Nishaana
Warm-up calculator — your ramp to the top set.
This warm-up calculator turns your working weight into a full barbell ramp: a set of progressively heavier sets from the empty bar up to your top set, each shown as a percentage, a rep target and the exact plates per side. Enter your working weight, bar and unit below; it updates instantly, no signup.
The ramp scales with your top set — heavier work gets more sets.
Your warm-up ladder
Work up in order — reps drop as the weight climbs, so you arrive at your top set primed, not tired.
The warm-up ramp, explained.
No black box. It is a percentage ladder to your top set, each step rounded to a loadable weight.
bar · 40 · 60 · 80 · 90% Percentages of your working weight, with reps falling 5 · 5 · 3 · 2 · 1. On a 100 kg top set that is bar, 40, 60, 80, 90 kg.
round to nearest plate Each percentage weight is rounded to a weight you can actually build — 2.5 kg or 5 lb steps — then the plates per side are computed.
heavier → more sets A light top set skips the lowest ramp steps; a heavy one keeps the full ladder, so you always warm up in sensible jumps.
Warm-up sets stay well short of failure — they prime the pattern without adding fatigue, so keep the heavier ramp reps low. This is a sensible default ramp, not a rigid rule; adjust the jumps to how the weight feels. See the exact plates for any weight with the plate calculator.
Related loading calculators.
Everything you need at the rack — plate math, a reference chart, and your working maxes.
Warm-up set questions.
How many warm-up sets should I do?
For a compound lift, about three to five warm-up sets works well. Start with the empty bar for higher reps, then take a few progressively heavier singles or doubles toward your working weight. The heavier your top set, the more ramp sets you want, so a 140 kg squat needs more than a 60 kg one.
What percentages should warm-up sets be?
A common ramp is roughly the empty bar, then about 40, 60, 80 and 90 percent of your working weight, with reps dropping as the weight climbs — for example 5, 5, 3, 2 and 1. This warms the tissue and grooves the pattern without draining the energy you need for your working sets.
Should I warm up before every exercise?
Warm up thoroughly for your first heavy compound of a session, then do minimal or no ramp sets for later exercises that hit the same muscles at lighter loads. A couple of light feeler sets is usually enough once you are already warm from earlier work.
Do warm-up sets count toward volume?
No. Warm-up sets are submaximal and taken well short of failure, so they prime you without adding meaningful fatigue or counting toward your hard working volume. Keep the reps low on the heavier ramp sets so you arrive at your top set fresh rather than pre-fatigued.
How much rest between warm-up sets?
Keep it short on the light sets, around 30 to 60 seconds, and take a little more, one to two minutes, before your first working set. Warm-ups are meant to prepare you, not tire you, so you do not need the full working-set rest between them.
Save your warm-up. Hit your top set.
Free in your browser — Nishaana builds a warm-up ladder for every lift and shows the plates, so you ramp up right and arrive fresh.
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