Ramp-Up Sets Before Strength Training
In groups of three, each student calculates and performs a ramp-up set pyramid (bodyweight, 40, 60, and 80 percent of the working weight) in the goblet squat and Romanian deadlift. Students learn to warm up specifically for a strength lesson and to adjust the load.
How to play
- General mobility for 2 minutes: inchworms, lunges with a twist, and deep squats holding a dowel overhead.
- Planning (1.5 minutes): in groups of three, each student picks a working weight (one they can lift about 10 times with good form) and writes their pyramid weights on the whiteboard.
- Bodyweight set (1.5 minutes): 10 goblet squats with the hands together at the chest and 10 Romanian deadlifts with the dowel along the back.
- 40 percent set (2 minutes): 8 reps of each exercise with a light dumbbell; the other two group members check for a neutral spine and aligned knees.
- 60 percent set (2 minutes): 5 reps of each exercise, controlling the lowering for 2 seconds.
- 80 percent set (2 minutes): 3 reps of each exercise and 1 minute of rest before the main part of the lesson.
- Adjust (1 minute): on a 1-to-10 effort scale, the 80 percent set should feel like a 6 or 7; if not, adjust the weight.
Rules
- Pick up and set down dumbbells with a flat back, bending at the hips and knees.
- Safety: no one moves to the next weight if form breaks down on the current one.
- Each group works in its own marked area at least six feet from others.
Variations
Easier
Do only the bodyweight and 40 percent sets with the lightest dumbbell.
Standard
Full pyramid at bodyweight, 40, 60, and 80 percent in two exercises.
Harder
Add a third pressing exercise, such as the shoulder press, with its own pyramid.
Adaptations
- Wheelchair users: apply the same pyramid to a seated dumbbell chest press or row.
- Students with autism: hand out the pyramid already calculated on a card with the weight and reps for each set.
- Students new to lifting: keep the whole warm-up to the dowel and a very light dumbbell.
Learning goals
- Plan ramp-up sets based on a working weight.
- Apply a safe load progression before strength training.
- Adjust the load using perceived exertion.
Equipment for a class of 25
- dumbbells: 24
- dowels: 9
Teacher tip
Arrange the dumbbells by weight in a central area to cut down on back-and-forth traffic. Many students skip the bodyweight set; remind them it is the most important technique rehearsal.
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