Warm up sets using previous PEs

Hi Guys,

So just read Jon Douglas' post on 'bringing it all together' which I thought was fantastic by the way! What I've decided to do was plug a few gaps in my prep by adding in a few previously completed PEs for that given exercise.

So for example:

I am on SPL/PE5 - Planche Lean I believe, but what i'll do before is a mastery set of the two previous completed PE's so i'll do a 1 min plank and then 2 x 30s one arm planks.

My question is this, if I find a previous progression hard (like I can complete it, but shaking quite a lot) is it worth regressing back the PE to show mastery again? Or can I stay on my current progression but keep it as a warm up set if you like?. I want to completely master an exercise before I move on to ensure no holes in my further development.

Thanks!

Shaking 'quite a lot' raises a flag for me, it strikes me as one of those 'if you aren't sure you've mastered it, you haven't' kind of deals....

For it to be a warm-up, it should rock-solid. This is afterthought stuff that isn't hard enough to stimulate strength adaptations anymore; if there is more to gain from it, then it's totally worth spending a volume cycle milking it

Thanks Jon, yeah will prob drop down a few PEs until they look a bit more solid! 

For people who see this later, here's the link to Jon's post, mentioned above.

This is actually a pretty good insight for me--I was using mastery sets of all previous PEs as a warmup, and what I was finding that as early as PE3 that was really cutting into my performance at the PE I was actually working on. I took a couple of weeks' break to kind of reset myself and reworked how I approach warmups, and I'm finding my performance at the PE I'm currently working on to be much more satisfactory. @Jon Douglas, I know that warmups are pretty dependent on a person's current performance and what they feel like they should be working on, but do you have any tips for developing a process into getting a sense for what is an appropriate warmup? By being pretty strict about using mastery reps from previous PEs, I was finding it really hard to keep up with the schedule, but I didn't have any space to really think about how overexerting the warmups might have been a factor in that. Is there kind of an overall "feeling" we should be pursuing for warmups that might serve as a guide?

Aaron, I'm not Jon, nor do I play him on TV. 

From Jon's first post: "- Similarly, I particularly liked Alessandro (Mainente)'s approach of requiring a single 200% warmup set to establish an element as mastered. "

One set of the previous element at 200% of mastery.  Doing 200% of every previous element is not what was recommended.  I made the same mistake.  It was an interesting session when I did four warmup sets at 200% to get to sPL/PE5.  

If you are concerned don't jump right into the 200% warmup set.  This is new, so dip your toe in the water first, so to speak.  Start with 110% and increased incrementally from there.  After a few sessions you'll have a better "feeling" of how much the warmup is helping or hurting.   

OR, you could use this warmup as a warmup before testing on the next progression. 

If you pass the 200% it will give you an honest idea of your starting level on the new progression. 

If you don't then you get to spend more time on that progression because it's not really concrete just yet.

As you become more proficient you will see that a normal warm up it is training session also for advanced people who think they are doing serious training. I'm going to write below the warm up of one of my best student who grew with GST and Foundations standard. I would remember that a set of the mastery of the last element completed it is enough for warm up until foundations is completed.

warm up: begins with 5 minutes rowing, some specific joints warmup then the following exercises with no rest in between (only the time to move from station to station)

-triple 4.5 meters rope climbing (body in half lever) with one arm negatives each time

-15 wall handstand push up

-15 hanging leg lifts

-10 second front lever

-15'' tuck planche followed by 10'' advanced tuck planche

-30'' L-sit

-30'' wall handstand

-10'' side lever each side.

After this I start to evaluate his last schedule.

If you follow strictly the mastery programs of doundations you will crash tons of people with your warm up.

Ale said it best

In my application, I use 2-3 sets for each Foundation element, overlapping as little as possible, with a particular eye on Coach's expected Rings 1 warmup standard. Basically I'd say I'm running a scaled down version of that which I upgrade when I move up in Foundation. Not being a warmup hero is a vital lesson to learn; you adapt when you adapt, you can help but not force this. Warmup is warmup, workout is workout.

I'd only call the last of those 2-3 sets a 'warmup' really, 200% of previous element, the others are more so activation drills like scap shrugs and hinge rows. Jefferson curls and lat flyes are in my warmup regardless of what I'm training that day, as i find they carpet-bomb and cover the most ground in fewest number of drills for me

On 17/7/2016 at 1:02 PM, Kevin Herring said:

Aaron, I'm not Jon, nor do I play him on TV. .

I don't think I said you were? But maybe I've misunderstood your meaning. In any case, I appreciate your and Jon's extra numbers, that will help solidify my approach. And Ale, I appreciate your view into the higher level of warmup, even though it doesn't provide much foundation for what I'm working with now.

Just to clarify things in my head, a 200% mastery warmup of (for example) J-Curls would be 1x10r, or 10x5r, or 5x10r?

1 hour ago, Aaron Wilson said:

I don't think I said you were? But maybe I've misunderstood your meaning. In any case, I appreciate your and Jon's extra numbers, that will help solidify my approach. And Ale, I appreciate your view into the higher level of warmup, even though it doesn't provide much foundation for what I'm working with now.

That part of the reply was meant to be humor.   A variation of a US t.v. commercial from the 80's.  Guess I'm showing my age.

For most of the "200% of  mastery warm up" means to double the reps for a single set.  If mastery is 5 sets of 15 reps you would use 1 set of 30 reps as a warmup for the next progression.  Similar for timed sets.  Once you've mastered 5 sets of 60 seconds you would use 1 set of 120 seconds as a warmup on your next level.

Ale stated in another post that one set at 100% was sufficient.  I've taken this approach.  I'm not as toughened as I'd like to be and currently having some tendonitis issues due to my job.  So I've cut the warmup down to lower reps.

To simplify this: The warm up sets can be one set of at least 100% of the mastery reps but working towards 200% of the mastery reps.  This can be done for more than one of the lower elements to prepare for the day's work element.   However, be careful to not become a warmup expert.  Warmups are meant to prepare the body for the work, not to be the work. 

I would advise against doubling the reps on weighted mobility exercises such as J-curls. This structure is intended for strength elements. 10RM weight is best used here  

Good to know, although I'm not sure I know what 10RM weight means. Do you mean increasing resistance rather than increasing reps?

10RM means perform 10 reps and no more, the 10th should be the last one possible.