For beginners or people looking to maintain overall fitness, a good goal is to do 3 sets of 8 to 12 reps. This means choosing a weight that allows you to complete this many reps without struggling to finish the set.
A strength training session that works all the muscles of the body, including the hips, legs, abdomen, chest, back, shoulders, and arms, two to three days per week is plenty for maintaining overall fitness. For building strength, any rep range will work, but for best results, be sure to include 2 to 5 heavier sets of 3 to 5 reps. To build strength, the goal should be fewer reps at a higher weight that challenges you during each repetition. However, it is wise to establish a solid overall fitness level before moving on to heavier weights, since heavier weights come with more risk if your form is not correct.
Aim for 2 to 4 days of strength training per week, and be sure to take rest days in between. The heavier weight will break down your muscle tissue, and you will require rest and recovery to repair that damage.
That repair process helps build stronger muscles. Increasing muscle size, also called hypertrophy , will occur whether you train at the lower rep range with higher weight or a higher rep range 8 to 12 reps per set with a moderately challenging weight.
The key to increasing muscle size is volume, meaning adding more sets and reps to your workout over time. You can spread these additional sets and reps over your weekly training sessions. Aim for 12 to 28 sets per muscle group per week, spread over 3 to 5 training days, for optimal muscle growth. One-rep max 1RM is a measure of the amount of weight you can lift for a particular exercise for one repetition.
It is often calculated using a 1RM calculator where you can input max weight lifted for multiple reps and it will provide you with an equivalent 1RM estimate. One of the things people fail to realize when lifting weights is how much their bodies move to assist in moving the weight. Unfortunately, this can undermine the very goal of an exercise, which is to isolate and contract a particular muscle or muscle group. When lifting a weight, you always need to focus on isolating a muscle during the movement.
If you swing your body, you are using momentum to lift the weight. By doing so, you are dispersing the energy meant for one muscle to many muscles.
This is why people who grunt, arch their backs, or drop their weights are doing themselves a disservice and likely annoying others in the process. By simply lowering their weight to a reasonable level, they can achieve so much more with so much less. Maintain this focus when doing any weightlifting exercise. Keep your back flat, shoulders square, hips level, abdomen taut, and head and neck relaxed but lifted.
Not only will this help you maintain proper form, but it can also help direct which weight is appropriate for the exercise you are doing. If you cannot lift your chosen weight with proper form, it is too heavy, and you should use a lighter weight.
Seek the guidance of a personal trainer if you are unsure about your form. If you find you can do the last lift with little effort, then it's time to increase the weight.
Progressive overload adding more weight over time is a fundamental principle of weight training. If you don't continually challenge your body by increasing your weights, you will eventually plateau even if you increase the number of exercises you do. If your current weight is not challenging enough, but the next one up is too heavy, you have two choices for reaching the right fatigued state:. Here's a trick that can help: Instead of lifting a weight standing unsupported, try pressing your back against a wall or post while doing an exercise.
Try it with a bicep curl as an example. You'll be surprised how much more difficult it is to lift a weight when your back and core muscles are not allowed to assist.
If in doubt, work with a personal trainer for a few weeks to learn proper form and technique. Fortunately, most workout plans will include a guide weight range or, at least, give you an indication of the right weight with how many reps you're being asked to complete.
An easy way to test is to try a couple of reps using a weight you think is appropriate. If it feels too light or too heavy, adjust accordingly. Saying that, you should be able to maintain good form for all reps — e. Pick a weight that makes the last couple reps of a set challenging but not impossible.
We're trying to fatigue your muscles, not inflate your ego. Core exercises require a lighter weight, especially when you're starting out. If you try to jackknife or leg raise with a weight that's too heavy, you'll end up recruiting muscles in your back and neck, instead.
Not good. If you're doing core exercises for beginners, think about ditching the weight altogether and getting the technique down pat, first. Equally, exercises that ask you to raise your arms above your shoulders like most tricep exercises , shoulder presses, and straight-arm pulses will need to be light enough that you can keep your core aligned throughout.
Full-body workouts and exercises will likely split the difference and call for a medium weight. This is because you can call on your core stabiliser muscles to keep you strong whilst working the lower and upper body together. Think weighted lunges or squats. Similarly, renegade rows , dumbbell thrusters and medicine ball slams all of which use a bit of everything do the same and will call for a medium weight.
Moves that are less explosive and recruit your biggest muscle groups require heavier weights to be effective. And pressing, squatting and pulling your way to your best body ever. Strength training on a regular basis has numerous benefits for your body and your mind. Back in the day, the only women who chose to lift weights were hardcore bodybuilders. You might be a complete noob when it comes to strength training, or you might be experienced, but still unsure.
Being new to the gym can leave you feeling flustered and unsure where to start. The weight you should be able to lift is one that allows you to only just complete your designated number of reps.
For example, if your rep range is , the weight you choose should allow you to perform more than 7 reps, but less than One woman might be able to squat with 50 lb easily. Whereas for another it might be far too much.
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