VERY beginner weight question....

avababy05

I know from the forums that the way to build muscle is heavy weights,lower reps.

What determines heavy? Is it a over a certain standard weight? Or does it go by my fitness level,how long I've been using them etc?

In the month or so I've been incorporating them into my workout,I've gone from 5 to 15 but several sets of ten thoughout the day.

I really want to concentrate of building over weight loss now but I'm not sure if I'm going about it correctly.

Hope this makes sense.

meshashesha2012

since you're a very beginner i would suggest not even worry abut the weight. make sure your form is 100% correct first and do things with little to no weight to make sure you have the movement down correctly

BurtHuttz

I know from the forums that the way to build muscle is heavy weights,lower reps.

What determines heavy? Is it a over a certain standard weight? Or does it go by my fitness level,how long I've been using them etc?

In the month or so I've been incorporating them into my workout,I've gone from 5 to 15 but several sets of ten thoughout the day.

I really want to concentrate of building over weight loss now but I'm not sure if I'm going about it correctly.

Hope this makes sense.

Hi! Heavy is heavy for you. If you can do five sets of 20 reps, it's way too light. If you can't do five sets of five reps, it's too heavy. Look for something that you can do several sets of five to ten reps before you fail.

Edited to clarify; also to echo mesha's comment - form, form, form, form, form. Great form amplifies your gains. Poor form can really hurt you.

avababy05

Thank you for your replies.

I think I have the form down,I've been watching dvd's and youtube workouts and that's been helping.

I've read so much conflicting info on other threads.

AnvilHead

Both the answers above are correct. Make sure your form is good before you start adding weight to the bar, to avoid injuries. "Heavy" is relative to your strength level...don't worry about what anybody else is lifting (or how much they say you should be lifting), worry about using a weight that's correct for you. Emanyalpsid gave good parameters for sorting your weights out.

PaulFromEssex

As the above posts have stated .... good form is the most important factor.

The same weight will seem heavier using good form, than it will if using bad form (cheating). Your muscle will not know if it is a 5lb weight or a 7lb weight, just how much stress it is resisting. Good form done slowly will use lighter weights but will work the muscle just as well, if not better.

3 to 5 sets of 8 to 12 reps per set will provide your muscles with a really good workout.

avababy05

Thank you all so much! I am seeing some results but was getting discouraged by what I was reading.

Appreciate the advice.