:
Paused Reps & Tempo Work – Using light pause squats or slow eccentrics as part of the ramp-up process.
Bracing & Footwork Drills – Brief core activation and stance positioning before max effort lifts.
Strongman-Specific Warm-Ups
Strongman training requires full-body preparation and grip activation, including:
Loaded Carries & Sled Drags – Perfect for getting blood flow to the hips, legs, and upper back.
Odd Object Lifting – Light stone or sandbag pick-ups before heavy deadlifts or events.
Grip & Forearm Activation – Fat Grip dumbbell holds or banded finger extensions for grip endurance.
Athletic & Hybrid Strength Training Warm-Ups
If Conjugate is being used for rugby, MMA, or field sports, warm-ups should include:
Footwork & Plyometrics – Speed ladders or bounding movements.
Unilateral Work – Bulgarian split squats or single-leg RDLs for balance and power output.
Different Approaches to Warming Up: Finding the Most Efficient Strategy for Strength Training
Warming up isn’t a one-size-fits-all process. Some lifters swear by detailed movement prep, while others keep things minimalistic with ramping sets and a few activation drills. The truth lies somewhere in the middle—an effective warm-up should be individualised, purposeful, and time-efficient.
There are several approaches to warming up, but the key is finding what gets you ready to perform at your highest level without unnecessary fatigue. Whether you prefer a longer, structured warm-up or a bare-minimum prep, it’s important to understand how different methods impact performance.
Why You Shouldn’t Spend an Hour Warming Up
One of the biggest mistakes lifters make is overcomplicating the warm-up. If your warm-up is longer than your actual workout, you're doing it wrong. Spending 45 minutes on mobility drills before even touching a barbell doesn’t just waste time—it can also reduce the energy available for your training session.
Instead, a well-structured warm-up should:
Increase readiness without causing fatigue
Integrate seamlessly into your training session
Be tailored to your specific needs (injury history, mobility restrictions, movement quality, etc.)
A warm-up should set you up for peak performance—not wear you out before you get started.
Using Warm-Up Sets and Ramping Sets to Your Advantage
A simple and effective way to warm up is to use ramping sets as part of the process. Instead of treating warm-ups as a separate routine, integrate them into your main lifts.
Here’s how ramping sets work:
Start with an empty bar (or very light weight) to reinforce movement patterns.
Gradually increase the load, staying in the 3-5 rep range for efficiency.
Each set should feel progressively more explosive and controlled.
By the time you reach your working weight, your body should be primed without excess fatigue.
Example of an efficient ramping structure for a squat day:
Bar x 10
40% of working weight x 5
55% x 3
70% x 2
First working set
This method ensures the nervous system is fully engaged, technique is reinforced, and warm-up time is minimised.
Supersetting Warm-Up Movements with Main Lift Prep
Another way to improve efficiency is supersetting activation drills with warm-up sets. Instead of doing 10-15 minutes of separate mobility work, pair warm-up drills with your ramp-up sets.
Examples of effective warm-up supersets:
Face pulls + First warm-up squat set – Engages the upper back for better squat positioning.
Banded hamstring curls + Warm-up deadlift set – Primes the hamstrings before heavy pulls.
McGill curl-ups + Bench press setup drills – Reinforces spinal stability and shoulder positioning.
This method is particularly useful for lifters who feel tight or sluggish at the start of a session. By integrating activation work with movement prep, you reduce downtime and maximise efficiency.
Why Warm-Ups Should Blend Into Your Training
A major flaw in most warm-ups is treating them as a separate block rather than an extension of training.
A smart approach is to use warm-ups as work, by:
Adding extra reps to early working sets – Instead of static stretching, doing 5-10 more reps on your first couple of sets.
Starting with dynamic effort variations – Using speed squats, fast bench presses, or explosive pulls in lower rep ranges as a built-in warm-up.
Including Pre-Fatigued Movements – For example, banded hamstring curls before sumo deadlifts or banded scapular retractions before pressing.
This saves time while priming the right muscles.
Choosing the Right Approach for You
Ultimately, how much warm-up you need depends on your body, your training style, and your injury history. Some lifters need more mobility and activation work, while others can get by with ramping sets and a few targeted drills.
Here’s a simple way to determine what you need:
If you feel stiff or immobile, add a few targeted mobility and stability drills.
If you feel strong but sluggish, incorporate dynamic movements like jumps, med ball throws, or short sprints.
If you feel loose and ready to go, keep it minimal—just ramp up with warm-up sets.
Efficiency is key. The best warm-up is the one that gets you ready to train without draining you beforehand.
There’s no single “right” way to warm up, but understanding different approaches helps you refine your process. Whether you prefer detailed prehab work or a minimalist approach, the most important thing is to find what works for your body and training style.
Key Takeaways:
Avoid wasting time—if your warm-up is longer than your session, it’s too much.
Use ramping sets—progressively load the bar to integrate warm-ups with your main lifts.
Superset activation work—pair key warm-up drills with early working sets for efficiency.
Adapt based on your needs—some lifters need more mobility, others need minimal prep.
The Minimal Effective Warm-Up: How to Get Ready to Train Without Wasting Time
Not everyone has the luxury of spending 15-30 minutes warming up before every training session. The truth is, most people waste time on unnecessary drills that don’t contribute to their actual performance. If you're short on time, you need to focus on the absolute minimum required to train safely while still performing at a high level.
The Bare-Minimum Warm-Up Protocol
Look, this isn’t perfect, and I’m not pretending it is. But if there’s one takeaway here, it’s that I know most lifters aren’t going to do a full warm-up—because lifters want to lift, and most are lazy when it comes to prep work. That said, this should be treated as a "last resort" option—not the standard. If you’re already mobile, pain-free, and conditioned, this will get you through. But if you have mobility restrictions, previous injuries, or trouble getting into position, you’ll want to put in a little more effort..
So this is the absolute bare minimum acceptable warm-up. It assumes you’re reasonably conditioned, not in pain or excessively sore, and that you do it at a reasonable pace. This isn’t optimal, but it’s functional—it gets you ready to train without wasting time. If you want to do more, great. If not, at least do this.
If you’re truly pressed for time, this simple yet effective warm-up will prepare your body in under 5 minutes:
Perform 3x10-20 of each movement:
Banded Face Pulls – Engages rear delts and scapular stabilisers.
Pull-Aparts – Reinforces upper back engagement and shoulder stability.
Tricep Extensions – Prepares elbows and triceps for pressing movements.
Bicep Curls – Activates elbow flexors and reduces strain on tendons.
Rows with Isometric Holds – Primes back and grip strength.
Frog Pumps – Fires up the glutes and enhances hip stability.
McGill Curl-Ups – Engages core without excessive spinal movement.
Foam Roller Adductor Squeeze – Activates adductors and enhances pelvic stability.
Eccentric Step Downs – Prepares knees and ankles for heavy lower-body movements.
This no-frills approach ensures you hit key muscle groups and stabilisers without wasting time on fluff.
Full vs. Condensed Warm-Up Routines
While the bare-minimum warm-up works in a pinch, sometimes you have a little more time. Here’s how to structure your warm-up based on available time:
Full Warm-Up Routine (15-20 Minutes)
Soft Tissue Work (5 minutes) – Body Tempering, Foam Rolling, Lacrosse Ball.
Mobility & Activation (5-7 minutes) – Band work, McGill Big 3, Isometric Holds.
Dynamic Movement Prep (5 minutes) – Jumps, Throws, Sprint Variations.
Ramping Sets on Main Lift – Integrated into the session.
This approach is ideal for lifters dealing with injuries or those who need extra prep before heavy lifting.
Condensed Warm-Up (5-10 Minutes)
1-2 Key Mobility Drills – Focused on individual restrictions (e.g., hip mobility for squatting).
Isometric Work (Holds, Squeezes) – Engaging stabilisers efficiently.
Banded Activation Drills – Face Pulls, Triceps, Shoulder Stability.
Ramping Sets with Functional Supersetting – Warming up dynamically through movement.
This hybrid approach works well for most strength athletes, balancing efficiency with effectiveness.
Alternative Absolute Minimum (2-5 Minutes) - A variation on the first minimal approach above -
If you're really short on time, focus on:
McGill Curl-Ups – Core activation for spinal support.
Banded Face Pulls & Pull-Aparts – Quick upper-body activation.
Foam Roller Adductor Squeeze – Hip and knee stability.
Jump straight into ramping sets and superset additional movements with warm up sets – Start light and progress.
Why Less is Sometimes More
Overcomplicating warm-ups is one of the biggest mistakes lifters make. Spending too much time on mobility and activation work can lead to diminished energy levels before the actual training starts.
The key is efficiency—doing just enough to be ready to perform, but not so much that it detracts from your main lifts. The strongest and most experienced lifters understand this, which is why you rarely see them spending 30 minutes warming up.
A well-structured warm-up doesn’t have to take forever. Whether you have 20 minutes or just 2 minutes, the goal is the same:
Prepare your body for heavy lifting.
Activate key stabilisers.
Improve neuromuscular readiness without fatigue.
Use the minimal effective dose approach and get to work without wasting unnecessary time.
Donnie Thompson’s Body Tempering & Advanced Warm-Up Strategies
Not all lifters require an extensive warm-up routine. Those with high General Physical Preparedness (GPP)—who maintain an active, mobile, and well-conditioned baseline—can often warm up more aggressively and with fewer steps than those who live a more sedentary lifestyle between training sessions.
One of the most effective tools for preparing the body without excessive stretching or mobility drills is Body Tempering, a technique developed by Donnie Thompson. This method uses weighted rollers to enhance soft tissue quality, improve mobility, and reduce pre-training tightness without excessive fatigue.
What is Body Tempering?
Body Tempering is a passive yet highly effective method of preparing the muscles and connective tissues for heavy lifting. It involves using heavy cylindrical rollers (ranging from 20 to over 150 pounds) across different muscle groups to create deep tissue compression.
Unlike foam rolling, which primarily focuses on surface-level muscle relief, Body Tempering penetrates deeper into the soft tissue, reducing stiffness while increasing mobility and circulation. This helps lifters prepare for intense training without exhausting themselves beforehand.
Key benefits of Body Tempering include:
Increased blood flow and circulation to working muscles.
Deep tissue release without excessive effort or strain.
Improved recovery and reduced post-training soreness.
Enhanced mobility and flexibility without overstretching.
Why High-GPP Athletes Need Less Warm-Up
Lifters who are constantly active outside the gym—engaging in activities like sled work, loaded carries, and conditioning—maintain a higher level of overall preparedness. This means they don’t need a lengthy, drawn-out warm-up before every session.
Athletes with high GPP typically:
Stay mobile year-round, reducing the need for extensive stretching.
Maintain active recovery habits, ensuring their body is already in a primed state.
Develop high work capacity, making them less reliant on warm-up drills to get into training mode.
By integrating GPP work into their daily and weekly routine, these athletes can cut down warm-up time significantly, instead focusing on a few key activations and ramping sets before hitting their main lifts.
How to Implement Body Tempering into Your Routine
For those looking to incorporate Body Tempering into their pre-training routine, here’s a simple structure:
Pre-Training Tempering (5-10 minutes):
Lower Body: Roll the quads, hamstrings, and glutes with a weighted roller (30-50 lbs for beginners, heavier for advanced lifters).
Upper Body: Apply pressure to the lats, triceps, and chest using a moderate-weight roller.
Spinal Work: Carefully roll the lumbar and thoracic spine, focusing on deep pressure release.
Post-Training Recovery (10-15 minutes):
Deep tissue work on fatigued areas to accelerate recovery.
Extended tempering on overworked muscle groups to minimise soreness and tightness.
Focus on weaker areas prone to injury (e.g., hamstrings for deadlifters, shoulders for pressers).
For those with high GPP, this routine alone may be enough of a warm-up, allowing them to jump straight into ramp-up sets without additional mobility or stretching work.
Maintaining an Active Baseline is Key
Lifters who maintain constant activity, high GPP, and good movement patterns require less intensive warm-up protocols than those who train hard but remain inactive outside the gym. Body Tempering provides a way to prepare the body efficiently, ensuring muscle quality and readiness without excessive fatigue before training.
For those looking to enhance training longevity, prevent injuries, and streamline warm-ups, Body Tempering and GPP-based activity are key strategies. Whether you’re a competitive lifter or just someone who wants to train smarter and harder, maintaining an active baseline is the key to efficient and effective warm-ups.
Want to optimise your training strategy? My coaching and programming ensure your warm-up, recovery, and performance are dialed in for maximum strength and longevity. Let’s get to work.
Optimising Your Warm-Up: Efficiency, Effectiveness, and Practicality
Purpose-Driven Warm-Ups for Maximum Performance
A proper warm-up is essential—but it doesn’t need to be overly complex, time-consuming, or feel like a separate workout. The most effective approach is purposeful and time-efficient, ensuring that you’re primed for heavy lifting without exhausting yourself before you even start.
Key Takeaways:
Use ramping sets and supersets – Minimise unnecessary drills by integrating activation work into your warm-up sets.
Stick to the essentials – Focus on the minimum required to improve mobility, stability, and neuromuscular readiness.
Have a quick, go-to warm-up – A 3-5 minute routine hitting all major muscle groups ensures you’re never unprepared.
If your GPP is high, your warm-up can be shorter – Lifters who maintain a strong baseline of mobility and conditioning don’t require extensive pre-training prep.
Efficiency is key – Warming up should enhance performance, not take away from it.
By streamlining your approach, you’ll enter your training sessions more focused, prepared, and physically ready without unnecessary fatigue.
Ready to Optimise Your Training?
If your warm-up sucks, your training suffers—period.
Whether it’s poor mobility, inconsistent technique, or nagging injuries slowing you down, an ineffective warm-up will eventually catch up with you. If you’re serious about maximising your strength, reducing injury risk, and training smarter, my coaching, templates, and programming will ensure your warm-up, recovery, and training are fully optimised.
Whether you need:
A customised warm-up strategy to fit your individual needs.
A full training program optimised for strength, hypertrophy, and injury prevention.
Guidance on peaking, recovery, or movement efficiency for competition prep.
Now get to work.
Alternatively We always just used to do the Agile 8:
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