Warm-Up Routines for Squat, Bench, and Deadlift
Days
Following the warm-up guide and recommendation exercises, here are specific warm-up routines
tailored for each of your main lifts:
Squat Day Warm-Up
1. Increase core temperature (3-5 minutes)
Stationary bike, treadmill, or rower at moderate intensity
2. Movement preparation (choose 3-4 exercises)
Cat & Camels (10 reps) [1] [2]
Cossack Squats (10 each side) [3] [2]
Hip Airplane (10 each side) [4] [2]
World's Greatest Stretch (10 each side) [2]
3. Ankle mobility work (if needed)
Banded Dorsiflexion Mobilization (2 x 60s)
Lateral Tibial Glide (1 x 60s)
4. Barbell work
Empty barbell squats (10-15 reps for 1-2 sets) [5] [3]
Focus on positioning, breathing, bracing, and tension
Bench Press Day Warm-Up
1. Increase core temperature (3-5 minutes)
Stationary bike, treadmill, or rower at moderate intensity [6]
2. Movement preparation (choose 3-4 exercises)
Shoulder Ys Ts Ws [7]
T-Spine Rotations
Reverse Snow Angels
Bird Dogs [7]
3. Barbell work
Empty barbell bench press (10-15 reps for 1-2 sets) [6] [7]
Focus on scapular positioning, breathing, and tension
Deadlift Day Warm-Up
1. Increase core temperature (3-5 minutes)
Stationary bike, treadmill, or rower at moderate intensity [8] [9]
2. Movement preparation (choose 3-4 exercises)
Cat & Camels [8] [10]
Single Leg Glute Bridges (10-15 reps each side) [4] [8] [11]
Bird Dogs [4] [8]
Inch Worms (15M)
3. Barbell work
Empty barbell deadlifts or Romanian deadlifts (8-10 reps for 1-2 sets) [8] [10]
Focus on hip hinge pattern, bracing, and tension
Additional Notes
For each lift, after completing the warm-up routine, proceed with gradually increasing
weight for your working sets [5] [8]
If you have specific mobility limitations, add targeted exercises from the recommendation
list
The entire warm-up should take approximately 10-15 minutes [1] [8]
Listen to your body and spend more time on areas that feel particularly tight on any given
day
⁂
1. https://bellsofsteel.us/blogs/content/the-perfect-squat-warm-up
2. https://theprehabguys.com/best-squat-warm-up/
3. https://tonygentilcore.com/2019/03/complete-squat-warm/
4. https://www.menshealth.com/fitness/a30914799/deadlift-warmup/
5. https://www.reddit.com/r/powerlifting/comments/1ci5vd8/how_do_you_warm_up/
6. https://www.menshealth.com/fitness/a39925572/bench-press-warm-up/
7. https://tonygentilcore.com/2019/02/complete-bench-press-warm/
8. https://www.garagegymreviews.com/deadlift-warm-up
9. https://thebarbelljack.com/en-eu/blogs/how-to-deadlift/how-to-warmup-for-deadlifts
10. https://barbend.com/deadlift-warm-up/
11. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HgXR0lB7fx4