What to Do When Your Warm-Ups Feel Awful

We’ve all had a training day where the empty bar feels heavy, everything feels stiff, and the first few warm-up sets make us question the entire session. But an uncomfortable start does not automatically mean you’re going to have a bad workout. Early warm-ups are meant to get your body moving, increase blood flow, and help you settle into your technique, not predict how strong you’ll be that day.

If you feel unusually stiff, continue warming up and add brief mobility or soft-tissue work between sets. Twenty to thirty seconds of focused work for your ankles, hips, or another problem area may be enough before returning to the bar. You can also make smaller jumps in weight than usual. As your body warms up and your nervous system becomes more prepared, the weight may begin to move much better.

Your later warm-up sets are where you should start evaluating your readiness. These sets can help you decide whether your planned working weight will match the target RPE for the day. If they feel better than expected, you may be able to increase the load slightly. If they continue to feel slow or heavy, lower the weight and keep the intended effort the same. When you’re unsure, it is usually better to make the conservative choice. Coming in slightly below your target RPE is far less disruptive than overshooting it and creating unnecessary fatigue.

Wearable recovery scores can provide information, but they should not decide how your session will go before you even touch the bar. Pay attention to what your body is telling you as you move through your warm-ups, and make adjustments based on the sets that most closely resemble your working weight. The best lifters do not ignore feedback, but they also do not overreact to it. One lighter session will not ruin your training cycle, and a rough first warm-up does not mean the rest of your workout is doomed.