Want to lift heavier? Try tricking your nervous system with these three advanced warm-up strategies:
1. Postactivation Potentiation (PAP) for Strength Gains
Gradually ramp up your low-rep warm-up sets beyond your working weight. This primes your nervous system, making your work sets feel lighter and allowing you to lift more.
- Use heavy supports or eccentrics (learn more here) with greater-than-working loads before dropping back down. Your working weight will feel like a feather!
2. Chain-Loaded Warm-Ups for Speed & Power
Adding chains to the bar naturally slows the concentric portion of the lift (but your intent should always be to lift fast).
- When you remove the chains for your work sets, you’ll explode through the movement like never before. (More on chains here.)
3. Oversize Grips for a Grip & Strength Boost
Use Fat Gripz (check them out here) during your warm-up sets to challenge your grip and forearms.
- Then, switch to regular handles for your work sets and watch your strength soar!
Beginner vs. Advanced Neural Tricks
- Beginners: Try oversized grips during warm-ups, then switch to regular handles for work sets.
- Advanced Trainees: Use plyometrics (explosive warm-ups explained here) in your general warm-up and heavy supports, eccentrics, or chains in your specific warm-up.
For more cutting-edge warm-up strategies, check out The Warm-Up: Modern Methods for Strength Training.
The Warm-Up: Modern Methods for Strength Training
Traditional warm-ups zap valuable strength and energy, and ultimately performance suffers. Even worse, the typical warm-up will increase the risk of injury! If you are tired of spinning your wheels and getting nowhere with your training, then discover the real secrets to effective workouts.
