Calculators / Warm-up set builder
Warm-up set calculator
Enter your working weight and a ramp — each step a percentage of that weight and a rep count — and get warm-up sets rounded to weights you can actually load: real plates on a real bar, 2 kg stack pins, or the empty bar when a step is lighter than it. Training guidance, never medical advice.
| Set | % of working | Target | Load | Plates per side | Reps |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W1 | 40% | 40 kg | 40 kg | 10 | 8 |
| W2 | 60% | 60 kg | 60 kg | 20 | 5 |
| W3 | 80% | 80 kg | 80 kg | 20 + 10 | 3 |
| Top | 100% | 100 kg | 100 kg | 20 + 20 | working set |
How the math works
Three rules, in order, for every step of the ramp:
- target = working weight × step %
- barbell: load = bar + 2 × (largest plates that fit per side, greedy, round-down)
- machine / dumbbell: load = target rounded to the nearest 2 kg · bodyweight: unrounded
Worked example: 100 kg × 40% = 40 kg. On a 20 kg bar that leaves 10 kg per side, which one 10 kg plate builds exactly, so the first set is 40 kg. If the 10 kg plates were missing, the greedy pass would try 5 + 5 instead; if only 20 kg plates were left, 10 kg per side cannot be built and the step rounds down to the empty bar — and the page tells you it did.
What the app's design fixes and what it leaves to you. The Zyra Workouts design describes warm-ups as schemes: a universal scheme, by-type schemes for five exercise categories, and a per-exercise scheme that overrides both. It does not publish percentages or rep counts for any of them, and we do not invent them. The ramp in the builder is an example you are expected to edit. This is arithmetic, not a trial result.
The five scheme types
The builder classifies the exercise you pick with the same mapping the design uses (core first, then compound or isolation × upper or lower):
| Scheme type | Examples from the catalog |
|---|---|
| Compound upper | Bench Press (Barbell) · Incline Bench Press (Barbell) · Bench Press (Dumbbell) |
| Compound lower | Back Squat · Front Squat · Leg Press |
| Upper isolation | Cable Fly · Lateral Raise (Dumbbell) · Lateral Raise (Cable) |
| Lower isolation | Leg Extension · Lying Leg Curl · Seated Leg Curl |
| Core | Plank · Hanging Leg Raise · Cable Crunch |
Source: Zyra Workouts design module 03 §4.19 (Smart Warm-Ups) for the scheme structure; fit-engine warmups.ts and plates.ts for the rounding.
Frequently asked
How many warm-up sets should I do before a heavy set?
There is no single published number in the app — the design defines a warm-up as a list of steps (a percentage of the working weight and a rep count each), with separate schemes allowed per exercise type. Heavier working sets and larger jumps from the empty bar generally take more steps; the builder lets you add or remove them and shows the load each one lands on.
What are the warm-up sets for a 100 kg back squat?
With the example ramp (40% × 8, 60% × 5, 80% × 3) and a 20 kg bar with the full plate set, the steps land on 40 kg × 8, 60 kg × 5, 80 kg × 3, then the 100 kg working set. Change the ramp or the plates and the page recomputes.
Why does a step show a different weight from the percentage?
Because the percentage target is rounded to what the equipment can hold: a barbell step is rounded down to the nearest weight your plate inventory can build on that bar, a machine or dumbbell step to the nearest 2 kg, and a target below the empty bar becomes the empty bar. The builder says when it rounded.
Do warm-up sets count toward weekly volume?
Not in Zyra Workouts: the dashboard counts only working sets toward the per-muscle weekly totals, and warm-ups are logged as their own set type. The weekly sets calculator on this site applies the same rule.
Does the app generate warm-ups automatically?
The design for it exists (schemes by type, per-exercise overrides, add or remove a warm-up in session) and the app is in development; this builder implements the load-rounding mechanics from that design, with the ramp as your input.
Is this training advice?
It is arithmetic on numbers you enter: percentages of a weight, rounded to plates. It does not tell you how heavy to lift. Training guidance only, never medical advice.
Read next
Other training calculators
Plate math on every set
Zyra Workouts shows plates per side for each barbell set from your own gym's inventory — the same decomposition this page uses. The app is in development and not yet on the App Store.
Zyra is a training and nutrition tracking tool. Nothing on this page is medical advice, a diagnosis, or an individual prescription. The numbers are estimates from published formulas and the apps' own rules — consult a qualified professional for decisions about your health, and a coach for your training.