Should I use 7 lb dumbbells or 8 lb dumbbells?

butterflygurl89
butterflygurl89 Posts: 45
edited 3:46PM in Fitness and Exercise
I currently use 5 lb dumbbells at home, but sometimes at the gym I'll use 7.5 lb ones. I want to buy a set for my home, but since 7.5 pound ones are difficult/expensive to buy, I have to choose between 7 and 8. I know that 10 lbs is way too heavy. What do you guys think?

Replies

  • Fozzi43
    Fozzi43 Posts: 2,984 Member
    I personally would go for the heavier ones..heavier weight and fewer reps are much better
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,809 Member
    Buy an adjustable set - then you can fine tune and increase as strength improves.
  • KarenJanine
    KarenJanine Posts: 3,497 Member
    Buy an adjustable set - then you can fine tune and increase as strength improves.


    ^^This. If you buy one size, that may feel heavy for you initially, but then once your musles are used to that weight you will not continue to progress. Your strength will not increase if you do not increase the weights you are working with.


    ETA - if you continue to use the same weight but increase the reps you are doing you will see some endurance progress but you will eventually reach a stage where you will need extremely high reps to meet muscle failure and will likely result in an RSI.
  • darrensurrey
    darrensurrey Posts: 3,942 Member
    If you can't get an adjustable set (not sure why you wouldn't prefer them), then at least get the heavier one because you will get stronger if you remain persistent. We're only talking an extra lb or two before I get attacked by strawmen.
  • KarenJanine
    KarenJanine Posts: 3,497 Member
    Also, different exercises with dumbbells require different weights - e.g. for side lateral raises I'm currently using 7 kg dumbbells but for bent-over rows am using 20 kg dumbbells; for other exercises I'm using the whole range of sizes betweeen. So there's no 'one size fits all' dumbbell that you should buy.
  • butterflygurl89
    butterflygurl89 Posts: 45
    Well that's exciting to hear! I use the dumbbells with exercise dvds (like Jillian Michaels 30 day shred etc) and thought it was odd that some exercises seemed easier than others with the same weight. Glad it's not just me! I'm obviously a suuuuper noob at weight-lifting type stuff. I'm just trying to get rid of the flabby arms syndrome... :flowerforyou:
  • Fozzi43
    Fozzi43 Posts: 2,984 Member
    Well that's exciting to hear! I use the dumbbells with exercise dvds (like Jillian Michaels 30 day shred etc) and thought it was odd that some exercises seemed easier than others with the same weight. Glad it's not just me! I'm obviously a suuuuper noob at weight-lifting type stuff. I'm just trying to get rid of the flabby arms syndrome... :flowerforyou:

    Perseverance :)
  • IronSmasher
    IronSmasher Posts: 3,908 Member
    Well that's exciting to hear! I use the dumbbells with exercise dvds (like Jillian Michaels 30 day shred etc) and thought it was odd that some exercises seemed easier than others with the same weight. Glad it's not just me! I'm obviously a suuuuper noob at weight-lifting type stuff. I'm just trying to get rid of the flabby arms syndrome... :flowerforyou:

    Weight circuits where you use the same weight throughout are more cardio or strength and conditioning based than weight lifting or strength training. People have made the assumption that you are weight training.

    I'd still recommend that you go for the heavier one, as if it is slightly too heavy, you can always miss a couple of reps until you are at the level where you can remain continuous.

    With cardio circuits with a single weight, there will always be a limiting exercise. The example of lateral raises given above would be a good one, as they rely on a small muscle group. Hopefully JM, or whoever wrote it, will have made it so that the muscle groups used in each exercise are of all similar size.
    You'll see very bad examples of exercise selection wherever you go, which is why it can be so confusing for new people, with deadlifts and squats in the same circuit as bicep curls and lateral raises. It's great that you have noticed a difference in difficulty in exercise, you're obviously pushing yourself in your limiting exercises, some new people go so light they feel nothing.

    Edit because I forgot it was Jillian with a J, not a G.
This discussion has been closed.

Categories