Making This Strength Training Tweak Can Help You Achieve Your Fitness Goals Faster
Picking the right weight dumbbells is like shopping for clothing: You won’t know what works for you until you actually try it (on). It’d be great if there was some magic equation that would calculate exactly what weights will feel light, medium, and heavy for you during different workouts. But unfortunately, it’s not so predictable, because lots of variables affect how much you can lift.
Dumbbell weight is “never going to be one-size-fits-all,” says Nellie Barnett, CPT, the author of The Woman’s Guide to Strength Training: Dumbbells, founder of Nellbells Fitness, and an alum of the Women’s Health Strength in Diversity class of 2023. (FYI: This book features a 12-week strength training program, free for WH+ Premium All Access Members!) The amount you lift is based on your individual physical fitness level, goals (like muscle hypertrophy versus endurance), and the body part you’re working.
So, rather than seeking out a specific number, focus on finding your Goldilocks of dumbbells—not too light, not too heavy. If the weight is too light, you won’t challenge your muscles or see results. And if it’s too heavy? You’re more prone to injuring yourself. That ~just right~ weight will help you achieve “what your body is capable of lifting while maintaining proper form,” Barnett says.
Considering Barnett wrote the book on dumbbells (literally!), she knows better than anyone what to consider before picking up a pair. Ahead, she explains how to find the right weight dumbbells for you and shares guidance on when to level up what you’re lifting:
Think about your fitness goals.
Lifting dumbbells is so much more than just picking up and putting down weights—you can achieve real strength goals over time by tweaking different variables, like weight, reps, and sets, Barnett says. Here are some guidelines to follow for different strength training goals.
If you want to…
Sculpt muscle: Lift medium to heavy weights for six to 12 reps and three to six sets.
Build stamina: Lift light weights for 12 or more reps and three sets.
Lift heavy objects: Lift heavy weights for six or less reps and three to five sets.
Lift heavy objects quickly: Lift heavy weights for one to two reps and three to five sets.
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Consider the specific exercise.
There’s a reason you can squat way more than you can curl. That’s because smaller muscles like your biceps, shoulders, and core are physically unable to lift as much as larger muscles like your back, chest, and legs. These latter muscles “can handle heavier weight because they're designed to generate more power,” Barnett says.
That’s why it’s always good to have multiple sets of dumbbells by your side while you’re working out.
Use the light-to-medium set for these smaller muscle groups:
Biceps
Triceps
Shoulders
Core
Use the medium-to-heavy set for these larger muscle groups:
Back
Chest
Legs
Perform a rep test.
With your fitness goal and muscle group in mind, grab a lighter weight than you think you can handle (so you don’t risk injury) and try to reach the rep count for each exercise. If your goal is building muscle stamina in your arms, for example, and you think you can handle lifting five-pound dumbbells for a minimum of 12 reps, you should conduct a rep test by lifting three-pound dumbbells for those 12 reps.
When you finish the rep test—even if you had to put your weight down before completing all the desired reps—ask yourself these questions:
Am I maintaining proper form throughout all of my reps?
Am I breathing properly and not holding my breath?
Am I completing my reps, especially in my first set?
If the answer to any of these is “no,” decrease your weight. But if you said “yes” to those questions, then ask yourself these questions:
Am I feeling particularly challenged on the last two or three reps?
Am I performing each rep with control, or am I just breezing through them all?
Am I actively thinking about the muscles that I’m engaging (a.k.a., the mind-muscle connection)?
If the answer to any of these is “no,” increase your weight.
When should I start increasing my dumbbell weight?
Once you've begun your strength training journey, the main way to get stronger over time is with progressive overload. Essentially, this means increasing at least one variable in your workout (weight, reps, or sets) to ensure you’re consistently challenging your body, Barnett says. So, if you’ve been lifting five-pound dumbbells for a month or two, and you’re finding that all of the reps feel easy—not just those last two or three—it’s likely time to increase your weight by a few pounds.
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Remember: No matter what dumbbell weight you choose, with each workout, you're one rep closer to becoming stronger!
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