How Much Weight Should I Be Lifting? How to Choose the Right Amount of Weight

     Lately we have been getting a lot of people asking us how much weight they should use for a specific exercise or workout. Now this is a good question as you need to know where to begin and when you should push yourself harder, however, it is impossible for us to give an answer that will work for everyone. Each person is unique in the amount of strength and endurance they have in each muscle of their body so even if you take two people that seem identical in height, weight, gender, and physical ability there can still be vast differences in their strength from one muscle to the next.

     This is how it works; whether you are doing low repetition, high load, strength training or you are doing a high repetition, low load, toning routine the following applies. Start by selecting the number of repetition you want to use. Remember lower repetitions (6-12) leans more toward strength training/muscle building, and higher repetitions (14-20) leans more towards endurance and toning. Lets say you choose 12 repetitions, now you need to pick the number of sets, typically 2-4; lets say you choose 3 sets. This is where the "hard" part comes in; you need to choose a weight that is difficult for you to finish the last few repetitions for the first two sets, and that you can only finish about 80-90% of the very last set before your muscles give out. In other words, pick a weight that is challenging enough that you may not be able to complete the last couple of reps of that very last set. Also keep in mind that you need to do all of the repetitions slowly and under control as to not "cheat" by using momentum, bouncing, or swinging to help. This where most people go wrong, by choosing too many pounds/kilograms they actually start recruiting other muscle groups (that are not supposed to be helping) to help lift the load by letting their form break down. For example, swinging their arms during a bicep curl moving from the shoulder and torso rather than keeping their shoulder and upper arm stationary and just moving from the elbow. If your form breaks down before the last 10-20% of your repetitions then you are using too much weight and you still need to be fighting like mad to keep that form solid for those last few movements as well.

     On the other hand if you can finish all three set of 12 reps from the example above with clean, proper form and without difficulty then the next time you do that exercise you need to use a heavier dumbbell, kettlebell, medicine ball, etc for at least the first set and possibly for all three. To try and make this as simple as possible, follow these rules:

1.  Always start with a very light load if you have never done the exercise before. If it has been a few months since you last did a particular exercise start with 25% less than what you used last time.

2.  Always focus on keeping your form perfect. Though you can lift more with bad form, you increase your chances for injury and don't effectively train the muscles you are supposed to be targeting.

3.  If you want to make progress you should always struggle with the last few repetitions of your last set. Remember the last 10-20% of your reps specifically on your last set should be very difficult to keep proper from with and your muscles might even give out and not be able to continue.

4.  If you can finish all of your sets and repetitions without struggling increase your weight next time you do that exercise, for at least the first set, possibly all three.

5.  Don't ever go off of what someone else is lifting. Listen to your own body as it will tell you all you need to know about what the right amount of weight/effort is.



Via : https://boutder.blogspot.com

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

How Often Should You Work Out Your Abs?

If you really want washboard abs, you've got to put the work in every day. Right? Actually, crushing your ab routine everyday might do more harm than good.  “People have the idea that if they do an hour of ab exercises that that’s going to chisel their abs and burn fat from that area—the old spot-reduction approach,” says Wayne Westcott, Ph.D., a professor of exercise science at Quincy College in Quincy, MA. But realistically, Westcott says you should train your core no more than three days a week. While by now you know that spot-reduction is a myth, when you overtrain your abs at lower intensities, core work becomes an endurance-type activity rather than a strength- and muscle-building activity, Westcott explains. Related: Don’t Miss These Nine Exercises That Will Fast-Track Your Six-Pack On top of not providing the intensity or recovery time needed to increase strength, too much training can also increase your risk of overuse and imbala...
Read more

How to Gain Weight the Healthy Way - Building Muscle, Curve Shape

An important part of fitness that’s covered much less than weight loss, is weight gain. Gaining weight takes strategy, consistency, and work. It might seem foreign to some people who have differing goals, but saying “just eat more!” to someone who is trying to gain weight is not unlike saying “just eat less!” to someone who needs to lose weight. Relationships with food can be complicated. How to eat to gain weight and muscle the healthy way Eat often - Try to eat 6 times a day; 3 meals and 3 snacks. Try to not let more than 2-3 hours pass in between eating. Related:  What should you eat before your workout? Best pre-work out snacks  Eat more - Adding an additional 500-1000 extra calories to daily intake would make for an increase of 1-2 lbs a week, though these variables will be impacted by the individual’s level of activity. It may seem a little intimidating to someone who is trying to eat more to gain weight but you can break the add...
Read more

140-Pound Woman Joins The 1,000 Club

From nothingness, the universe was created. From a simple caterpillar, a butterfly emerges. A dorky teen grows up to be a fashion model, or a bodybuilder. The one constant in life is change, and in our  Transformation of the Week  series, AskMen is celebrating men and women who have turned their lives around through dedication, commitment and hard work. Is that you? Email us your story and pictures at askus@askmen.com and you could be featured next week! Reaching the 1,000-pound club is an impressive feat for any lifter man or woman. It is essentially a standard by which many lifters measure themselves to be “strong.” To join the club, add the total weight you can lift in a squat, bench press and deadlift. If the total is more than 1,000, you’re in. And if you’re not in, it does not mean you’re weak. In fairness, that’s a damn lot of weight. Which made it all the more impressive when Gabrielle Tucker announced on a Reddit thread that she had...
Read more