Warm-Up Sets Calculator

It scales with the weight: no jump should be much bigger than a plate per side, so a 315 lb squat needs about three loaded sets while a 700 lb deadlift needs seven or more. This calculator applies that rule automatically — you'll see the count change as the top set grows.

Early sets warm the tissue, so they get fives. The heavy sets exist to prepare your nervous system for load — extra reps there just cost energy you want for the top set, so they taper to doubles and singles.

The primer: one rep about 5–10% under the day's weight. It rehearses the heavy feeling without taking anything out of you — standard practice from meet warm-up rooms to everyday training.

A deadlift starts from the floor, and the bar only sits at the right height with full-size plates on it. So the deadlift ramp starts at one big plate per side and climbs from there — no empty-bar sets.

Early sets need little to none — just load the next weight and go. As the bar gets heavy, take one to three minutes so each set stays crisp, and rest fully (three minutes or more) after the primer single before your top set.

Enter today's TOP SET, not your 1RM — the heaviest set you'll actually do in this session. If all you know is your max, get today's working weight first from the RPE calculator (reps + RPE → weight), or estimate your max with the one rep max calculator, then bring that working weight here.

Yes — that's the app. A free account computes ramps from your saved 1RMs and your gym's actual plate inventory, with a tap-through to a visual plate loader for every set.