What weights should I be lifting?

How many reps:

• The number of repetitions you are performing is the biggest determining factor with regards to the weight you should aim to lift.
• For pure strength building – this is generally low rep range of around 1-8 reps. This tends to be a heavier weight that really challenges you to perform a low number of reps with correct form.
• For muscle hypertrophy which is more about building lean muscle, strength endurance + burning fat we are looking at a rep range of about 8-15 reps. Here you would choose a weight that allows you to perform those reps (but you should find the last 2-3 hard in order to challenge the muscles)
• For endurance – this is generally a higher rep range targeting the slow switch fibres of around 15+ reps. Think of those burny burny exercises where you select a lighter weights!  

Getting the form right:

• Form is the most important thing above all! You should be working with a weight that enables you to keep form but still fatigues the muscle. The wrong form can lead to injury so check in with how you are performing the exercise under load.

When to progress:

• As you become stronger you may notice that the weights become less challenging. This is your muscles adapting + developing! At this point you may consider upping your weights. It is important to increase the weights overtime so you continue to challenge your muscle.  

Your goals:

• Remember what you find light or heavy maybe very different to someone else. Work within your own parameters + set your own goals which are right for your individual strength.

Avoiding injury:

• Within your workout, you may wish to start with lighter weights + move up as the workout progresses. Or by the third set you may wish to go lighter. Listening to how your body responds will help you gauge where you are that day + help avoid injury.

Testing it out:

• It  may take a bit of testing out to find the right weight for each exercise. We tend to be able to ‘lift’ a little more for lower body exercises. It is really a case of working out where you are + how challenging it feels. Rule of thumb is generally to find the last 3-4 reps hard. It you feel you could do the exercise a lot beyond the desired reps, it might be time to go a little heavier. Don’t be afraid to experiment + switch it up or down.

Whatever weights you are using remember that in addition, consistency, nutrition + recovery are crucial to reaching your goals!!

Start off light + build. There is no right or wrong, just the progress that is right for you!  Choose a programme that challenges you + works within your lifestyle – you are far more likely to remain consistent. Track your progress + look back at how far you have come.

Fitness Bites are strength based workouts that are only 20 minutes – short, focused + effective. Each workout is planned to challenge your body in a different way working different muscle groups + combining strength + cardio. We do big compound exercises where we tend to lift heavier weights to build muscle, as well as lighter weights to increase muscular endurance. It is so important to add weights to your exercise routine – unfortunately after the age of 35 we start to lose lean muscle mass – we need to get lifting to build + keep it!!

If you want to chat more about weights, Fitness Bites or how to start strength training please get in touch!