By Marnie Kunz, NASM-certified personal trainer, USATF- RRCA-certified run coach

If you’re not sure how much weight to lift, this guide will help you determine the best weight amount for your fitness level and goals. Strength training is one of the essential elements of fitness that can improve your quality of life, reduce your risk of injuries, and help your metabolism stay strong into your senior years. How much weight you lift will depend on a few factors, including your current fitness level and goals. Whether you want to lift weights to improve your running performance, gain muscle, lose weight, or elevate your fitness level, this guide will offer insights and tips to help you find a workout program to achieve your best results.

Beginners Home Workout Sample Program - No Equipment

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Strength Training for Beginners

If you’re a beginner or just getting back to strength training after an extended break, I recommend starting with bodyweight exercises. These exercises are beginner-friendly and can be adapted to different fitness levels. Once you master proper form and complete all the exercises with good form, you can start adding weights with dumbbells.

Check out our free Beginner’s Home Workout Program for a sample bodyweight strength training program you can do at home. Try some of these exercises first with your own body weight to build strength and improve your fitness level:

Lower Body Exercises

Lunges
Squats
Side Lunges
Glute bridges

Upper Body Exercises

Push-ups
Seated Dips
Arm Hangs
Pull-ups

Core Exercises

Planks
Side Planks
Dead Bugs
Flutter Kicks

As you advance in your training, you can add compound exercises that work multiple muscle groups for an efficient full-body workout, such as burpees, plank jacks, and lunge jumps.

Adding Dumbbells to Your Workouts

Once you’ve mastered a bodyweight workout program, you can add dumbbells to many exercises to increase your intensity and improve your strength. Add dumbbells to squats and lunges, for instance. For upper body exercises, try tricep extensions, bicep curls, bent-over rows, and dumbbell chest presses.

Some effective dumbbell exercises to try include:

Biceps curls
Triceps extensions
Bent over rows
Dumbbell shoulder press
Hip thrusts with dumbbells
Dumbbell squats
Dumbbell lunges

When deciding on how much weight to lift with dumbbells, start small and ensure you can do all of your reps with good form before gradually increasing your weight. Most beginners do well with dumbbells in the 3- to 10-pound range.

Also, keep in mind that you may be able to lift heavier weights for some exercises than others. Doing dumbbell chest presses or squat exercises targets larger muscle groups, and you may be able to use heavier dumbbells than for some isolation exercises like bicep curls or dumbbell shoulder presses.

Progressive Overload

When you’re weightlifting, follow the principle of progressive overload. This means to gradually add weight to your load by increasing your weight amount, reps, and workout duration by 10 percent or less from week to week. The National Academy of Sports Medicine defines progressive overload as the principle of increasing time, weight, or intensity to within 10 percent or less each week of training to allow for a gradual adaptation while minimizing the risk of injury.

When you’re deciding how much weight to lift, progressive overload will help you progress toward your fitness goals by increasing your intensity incrementally. This challenges your body without breaking it down by overtraining with too much too soon. A good guideline to help you follow the principle of progressive overload is to only add weight or reps when you can maintain good form throughout your workout routines.

If you increase your weight load and your form starts to fall apart, then it’s time to dial back on the weight amount or do fewer reps. You should be able to maintain proper form throughout your workout, even if the workout is hard.

How Much Weight to Lift for Gaining Muscle

If you want to gain muscle, using free weights with dumbbells and a barbell will help you make the biggest gains. Heavier weights accelerate muscle growth, but this doesn’t mean you should rush out to lift heavy weights at the gym if you’re a beginner. Take your time to build a fitness base with bodyweight workouts and dumbbells, and then advance to barbell exercises.

With heavy lifting, it’s especially important to maintain good form, so seek help from a personal trainer if you need to be spotted or learn good form.

Here are some excellent barbell exercises that can help you increase your muscle size and strength:

Deadlifts
Bench Press
Back Squats
Front Squats
Overhead Press
Barbell Rows
Barbell Hip Thrusts

To maximize your muscle growth, make sure you’re eating enough protein so your body can build and repair muscles well. Check out our protein pasta recipes and high-protein snack ideas for protein-filled nutrition insights.

To determine how much weight to lift for your barbell exercises, first consider the weight of the barbell. Most barbells say how much they weigh on the round ends of the barbell. A standard barbell weighs 45 pounds (20.4 kg), an Olympic barbell weighs 45 pounds (20 kg), and curl barbells usually weigh 30 pounds (13.6 kg). Once you know your barbell weight, you can then slowly add more weight to your barbell for progressive overload.

Weight Training for Weight Loss

Weightlifting is a great way to increase your lean muscle mass, reduce fat tissue, and lose weight. Although the common perception for a long time was that weightlifting makes people bigger, recent studies show that weight training is one of the most effective ways to burn calories, improve body composition, and lose weight. Since muscle tissue burns more calories than fat, strength training can help your body burn more calories even while resting.

When you’re embarking on a weightlifting program for weight loss, start with bodyweight exercises. You can progress to using dumbbells or weight machines as your body adjusts to training. Here are some strengthening exercises to incorporate into your weight loss routine:

Squats. Start with your body weight and progress to using dumbbells or barbells.
Lunges. Begin with bodyweight lunges and advance to holding dumbbells while you lunge.
Push-ups. Start with modified push-ups if you’re a beginner, and work your way up to regular push-ups. You can do incline push-ups with your feet elevated for an advanced version.
Planks. Planks offer a versatile core strengthening exercise. You can add more time as you become accustomed to planks.
Seated Dips. All you need is a chair, elevated bench, or ledge to do bodyweight seated dips.
Burpees are a compound exercise that targets your full body, giving you an efficient exercise.

To lose weight with strength training, do at least two strength workouts per week. For the best results, also do regular cardio workouts like walking, running, or cycling. The Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans recommends doing 150 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity and 2 days of muscle-strengthening activity each week for good health. This is also a good starting point if you’re beginning an exercise program to lose weight.

Also, compliment your workout program with healthy eating to optimize your weight loss results. Eating less processed foods and a variety of whole grains, lean proteins, and fresh fruits and vegetables will help you lose weight.

Reps, Sets, and Weight Amounts

When you are doing weightlifting exercises, you may wonder how many repetitions you should be doing. The ideal rep range for you depends on your goals and weight amount. Here are some general guidelines to help you determine the best number of reps for you based on your fitness goals:

For General Fitness and Weight Loss: Aim for 1 to 3 sets of 12 to 15 repetitions for a good mix of strength and endurance. This is ideal for bodyweight exercises and dumbbell workouts to improve your fitness level.
For Better Endurance: Increase the number of reps to 15 or more and increase your sets to 3 to 4 to focus on cardiovascular health and muscular stamina.
For Muscle Strength: To build more strength, opt for heavier sets (4 to 6 sets) with fewer repetitions (6 to 12 reps) to challenge your muscles.
For Muscle Growth: Do more sets. Aim for 3 to 6 sets of 8 to 12 repetitions, working each muscle group close to failure (the point where you can’t do another rep with good form). This will help with muscle hypertrophy, or gains, as weightlifters like to say.

Keep in mind that everyone is different, and your fitness background will also influence how much weight you can lift and how many reps are best for your workout routine. If you need help with your weightlifting form or deciding on a weight amount, consult a personal trainer for guidance.

Weightlifting Tips from a Trainer

Here are some tips to help you make progress with your resistance training workouts:

Bodyweight exercises are fundamental. When you’re starting out, master bodyweight exercises before adding weights for a solid foundation. Some bodyweight exercises - like planks - are effective for all levels of fitness.
Start light, prioritize form. Begin with weights you can control through a full range of motion with great form. Focus on technique, not lifting heavy weights.
Focus on compound exercises. They work multiple muscle groups at once, maximizing your calorie burn and time efficiency. Squats, lunges, rows, presses, and pull-ups are excellent compound exercises to work multiple muscle groups.
Listen to your body. Choose weights that challenge you but don’t push you to pain or sacrifice form. If it feels too heavy, it probably is.
Warm-up well. Prepare your muscles with dynamic stretches and light cardio to prevent injury and improve your performance.
Track your progress. Monitor your lifts in a journal or app. Seeing your progress is motivating and helps you adjust weights accordingly.
Consistency is key. Regular workouts, even with lighter weights, will give you better results than sporadic heavy lifting.

Ultimately, the right weight amount for you to lift is the one that allows you to train safely, effectively, and consistently toward your goals. Don’t be afraid to make small changes and add weights in small increments to help you maintain good form and get the most benefits from your workouts.

Need more workout guidance? Head to our Training Center for personalized fitness plans that will help you shatter your fitness plateau and reach your goals. Follow @Runstreet on Instagram for more fitness tips. Happy lifting to you!

Marnie Kunz is a NASM-certified personal trainer and USATF- and RRCA-certified running coach based in Brooklyn, NY. Marnie likes helping people get and stay active to enjoy a better quality of life. When she’s not doing fitness things, Marnie enjoys exploring with her dog, a mischievous rescue Akita.

How Much Weight to Lift: Tips and Guidelines from a Trainer