One of the most common questions I get regarding workouts is about what weight that I am using, and what weight that you should use. There is not a one-size fits all answer to this and there are a variety of factors that go into it, but in this post I’m going to break down the things you should consider when picking the right weights for your workout!
Picking the Right Weights for Your Workout
Good Form First
First off, a good rule of thumb to always consider when picking the right weights for your workout is if you’re able to complete the move with good form. If you’re having to sacrifice form in order to lift a heavier weight, that is a good indication that it’s time to drop the weight down. If not, you risk not just getting the right effect of the exercise you’re doing, but you also risk injuring yourself in the process.
Make It Challenge You
Another thing to take into consideration is if the weight you’re using is challenging you. Ideally, you want the last 3-4 reps to be challenging (you can “feel the burn”)… however still remembering if you’re able to properly do the move with good form. That is #1. Likewise, if you’re not feeling challenged, consider going up in weight.
An option you can do here is something called a “drop set”. This really helps build strength. To do a drop set, you’d perform a set of an exercise to failure (meaning when you get to the point where you can’t lift anymore with good form) and then you’d drop your weight down and finish the remainder of the set at the lighter weight.
It Depends On The Muscle
What muscle you’re working will also play a role. For example, our biceps muscles in our arms are much smaller muscles than our quadriceps muscles in our legs. Therefore, your quads would be able to sustain a higher load of weight. So that is something to take into consideration. It also might just depend on the day for you! Some days you may feel stronger than others and that’s totally normal.
It Depends On Your Goals
Someone training for muscular hypertrophy, meaning the enlargement of muscle fibers (aka increasing the size of your muscles) would want to consistently be finding that spot of progressive overload (by adding more weight) in workouts that use low to intermediate rep ranges 8-12 repetitions per set. Someone training for max strength or power would do something different.
My own personal goals with my workouts (you can read more HERE about how I learned to exercise for my personal goals) and the same workouts I share in the Besst Workouts App are geared towards what’s called muscular endurance. I utilize resistance and circuit training protocols that use multiple sets of high repetitions. My workouts combine cardio and resistance training to strategically and efficiently get the best of both worlds, meaning you see results faster and the workouts will continue to challenge & change you. A few of the benefits of circuit training are increased muscular endurance, increased maximal oxygen consumption, decreased body fat, & increased lean muscle. Circuit training is highly effective at changing body composition (ie: losing body fat and increasing lean muscle).
So for me, I use weights that range (depending on the move) from 2lbs-12lbs. To be more specific, I have a set of dumbbells at these weights: 2lbs, 5lbs, 8lbs, and a kettlebell at 12lbs. A lot of my moves require bodyweight only, and then I’ve found those weights are perfect for the aesthetic and fitness I am trying to achieve. Sometimes, for example, if I want to go higher than 12lbs, I can hold both weights in one hand to double up on the amount. I do that frequently for back exercises like dumbbell rows or hamstring moves like RDLs. I also utilize resistance bands.
If you’re just starting out with my workouts, I think you can use a set of 5lb dumbbells as a good starting point pretty effectively since we do higher reps, and you can always double up if you need to make it 10lbs!
I hope this helps! If you have any questions let me know!
xo,
Bess
Leave a Reply