How to Choose the Right Weight for Strength Training

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

When and how many pancakes can be hung on the barbell to build muscle and not break.

There are two main problems with the selection of working weights. Some people - as a rule, women - are afraid of heavy objects and endlessly do deadlifts with a bar and lunges with 8 kg dumbbells. Others - most often men - take on a lot of weight on the fly, without really mastering the technique, and add more and more at each workout until they damage some muscle.

Both approaches will fail. In the first case, the muscles adapt and stop growing, in the second there will be injuries, pain and an abandoned subscription. We figure out how to approach weight selection correctly in order to ensure constant progress without injuries.

When to start weight training

If you are not familiar with the technique of strength exercises, in the first lesson, you should not work with weights at all. To get started, grab a PVC stick - there are such sticks in almost any gym - or a short bar from a bodybar weighing 8 kg.

Learn all the technical aspects of strength training and try doing them in front of a mirror while tracing your form. You can ask the gym instructor to evaluate your technique and point out mistakes - they usually do not refuse.

Alternatively, film yourself in full face and profile on your phone and watch how you do the exercise. There are several articles below that will show you the correct technique for basic barbell strength movements.

The same goes for exercise on simulators. It is easier to train on them than with free weights, and the risk of injury is lower, but still it is there. Therefore, in the first workout, work with the lightest weights possible.

Check the technique, feel which muscles are tense, make sure that the body remains rigid. And if you can't do a movement with the right technique without weights, don't expect to do it well with weights: it doesn't work that way.

How to start weight training

When you are satisfied that the movement is technically correct, you can grab the bar. Its standard weight is 20 kg. There are also 15kg thinner bars - you can start with this.

Try the bar movement and follow your technique. If it starts to break down, there are three options:

• Look for lighter bars in the 8-10kg range. They are shorter than usual, but it doesn't really matter.
• Start with dumbbells. Take shells of 4-8 kg and try exercises with them;
• Continue to work with your own weight. Do this until the muscles are strong enough to add weight. Do push-ups, pull-ups, lunges, squats, daisies, and other strength movements.

If you can manage to maintain correct bar technique, you can add weight.

How to add working weights to the bar

The specific weight on the bar depends on how many sets and reps you are going to do. For beginners, the following options are usually used:

• 5 sets of 5 reps.
• 3 sets of 8 reps.
• 3 sets of 10 reps.

Take any - they are equally good at helping to build muscle and strength.

Stick to the following pattern:

1. Perform the first approach with the bar. Do it with concentration and full force, even if it is very easy for you. This will help you warm up, prepare your muscles and nervous system for training with more serious weights.
2. Add 1.25kg or 2.5kg pancake on each side. Weight will depend on how easy it is for you. Take the following approach. If the technique is still perfect, and you feel comfortable even on the last reps, add another 5-10 kg. Be guided by the sensations - the easier the exercise is perceived, the more weight can be added to the barbell.
3. Continue adding weight in this way until the shape begins to break. As soon as this happens on any of the reps, roll back to the previous number of kilograms - this is your working weight.

For example, let's say you did a 50kg barbell squat on your back. All five reps were with good form, although the last one was tough. You hang another 5 kg, and on the fifth repetition you cannot keep your back straight, and your knees are curled inward. This means that your working weight in this exercise is 50 kg. Keep working with him.

How to add weight when working with dumbbells and on machines

As with the barbell, when working with dumbbells, you need to start with the lightest weights and gradually move on to heavier equipment. Increasing the weight can be more difficult as it depends on the stride. For example, you do a dumbbell set with 8 kg and you realize that 5 times with this weight is too easy.

You take the next largest dumbbells - 10 kg - and the muscles give up on the third repetition. In this case, you can increase the number of repetitions in the approach with eights - do them not five, but 6-8 times - until the technique breaks down.

The same goes for work on simulators. If you cannot complete the required number of times with good form, go back to the previous weight and increase the repetitions in the set.

When is it time to increase your working weight

If the last repetitions in the set are as easy for you as the first, it's time to add. In addition to weight, you can also increase the number of repetitions in the set. However, it all depends on your goals.

If your main goal is to build muscle, try to stay within 8-12 reps per set. This amount is considered ideal for hypertrophy.

If your primary goal is to increase strength, work out fewer reps - 2-6 reps with just enough weight to fatigue the muscles. If your goal is muscle strength endurance, do 15–20 or more times in your set with light weights.

You can also combine these techniques in one workout. For example, start the workout with 5 × 5 back squats, then do 5 × 10 pulldowns, standing dumbbell presses, machine leg curls, and finish with 3 × 15 dumbbell curls and triceps extensions.

This approach will allow you to load the muscles well without overworking the central nervous system with heavy exercises.