How heavy should I lift?

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We get this question often. People wonder “how much weight should I lift when I workout?”

All too many times, we have seen people in the gym mindlessly lifting weights. Women with 3lb dumbbells in hand, doing shoulder presses for 5 minutes straight. Men with 15lb dumbbells doing an endless number of bicep curls.

But, when you take a step back and ask… the answer is that they are, either, uninformed or misinformed.

So, back to the question. "How much weight should I be lifting when I workout?"

You shouldn’t lift as much as the person next to you because… well, you aren’t them. There are so many differences here: anatomy, body composition, current or former injuries, current training program, goals - the list goes on!

We should take a look at the overall goal of your training. Are you looking to build muscular endurance? Hypertrophy? Explosive power? The repetition (rep) ranges for each are different, and so (naturally) the amount of weight you lift for each will also be different.

For example, someone lifting to achieve hypertrophy (thickening of muscle fibers to achieve muscle growth) will be looking to lift in the 6-12 rep range. I understand that that variance is big, so for the sake of argument, let’s say your workout plan calls for 3 sets of 6-8 reps.

Ok. So, how much weight should you be lifting?

The answer is: Use a weight where you can complete 6 repetitions with PROPER FORM. Once you can complete 8 reps, with proper form, then you slightly increase in weight - no more than 5-10lb (general rule of thumb is 5lb for dumbbells, 10lb for barbells)

Example:

Shoulder presses, 3 sets, 6-8 reps.

Week 1: 20 lb dumbbells, able to complete 3 sets of 6 reps with proper form

Week 2: 20 lb dumbbells, able to complete 3 sets of 7 reps with proper form

Week 3: 20 lb dumbbells, able to complete 3 sets of 8 reps with proper form

Week 4: 25 lb dumbbells, able to complete 3 sets of 6 reps with proper form

Week 5: 25 lb dumbbells, able to complete 3 sets of 6 reps with proper form

As you can see, you do not increase weight until you can hit the top of your rep range with perfect, proper form. Lifting at this “intensity” will help you reach your goals much faster than lifting mindlessly will.

Now you know… and knowing is half the battle!

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