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

The Warm-Up teaches modern, practical warm-up methods designed to improve strength, performance, and training readiness. John Paul Catanzaro explains how to replace outdated routines with smarter preparation strategies that help lifters train harder and reduce unnecessary fatigue.

 

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