How the warm-ups are calculated
Every set is a percentage of your opener (your first attempt), not your max — on meet day the opener is the number that matters. Each load is rounded to the nearest 2.5 kg so it can actually be built from competition plates, and the last warm-up is capped below the opener so you never take the opener weight in the warm-up room.
- Standard — bar, then 40 / 55 / 70 / 80 / 90 / 95% of the opener. A full build for squat and deadlift.
- Short — bar, then 50 / 70 / 85 / 93%. For fast flights or later lifts when you're already warm.
- Minimal — bar, then 60 / 75 / 87 / 94%. For lifters who warm up quickly or light openers.
When should I start warming up?
A common rule is to take your last warm-up single about one to two attempts' worth of time before you're called — roughly 8–10 minutes out — and to work backwards from there, allowing 2–4 minutes per warm-up set. Flight size changes everything, so watch the bar order, not the clock.
Reading the plates
Plates are listed per side in IPF competition colors: red 25 kg, blue 20 kg, yellow 15 kg, green 10 kg, white 5 kg, then the small change plates. Tick “competition collars” if the warm-up bars use 2.5 kg collars — that's 5 kg on the bar before any plates. For any other weight use the plate loading calculator; to score your total afterwards, try the DOTS calculator.