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How do I know if I lift heavy enough to stimulate muscle growth? How much weight should I lift? We often see bodybuilders at the gym lift weight so heavy that their veins pop out. That is intimidating for beginners. Since the gym freaks have been training for years, is it okay for beginners to lift moderate weight? I don’t want to be embarrassed if I cannot lift the weight in the middle of the set. Do I lift enough weight this way? Can I still stimulate muscle growth with moderate weight? Is there a way to find out how much to lift for maximum muscle gain?
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When you first get into the gym after only a few days of training, your priority would be getting used to all the equipment and devices at the gym. Your goal is to lift weight with the right posture. One set of each exercise with 12 to 15 repetitions. This kind of training is only to get your body used to all the exercises. After a few weeks, you will have understood how the devices work and what body part you can train with those devices.
After getting used to all the fitness devices and equipment at the gym, you will have a better idea of how much weight you can lift. For example, during a biceps workout, 20 to 30 pounds can still be too heavy for you, but it may be too light for bench press exercise. Your understanding to how much weight you can lift for a number of repetitions in each exercise is very important to monitor your workout progress.
Now that you have known how much you can lift for a certain number of repetitions, what is next? The next thing to do is setting your goal. Your fitness goal determine how you are going to work out. It will determine how much you should lift, how many sets and repetitions you should do, and how long you should rest between sets.
Building muscle is more like an art. There is no exact rules of how much to lift. If you only train to get fit, lift the weight such that you can only lift it 10 to 12 times in a set. Make sure you can no longer lift another repetition after the twelfth repetition. If you can lift more than 12 repetitions, it simply means you don’t lift heavy enough. Make sure you can only lift in the 10-12 repetitions zone.
To build muscle and strength, the suggested number of repetitions is 8-10 times per set. To increase your muscle size, 6-8 times per set is recommended. To focus on building your strength, lift 3-4 times per set. The heavier you lift, the more time you need to rest between sets.
The process of building muscle is a long process of trial and error. Use this guide only as a rule of thumb. You can determine the amount of weight that is optimum for muscle gain based on your own experience.
