How to Choose the Right Weight for a New Exercise
Some exercises, like squats, I do almost forever. Even if I don’t use a program that tells me exactly what to lift , I can go to the gym and have a pretty good idea of how much weight I should put on a barbell. But what if this is your first time doing a particular exercise?
This is not just a beginner’s question: sometimes you know your basic exercises, but then decide to try a new one (what is “forward lift” and how much weight should I use for it?) Or you come back to it. what you haven’t done for a long time. (It’s been many years since I last hip lunge.)
Fortunately, it’s not hard to figure out which weight to start with. This is how I approach each new exercise.
Know what the exercise should do
The first step is to make sure you know what you are actually trying to do and how this exercise differs from those that look similar. For example, a regular dumbbell row is done as a slow and controlled movement, while a Croc row should be explosive and use your core to twist your body a little. Both exercises use dumbbells, but Croc’s deadlifts will require heavier dumbbells.
Bent over rows, on the other hand, usually require a barbell. Sometimes the exercise can be done with a variety of equipment: for a windmill, you can use a dumbbell, kettlebell, or even a barbell in the center if you’re adventurous. Check your program and maybe look for some YouTube videos to know what you will be doing.
Starting light
If this is your first time doing the exercise, you need to learn it and also determine your starting weight. Start with your own weight movement, then add some weight. To move the dumbbell, take something towards the lighter end of the rack; You can grab something that’s too light, but don’t accidentally grab something that’s too heavy. For a barbell movement, the ideal starting point is often just an empty barbell. (If an empty bar looks intimidating, use a smaller barbell or a pair of dumbbells.)
Put on weight
After trying such a light weight, ask yourself what it feels like. Did you manage to do the movement approximately as it was demonstrated? If so, put the dumbbell back and pick up the heavier one. (Add plates to the bar to lift the bar.) Again, you still want to make the mistake of being too light.
It’s perfectly okay to have a lot of trying to find a weight that you find difficult enough. The heavier the final weight, the more jumps you will make along the way. For example, if it turns out that you can do 315 pounds of hip jerks, your journey to that discovery might look something like this:
- Start with a 45 pound barbell. Oh yeah, it’s super lightweight.
- Throw in a couple of 25lb plates, 95 in total. Yes, definitely still lightweight.
- Swap 25 for 45 (standard size large plates) for a total of 135. Yes, still very light.
- Add 25 seconds ago: 185 in total. Still a bright path.
- Remove those 25 and add another set of 45, so you now have two 45s on each side of the plank for a total of 225. No, you have to continue.
- Add 25 seconds ago: 275. Finally, it looks like we’re getting closer.
- Add a couple dozen. 295. Better, but still not hard enough .
- Remove 25 and 10 and add a third pair of 45, 315 in total. Ah, great.
With experience, you can skip some of these steps. If I did hip thrusts tomorrow, I would probably start at 135, go straight to 225 and feel it from there.
Feel Where Your Body Is Strongest
As a further simplification, one can think of how the elevators relate to each other.
- Combined lifts (moving multiple joints at the same time, such as a deadlift or squat) will be heavier than isolation lifts (moving one joint in one specific movement, such as curling the biceps).
- Lifts that use large muscles (such as quads or glutes) will be harder than lifts that use small muscles (such as biceps or shoulders).
- The hip row is usually heavier than the deadlift.
- Deadlifts are usually heavier than squats.
- The bench press is almost always heavier than the overhead press.
- Explosive movements (such as the push press) are almost always harder than controlled movements (such as the hard press).
- Barbell lifts are usually harder than dumbbell lifts (for example, barbell presses versus dumbbell presses).
Even with these rules of thumb, the best way to figure out how much weight to use is to grab something and give it a try. No one will think you are weird for moving up a rack with dumbbells or doing a bunch of warm-up sets on your way to a work set. This is a standard workout at the gym. Welcome to the club.