Warm-up sets and working sets: count them clearly

Warm-up sets prepare you for the exercise ahead. Working sets are the sets designated as the main training work. Read the program's labels to distinguish them; the total number of sets you performed does not tell you how many working sets you completed.

A clear record keeps preparation and assigned work separate. That prevents an earlier warm-up set from being counted as part of the main assignment by accident.

Find both parts of the exercise prescription

Read the program's general instructions as well as the exercise row. Preparation may be written above the main table or in a separate note. A short entry such as “3 × 5” may rely on those instructions.

The NSCA's November 2022 time-efficient training article includes examples with warm-up sets labelled separately from subsequent work. This illustrates a clear way to organize the record. Its sample workouts are separate from the notation example here.

Locate the exercise-specific preparation and the designated working sets before counting the completed work. If the row is unclear, quote it to the program author: “Does the three-by-five line refer to working sets, and where is this exercise's preparation listed?”

General preparation and lift-specific sets have different labels

General preparation concerns the session as a whole. Exercise-specific warm-up sets relate to the lift you are about to perform. A general warm-up entry does not tell you what preparation the author intended for every individual exercise.

Keep both headings where the plan uses them. When moving to another exercise, read its own notes. This is a way to follow the written plan, not a fixed warm-up routine or a recommended number of preparation sets.

Count warm-up and working sets in a labelled log

A labelled log keeps warm-up sets separate from working sets. Suppose the program author supplied these labels for the following hypothetical record:

Five sets appear in the log: two labelled preparation and three labelled working sets. Reporting “five working sets” would erase the distinction. Reporting “three total sets” would omit the preparation.

The example's labels demonstrate counting. They do not prescribe two warm-ups or three working sets for your own training.

Label warm-up and working sets in an app

If your log has only one list, add the purpose to each row or use a clear note. You can record “W1, preparation” and “A1, working set 1” without creating a new app or spreadsheet.

Keep completed repetitions and load beside each row when they are part of your record. Use the same labels in any clip sent for review, so “working set two” points to the same entry in the video and log.

The training-log guide shows how to retain the plan beside the actual result. A missed set should stay visible as missed, with the relevant note, rather than being replaced by an earlier preparation row.

Resolve uncertain set labels before changing the record

If you are unsure whether a set belongs to preparation or the main work, keep the completed record factual. State what you did and identify the uncertain label. Do not change the log merely to make its count match the plan.

Ask the author to label one complete exercise entry. Keep that example with the program for future sessions. For help understanding your current instructions, use Nightmare Muscle's personal-training inquiry and include the full row and its preparation notes.