free weights?

pink0lily
pink0lily Posts: 36 Member
edited January 15 in Fitness and Exercise
i have very little upper body strength but i want to get some adjustable free weights, i found some that go for 5lbs to 22lbs is that good for starting out?

Replies

  • jimmie65
    jimmie65 Posts: 655 Member
    Not if you want to lift heavy. They're fine for cardio.
  • AmyBecky74
    AmyBecky74 Posts: 437 Member
    for toning thats good but if you wanna really build up muscle you gotta go higher. I only tone so I use the lower weights. Good luck!
  • YoungDoc2B
    YoungDoc2B Posts: 1,593 Member
    If you're just starting out, yes. It's better than nothing. As you become more accustomed to lifting, though, you will have to move on to more weight.
  • Huffdogg
    Huffdogg Posts: 1,934 Member
    To all the people responding with answers yes or no: you're wrong.

    OP: If you are looking to improve upper body STRENGTH, then you need to decide how willing you are to commit to equipment that's going to do it most effectively. YD2B was closest to the mark when he said that it's good to start with. Generally speaking, weight that's useful for strength improvement is weight that you can lift through a movement somewhere around 4-6 times at a go.

    @AmyBecky: there's no such thing as "tone." There is muscle and there is fat. You need to build one and lose the other
  • pink0lily
    pink0lily Posts: 36 Member
    i want to eventually start heavy lifting but i thought it would be best to start out slow and i thought lighter free weight would be a good start ..am i wrong?
  • Gallowmere1984
    Gallowmere1984 Posts: 6,626 Member
    i want to eventually start heavy lifting but i thought it would be best to start out slow and i thought lighter free weight would be a good start ..am i wrong?

    They would be fine 'for a start'. But the problem is, if you are even remotely serious about getting heavy with your lifts, you would outrun 22 lbs. dumbbells within a couple of weeks for anything except maybe curls, thus making them a waste. My wife uses 25s for her concentration curls...after she does barbell curls and hammer curls, and she's only been lifting for a few months, if that tells you anything. You'll be flinging those 22s around like paper weights, thus making them pretty useless for what you want to do.
  • michellekicks
    michellekicks Posts: 3,624 Member
    i want to eventually start heavy lifting but i thought it would be best to start out slow and i thought lighter free weight would be a good start ..am i wrong?

    They would be fine 'for a start'. But the problem is, if you are even remotely serious about getting heavy with your lifts, you would outrun 22 lbs. dumbbells within a couple of weeks for anything except maybe curls, thus making them a waste. My wife uses 25s for her concentration curls...after she does barbell curls and hammer curls, and she's only been lifting for a few months, if that tells you anything. You'll be flinging those 22s around like paper weights, thus making them pretty useless for what you want to do.

    This.

    The only reason lighter weights are good to start is to get your form down. Once you have form... go for the heaviest you can do in the 6-8 rep range.
  • jimmie65
    jimmie65 Posts: 655 Member
    i want to eventually start heavy lifting but i thought it would be best to start out slow and i thought lighter free weight would be a good start ..am i wrong?

    They would be fine 'for a start'. But the problem is, if you are even remotely serious about getting heavy with your lifts, you would outrun 22 lbs. dumbbells within a couple of weeks for anything except maybe curls, thus making them a waste. My wife uses 25s for her concentration curls...after she does barbell curls and hammer curls, and she's only been lifting for a few months, if that tells you anything. You'll be flinging those 22s around like paper weights, thus making them pretty useless for what you want to do.

    ^^This^^

    It's fine to start with dumbbells, but you will outgrow 22 lbs in no time.
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