3 trainers reveal how heavy your weights should really be
No matter where you are in your strength training journey, every time you go to the gym you’re faced with a question: How much should I lift? Or how heavy should my weights be?
The answer is going to be different for everyone depending on their goals. Someone who wants to build muscle is going to grab different weights compared to someone who wants to build strength. And, if you’re a beginner, you might have an entirely different approach.
It’s also a more complicated question for women, who might feel pressure to opt for lighter weights in order to fit a certain idea of femininity, says Alex Silver-Fagan, CPT, a strength and yoga coach and creator of Flow Into Strong, a four-week online program that combines strength training and yoga. 'There's a fear around getting really big,' she says. 'There's a fear around taking up space, and there is this energy that lifting is super intimidating.'
But resistance training has so many benefits, especially for women, she says.
In addition to building muscle mass, strength, and endurance—which makes daily activities easier—strength training also improves bone density, enhances your metabolism and cardiovascular health, and gives you that strong look you might be searching for, says Silver-Fagan. Beyond that, lifting can help with things like confidence, self-esteem, stress, anxiety, and mental resilience, she says.
Meet the experts: Alex Silver-Fagan, CPT, is a strength and yoga coach and creator of the Flow Into Strong program. Ariel Belgrave, CPT, is a fitness coach, WH advisory board member, and chief wellness officer at Gym Hooky. Roxie Jones, CPT, is a strength and nutrition coach at Body Rox.
You have enough things to think about when determining how much to lift—don’t let your fears or misconceptions factor into the equation or keep you from picking up dumbbells in the first place.
Now that you’re ready to lift—here’s how to figure out just how much you should be picking up.
If you’re a beginner
Start small. 'The key is to focus on form and control rather than lifting heavy weights right away,' says Ariel Belgrave, CPT, a fitness coach, the chief wellness officer of Gym Hooky, where she created the virtual program the L.E.A.N. method, and a WH Advisory Board member. Nailing your form is the best way to prevent injury and gives you a good foundation for heavier weights down the line. You can even start your journey working with just bodyweight before you break out the dumbbells, says Belgrave.
Once you do decide to pick up some weights, you’ll want to stay in a higher volume rep range at first—which also means you’ll want to lift lighter—says Roxie Jones, CPT, a strength coach and owner of Body Rox, where she offers strength and nutrition training both online and in person. (Lifting lighter weights for more reps will also help you build up endurance, BTW.) A good starting place is two to three sets of 10 to 15 reps—and you won’t want to feel like you’re straining to get them in by the end, says Belgrave.
Pro tip: What kinds of weights should you be using, anyway? In addition to using bodyweight, there are dumbbells (which are most accessible and great for beginners), barbells (which can be used for heavier lifts and compound movements), and kettlebells (which are more dynamic, but trickier to use), says Silver-Fagan.
Depending on the exercise (smaller muscle groups and the upper-body will require less weight, while bigger moves and lower-body exercises can handle more), grab something that leaves you feeling like you can do four to five more reps at the end of a set, says Jones. Or, if you think about it on a scale from one to 10—also known as the rate of perceived exertion scale—you’ll want to be at a six or seven.
If you’re looking to build muscle
If you’ve gotten your form down and are ready to build some muscle (also called hypertrophy), you’re going to want to increase the intensity of your training. For example, at the end of a set, you should feel closer to an 8 or 9 on the RPE scale.
'The closer that you get to failure, the more change you're going to see,' says Jones. You're also going to want to get familiar with the difference between pain—your sign to stop what you're doing—and the discomfort of adequately working your muscles. Building muscle is all about working with that discomfort, says Jones.
Aim for three to four sets of eight to 12 reps per exercise, says Belgrave. She also recommends lifting weights that are 60 to 80 percent of your one rep maximum and following a plan (her recs include push-pull programs and upper/lower workout splits). Make sure you’re doing a mix of compound exercises and isolation exercises, are hitting all the major muscle groups, and taking rest days.
You’ll also want to keep increasing your weight as you progress. 'As you get stronger, be sure to gradually increase the weight to keep those muscles guessing,' Belgrave says.
If you’re looking to build strength
It’s all about lifting heavier weights at lower reps, says Belgrave. In this case, you’ll want to go for a weight that is 70 to 90 percent of your one-rep max and stick to three to five sets of three to six reps.
You’ll also want to focus on compound movements, Belgrave says. Think: deadlifts, squats, and bench presses. They all engage multiple muscle groups, which can allow you to lift heavier weights, according to Belgrave.
Pro tip: Even if you’ve been lifting for a long time, check in with your body to determine how much you should lift. Somedays, you might feel stronger than others, so check in with how you’re feeling, says Silver-Fagan. Just because you clicked with one weight one day, doesn’t mean that’s where you’re at today.
If you’re at a group fitness class
You probably won’t want to go for something too heavy here, says Silver-Fagan. Like with everything else, you'll want to make sure you’re getting your form right and depending on the class, you might be doing a lot of reps—so it can be hard to tell what to go for.
'I always say pick the weight that scares you a little bit,' says Silver-Fagan. At your next class, grab the weight you think you can lift...and then something lighter, just in case.
How to increase weight
If reps are flying by with ease and the last feels just as good as the first, it’s time to up the ante, says Silver-Fagan. Or, if you’ve been lifting the same weight for multiple sessions, it’s also time to grab something heavier.
It might be nerve-wracking to increase, but it’s super important if you want to progress. 'That's a big factor as to why some people don't see change is because they're not pushing themselves hard enough,' says Jones.
As long as your form is good, it’s a good idea to increase your weight, she says. 'You got to try it out before doubting it,' Jones says.
In terms of how much to increase by, you don't have to do too much. For smaller muscles, two to five pounds is good, but for bigger muscles you can increase by five to 10.
'I always tell my clients that ‘slow and steady wins the race’ when it comes to strength training,' says Belgrave, who typically recommends you increase by between five and 10 percent.
Increasing by smaller amounts will also help you maintain good form and reduce your risk of injury, says Belgrave.
Tips for preventing injury
Warm up properly. Before you start lifting, do some dynamic stretches, a little bit of light cardio, or some sort of movement. 'You should actually feel warm,' says Silver-Fagan.
Learn movements before you load. In addition to a warm-up, try going through your movements with lighter weights or bodyweight first.
Listen to your body. Get into the habit of checking in on how an exercise feels for you.
Let yourself recover. You're going to want to rest between your workouts and give your muscles time to heal (a.k.a. grow stronger). 'Overtraining is a one-way ticket to getting an injury,' says Belgrave.
Progress gradually. It's normal to want to get to a heavy weight as fast as you can, but gradually increasing your weight will help prevent injury, says Belgrave.
Use safety equipment. Use all the safety tools at your disposal. 'When lifting heavy, especially with exercises like squats and bench presses, use safety equipment like belts and wrist wraps,' says Belgrave. You can also always recruit the help of a spotter.
Stay hydrated and nourished. Eating and drinking the right things will give your muscles what they need for optimal performance and recovery, says Belgrave.
Watch your form. All three coaches agree: proper form is key to prevent injury. If you're doing a move that doesn't quite look right, it probably isn't, says Jones.
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