How heavy should my first hand weights be?

MrsBrit2007

I've been meaning to start some hand weight exercises for a while now, but I haven't been able to decide on a starting weight. I lift my 25lb toddler often, and I feel like my arms are one of the fittest parts of my body. (But they still need some toning.)
Should I start with 3lb weights or 5lbs weights?

kgs0201

I would say 5 lb weights but it really depends on what you are going to be doing with them. If you are just doing your own self-paced workouts then definitely the 5 lb weights. If you are going to be using the weights and doing workout videos like the Jillian Michael's circuit training ones, a lot of people find they need to start with 3 lb weights. It took me a long time to be able to do the entire No More Trouble Zones video with 5 lb weights.

MrsBrit2007

I've been doing Zumba DVDs so far, and I think that I'll just be doing self-paced reps for my arms. Thanks for the response!

schaapj2

I started with 5 lbs.....give yourself enough of a challenge.....should be able to feel the "burn" but not get muscle fatigue too quickly

MrsBrit2007

I started with 5 lbs.....give yourself enough of a challenge.....should be able to feel the "burn" but not get muscle fatigue too quickly

Thanks, I think I'll try the 5lb weights!

fitzie63

Fill up a couple of water bottles and use those.

MrsBrit2007

Fill up a couple of water bottles and use those.

Oooh, good idea! Thanks!

mamagooskie

I bought 2,3 and 5 lbs at first. Now I use 8 and 10's and soon I'll be buying 12's and 15's.

Lyadeia

I would go to the store and pick up one of the weights that you are thinking about getting. Do a set of curls with them, and if it is too easy, get something heavier...if too hard, get something lighter. But we are all different with different starting points, so it would be hard for us to tell you what you should get.

rachel0923

You may want both! Triceps tend to be a bit weaker than biceps, and if you want to hold weights during squats or lunges, you can definitely go heavy. Depending on the workout and the order of exercises, I can use a variety of weights. I have 3, 4, 5, 8, 10, 15, and 20. For slow biceps I use 15 and can do about 8 reps. For faster-paced biceps I use 5 and can do a lot of reps. Slow triceps I do 8 reps at 10 lbs, faster triceps I use 5 lbs and definitely hit fatigue. So I think you could make use of all your weights over time