How to use the warm-up set load and time calculator
Working backwards from your working set load, this page builds the warm-up load stages and prints the plate combination you need on each side of the bar. Bar weight is an input box because it varies by gym, and adding your set duration and rest between sets gives the total time the warm-up sets actually take. This covers barbell load ramping only; it does not handle cardio or dynamic stretching time.
The stages sit at 40, 60, 75 and 85% of the working load, with a bar-only set in front. Loads are rounded to the nearest 5 lb, then any stage at or below the bar weight or equal to the previous stage is skipped, so a light working set produces fewer stages. The reps shown for each stage are common gym practice rather than an official standard, and the screen says so (current as of October 2026).
This page does not tell you how long to warm up. The time on screen is simply your own set duration plus rest, added up once for each warm-up set. Judging warm-up length by lift, age or how you feel on the day is not supported, and if a load leaves a remainder that no plate can make, the table says so.
Frequently asked questions
No. The calculator only adds your own set duration and rest together once for each warm-up set. It does not publish a recommended warm-up length.
Because a rounded stage load that falls at or below the bar weight, or that matches the previous stage, is skipped. The closer your working load is to the bare bar, the fewer stages remain.
They are common gym practice and not an official standard. Change them to suit the lift and how you feel; the load stages and plate combinations stay valid either way.