Prep, 2 minutes
Do this after your general warm-up, before the empty bar.
- Deep squat hold: 2 × 20 seconds. Hold a light plate in front and use your elbows to ease your knees out.
Why: it rehearses the bottom position you're about to squat into. - Side lunges: 5 each side, slow.
Why: they open the hips through your squat stance. - Ankle rocks, knee to wall: 10 each side, only if your ankles feel stiff.
Why: in a small study, lifters squatting to parallel used less ankle bend than they had, so many won't need this. - Brace practice: 3 breaths. Breathe in, brace as if for a heavy single, hold for 5 seconds.
Why: bracing is a skill. Practise it before the weight is heavy.
Sources: S15
Warm-up sets
SpreadLift builds these from your first work set.
| Set | Weight | Reps | Focus |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Empty bar | 8 | Full depth, controlled descent |
| 2 | About 40% | 5 | Same depth, same groove |
| 3 | About 60% | 3 | Brace like it's heavy |
| 4 | About 80% | 1 | Fast and clean |
Work them out for any top set with the free Warm-up Calculator.
Rest: short at first, then about 2–3 minutes before the last warm-up and the top set.
Heavy single or test day? Add a single at about 90%.
Why this shape: in one squat study, a warm-up set close to the working weight prepared lifters better than a light set alone. The standard max-testing protocol climbs the same way: light, moderate, then near-max, with longer rests as the weight rises.
Practise your cue on every set: "Brace, then sit between your heels."
From VCS coaching: squat-day add-on (2 minutes)
- Ankle rocks / knee to wall: 10 a side, if you tip forward or your heels lift.
- Banded lateral walks: 10–15 steps each way, if your knees drift in.
- Can't reach depth? Ankle rocks first, then 90/90 hip switches and adductor rockbacks.
The full 15-minute routine and all 24 drills: The 15-minute warm-up.
If something feels off
- A warm-up feels heavy? Repeat that weight, or take a smaller jump.
- Knees travelling past your toes is normal. In a lab study, stopping the knees moving forward shifted more of the load to the hips and lower back.
- Pain that's sharp, or building set to set? Stop squatting for today, and check Red flags.
Sources: S16
About these pages
This is general education, not medical, physiotherapy or personal coaching advice. We are not your doctor or physiotherapist, and we don't diagnose or treat injuries. Each page summarises published research and health guidance in our own words, with the sources linked. Everyone is different, so use what fits and leave what doesn't. If something hurts, an ache isn't improving, or you notice anything on our Red flags page, stop and see a qualified professional, such as a doctor or a registered physiotherapist. How you use this content is your choice and your responsibility. Terms
Credits. Warm-up routines and drills: VCS coaching (Visser Coaching Systems). Research summaries: the sources listed on each page.