This has probably been answered before but what’s a good way to do warm up sets when working up to a top single at RPE 8?
I’ll be starting Powerlifting 2 in a few weeks and the main lifts all work up to a RPE 8 single to determine the loads to use on the 5 rep back off sets.
As far as rest time, should I take a 3-5 minute break between the top singles?
I plan to record the singles so I can better judge the RPE and look for any form issues.
What has worked best for those of you who have done this before?
I’ve been working up in reps of the back off work (so sets of 5 in this case) and doing my expected first work set of 5 then proceed up in singles, usually x1@7 to get a better idea of what top single should be. I do this mostly to save time, and I probably could use to test more than the 2-3 minutes after the single at 7, but has been fine for me overall.
The right way to warm up is partially dependent on what your training priorities are. As damufunman pointed out, for some of us, getting through the workout quickly means making certain choices that might result in a slightly lower 1@8, but that’s the tradeoff we are willing to make.
waiting 5 minutes between the top singles can really add to your total time in the gym, and I stick with damufunman’s 2-3 minutes after just the 1@7.
Here are a couple topics on warmups for singles that Jordan and Austin have commented on.