Warm up before lifting weights

[Stampeder]

How do you guys warm up. I usually start with maybe 10 seconds of stretching the muscle I am about to use then proceed to do 1/3 my max for a set, 1/2 for another then get to working weight for 3rd set.
I ask because I notice guys doing all these rotator cuff exercises in the gym and wonder if they actually help or wasting their time?

[TT Eric]

I do not stretch before exercising because according to CP you lose some strength if you do so.

Personally I walk to go to the gym (10 min) so it's the start of my warm-up, then for every upper body day I do something that look like this :

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xCp-YynBEvE

Then I (since shoulders are not new) do small rotation with my arms with a small weight hanging down, it pull the arm down and bring new blood/oxygen into the shoulder area.

Then I do my first exercise with a set of 10-12 very light (usually the bar), a set of 8 with near 50% of my 1st set, a set of 6 with about 2/3, a set of 4 with 80%, a set of 1 with 90% of my 1st set.

I think yes it's important to warm-up the shoulders, but doing the 'open the fridge' exercise with a DB is a waste of time like a many people do, because all it do is barely work the arm, not the shoulder.

Eric

[golden_child]

Usually what i do is i will start with a 10 minute warm up, walking on a tredmill, If we are doing upper boddy like Eric said if its shoulders i will do 12 reps just bar and then pop on a 25ilbs and do another 10 reps. I will will jump right into it. For arms i usually like to start with a small warm up doing light weight 21's, real light weight.

[Praetorian]

Static stretching should be done after training not before. It reduces muscle tone and thus strength. The best warm up is starting with very light weights on the specific exercise you will be doing.
P

[warlock]

50 full ROM bodyweight squats +50 shoulder dislocations + 4-6 warm up sets to whatever specific muscle group I will be working
or
treadmill walk/run finishing with sprints if I am going to do lower body

[Praetorian]

Are you being serious?
P