Do warm-up sets count toward volume?
No. Light ramp-up sets do not count as hard sets, because they stop far from failure. Log them if you like, but mark them as warm-ups: counted as work, they inflate tonnage, drag down your estimated max and make your charts lie. A set rated about RPE 6 or harder counts as work.
Where warm-ups end
A practical line: a set counts as work if it is rated RPE 6 or higher, four or fewer reps in reserve. Below that you are too far from failure for the set to drive much adaptation or to say anything about your max. The bar weight alone does not decide it; a 315 lb single is a warm-up for one lifter and a top set for another.
What happens if you log them as work
A typical squat day, top sets 3 × 5 at 405 lb:
| Sets | Tonnage |
|---|---|
| Work sets: 3 × 5 at 405 | 6,075 lb |
| Warm-ups: 45 × 10, 135 × 5, 225 × 3, 315 × 2, 365 × 1 | 2,795 lb |
| Both counted | 8,870 lb (+46 %) |
- Volume: eight "sets" instead of three, so a week looks far bigger than it was.
- Tonnage: almost half again as much, and it changes with how you warm up, not how you trained.
- Estimated max: a 135 × 5 counted as all-out reads as a 158 lb max and pulls averages down.
How to log warm-ups
- Mark them as warm-ups in your app instead of skipping them, so your warm-up routine is on record.
- Rate your work sets with RPE, so a heavy single in the ramp-up is counted when it should be.
- Compare volume week to week from work sets only.
In RawLift a set marked as a warm-up stays in your log but out of your estimated max and every statistic. Sets below RPE 6 never move your estimated max either. More in how RawLift estimates your 1RM.
Questions
Do warm-up sets count as working sets?
No. A working set is one taken reasonably close to failure, roughly RPE 6 or harder. Ramp-up sets stop far from failure, so they prepare you for the work but are not counted as hard sets.
Should I log my warm-up sets?
Logging them is fine and helps you repeat a warm-up that works, as long as your app marks them as warm-ups so they stay out of volume, tonnage and estimated maxes.
Is a heavy single before my top set a warm-up?
If it is rated RPE 6 or higher, treat it as a work set: it is close enough to your max to tell you something, and RawLift will use it for your estimated max. Lighter singles are warm-ups.
How many warm-up sets should powerlifters do?
Enough to reach your first work set feeling fast and ready, usually 4 to 6 sets with fewer reps as the weight climbs. Heavier lifters need more steps than lighter ones.
Sources
- Helms, E. R. et al. (2016). Application of the repetitions in reserve-based rating of perceived exertion scale for resistance training. Strength and Conditioning Journal, 38(4), 42–49.