Warm-Up Set Calculator
A warm-up ladder snapped to weights you can actually load — because the percentages are continuous and the barbell is not.
The percentages here are an even spread from 40% to 90%, which is a reasonable default and not a prescription — plenty of good schemes take fewer, heavier jumps. What is not a matter of taste is that whatever percentages you pick, the bar will round them. Nothing is uploaded.
The percentages ask for weights the bar cannot make
A ladder off a 142.5 kg top set wants 57.00, 78.38, 99.75, 114.00, 128.25 kg. Not one of those is a weight a barbell can be loaded to. Every rung has to be rounded to something real, and the biggest miss here is 1.00 kg.
| Rung | Scheme asks for | You can load | Miss |
|---|---|---|---|
| 40% | 57.00 kg | 57.5 kg | +0.50 kg |
| 55% | 78.38 kg | 77.5 kg | -0.88 kg |
| 70% | 99.75 kg | 100 kg | +0.25 kg |
| 80% | 114.00 kg | 115 kg | +1.00 kg |
| 90% | 128.25 kg | 127.5 kg | -0.75 kg |
This is not sloppiness, it is arithmetic: the scheme is continuous and the equipment is not. A warm-up written to one decimal place is quoting a precision the bar cannot deliver, and the honest version of the instruction is always "the nearest weight you can actually load".
And the rounding can never be worse than half a step
Which is the reassuring half. The smallest change a full metric set can make is 2.5 kg — twice the smallest plate, because plates go on in pairs — so no rung can ever be more than 1.25 kg from what was asked. In relative terms every miss above stays under two percent, and it is largest at the light end where it matters least.
| Rung | Full set | Set with a gap in it | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| 40% | 57.5 kg | 55 kg | -2.00 kg |
| 55% | 77.5 kg | 80 kg | +1.63 kg |
| 70% | 100 kg | 100 kg | +0.25 kg |
| 80% | 115 kg | 115 kg | +1.00 kg |
| 90% | 127.5 kg | 130 kg | +1.75 kg |
A set with a denomination missing rounds further, because its steps are coarser — the bound is still half a step, but the step itself is bigger. Either way the ladder still climbs and the warm-up still works, which is the point worth ending on: this is a thing to know about, not a thing to worry about.
How to use
- Enter your top set and your bar weight.
- Choose how many warm-up sets you want.
- Set the smallest plate pair you own.
- Read the ladder, snapped to real weights.
Frequently asked questions
What should my warm-up sets be?
An even spread from about 40% to 90% of the top set is a reasonable default, snapped to the nearest weight your plates can make. Plenty of good schemes take fewer, heavier jumps — that part is taste.
Why do the percentages not land on real weights?
Because the scheme is continuous and the equipment is not. A ladder off 142.5 kg asks for 57, 78.38, 99.75, 114 and 128.25 kg, and not one of those is a weight a barbell can be loaded to.
How far off does the rounding get?
Never more than half the smallest change your plates can make. On a full metric set that is 1.25 kg, because the smallest step is 2.5 kg — plates go on in pairs. In relative terms that is under two percent on every rung.
Should I worry about it?
No, and that is worth saying plainly. This is a thing to know about rather than a thing to fix. A warm-up set a kilo either side of the number does exactly what a warm-up set is for.
Where is the rounding worst?
At the light end, in relative terms, because a fixed 1.25 kg is a bigger share of a small number. Which is the harmless end — nobody is troubled by a first warm-up being 57.5 instead of 57.
What if I have a gap in my plates?
The ladder rounds further, because the steps are coarser. The bound is still half a step, but the step itself is bigger. The tool shows both so you can see what the missing denomination costs you.
Why quote schemes to a decimal place at all?
Habit, mostly, and spreadsheets. A warm-up written to one decimal is quoting a precision the bar cannot deliver, and the honest version of the instruction is always "the nearest weight you can actually load".
Does this send anything anywhere?
No. Every figure is computed in your browser, and nothing is uploaded or stored.
🔒 This tool runs entirely in your browser. Nothing you enter is uploaded, logged, or stored.