The gym will inevitably have access to a weight shelf and barbell corner. When you start exercising with your body weight, you will definitely get the moment when such exercise becomes too easy or boring, you will want challenges. And what weight load to grab when you arrive?
Where to start? How do you know if that weight isn’t too light? Goodlife personal trainer Darius notices that men tend to grab heavier ones, and women forever want to play sports with the youngest ones. Along with it, we will try to name the rules for choosing the right weight.
I did, where should I start in the gym, is it possible to take extra loads right away and exercise with them? Beginners should emphasize the technique and quality of each exercise. When grinding the basic movements, the weight of your body or a very minimal external load, such as a half-pound stick, will definitely suffice for the progress of many of them.
And once you have mastered the basic movements and in order to purposefully load certain muscle groups, it is also worth starting with the minimum weights that you can easily lift without feeling any special weight. When gaining weight, one should not forget the exercise technique, which often happens when trying to overcome movement with too much weight. Then both pace and technique evaporate from the head, leaving only thoughts on how to lift or maintain that weight.
So how do you calculate, determine that most appropriate weight for a given moment? Unfortunately, there is no formula. If you exercise with a coach, it will definitely help you not to make mistakes. And if you exercise alone, a very simple methodology should help. For example, take a 20 kg weight barbell at an angle to the chest.
You need to do 4 sets of 10 reps. If in the third series it becomes more difficult to lift the weight, and in the fourth, in the last two or three pushes you are already performing “on the limit” – then the weight has been hit. You’re not mistaken, because, for quality progress, the last lifts in the last series really have to be hard to beat. And if you only manage to make 8 lifts out of 10 in the second or third series, and you’re even afraid to think about the fourth, the weight is definitely too heavy. If you beat all four series without much effort and you do not need rest – the weight is too low.
So take it, do it, watch yourself and you will definitely feel what extra weight is best for you today. And after a few weeks or a month, the working weight will probably have to be reset. What are the risks of being overweight? You took the barbell, put on 100kg, and now ask yourself who you need it for. Is such a desire to lift 100 kg not dictated by vanity?
The movement has to be beneficial, and if you are not prepared for such weight it will only increase the chance of injury, muscle tears, and so on. One has to watch how, justifying the lack of time, men only start to push a lot of weight when they come to the hall on the first approach. It pushes, but it also pushes the same weight without progressing.
Good warmth is essential for a good result. A cold muscle cannot take such a heavy load and is at risk of injury. So when you come to the hall, it is necessary not only to warm up without any extra weight but also to perform the first series with less weight than usual and only then take the working weight. By the way, the working weight is the weight used during the exercises to perform all the planned repetitions. And does underweight movement benefit?
For those who lose weight, it is often recommended to work with light weights, but it is necessary to perform many series. And 10 series after 10 repetitions, even with a small weight – no laugh at all. Low weight helps maintain tone, warm up. However, strength training from low weight is also beneficial because the muscles need a load. I would say that low weight is only suitable for warming up. Three Darius tips for anyone who does extra weight sports.
The first is the focus on technique mastery and motion correction.
Secondly, after mastering the technique, the minimum weight is taken, which will remain for warming up afterward.
Third – it is necessary to find the most suitable working weight, but do not forget about warming. It is not possible to work with the working weight immediately – after warming up with your body weight, it is still worth doing the first series with a smaller one, such as squatting with an empty barbell.
