How To Choose The Weight Of Your Weight Sets?

If you are ultra motivated, you put on a nice pair of sneakers, adjust your bra, and eat your Wheaties. You're ready to workout like a beast and decide to hit the gym with a fullbody workout. However, when you hit the gym, you're overwhelmed by the choices. What should I use to maximize my time at the gym?

Barbells,dumbbells, kettlebells, the options are overwhelming. And you are right to be wary, in this sport everything is relative. Lifting 10 kilos twice or 10 pounds 2 times is not the same thing.

If you are looking to stick with dumbbells, check out the best adjustable weights that will work great in a home gym by clicking here.

Maximum Rep

A well-known method in bodybuilding, the maximum repetition test is effective but not recommended for beginners.

The goal is to find the heaviest load you can lift to do a repetition of the chosen exercise.

To do this, it is therefore necessary to warm up well, then mount the weight little by little, then finally arrive at the heaviest weight possible.

Then, once you know this weight, you apply a ratio (60 to 70%), which gives you your working weight.

On 10 repetitions, do your series with the weight that you consider to be the right one. If it's too easy, add a little more weight, if it's too difficult, lower the weight a little.

Do the same for each set of each exercise and after one or two weight training sessions, you will have found the load that suits you.

Your Level And Progress

Always track your progress! Even though the results may not be what you had hoped within the first week, I promise, just stick with it. Rome wasn't built in a day and neither is your biceps!

We give ourselves time to progress. Using weights is only effective if you are maintaining proper form. It's fine if you're not able to do as many squats as you hoped. It's better to take it slow and put your ego aside as you are playing the long game when it comes to working out.

Eventually you will be able to progress and add on more weight as you are getting stronger. It will take time, but if you stick with it, the gains will be worth it.

Choose Your Workouts Wisely!

Your body is made up of more or less powerful and more or less complex muscles. While your glutes can move mountains, your shoulders are more sensitive.

So you don't put as much weight on elevations as you do on squats. To give you an idea, the legs, back and pecs are the three most powerful muscle groups.

Your triceps are larger than your biceps. Your smaller calves, and your abs are more sensitive to long runs and therefore to body weight.

In addition, poly articular movements such as squats, back pull-ups and bench press make it possible to gain greater weight than the isolation movements which are made lighter. This is the case of abductors, bicep curl, tricep extensions.

Depending On Your Objective

In fitness, there are three possibilities:

Strength Gain,
Muscle Gain
Endurance-Refinement.

Depending on your goal, you will neither perform the same number of repetitions, nor will you use the same weight. In general, use this very simplistic guide to determine what goals you are trying to achieve:

Less than 6 repetitions, very heavy weight, very short series for strength

8 to 12 repetitions, moderate weights, for mass

12 to 20 repetitions, light weights, long series, for endurance

More than 20 repetitions, very light weight or body weight, very long series, for muscle tone

Take Care of Body & Mind

There are always good and bad days for both your body and mind. Sport can remedy this, but if you feel tired after a good warm-up then take it easy on the workout.

Now is the time to fully focus on the technique and drop the weight a bit. You never take a risk with your weight sets. It is also for this reason that we will choose our charge according to the insurance we have on our movement.