Dumbbell Guide: How much
weight should you lift?
Top Picks for Beginners, Intermediates & Advanced (Plus Exercise Matchups)
One of the awesome perks of having a personal trainer is that we fetch your dumbbells. It’s like having your personal fitness concierge!
But really, what we’re doing is making sure you aren’t grabbing too light a weight.
Trust me; nothing makes a trainer want to curl up in a ball and cry more than watching a client go for the 5 lb dumbbells on a lift that can take two, three or even four times that amount.
So, what do you do when you’re at home working out to my YouTube or my OFF (Over Fifty Fitness) videos?
Here are some general recommendations for the size of dumbbells to start with and the appropriate sizes to use for each of the body’s different muscles.
Please remember, though, that these are generalized.
Previous injuries, previous experience and your confidence with the exercise will affect how much weight you can lift.
But what doesn’t affect what size dumbbells you use, though, is your age!
I have trained 65-year-olds with the same size dumbbells I use for my own workouts, as they had experience with the lift.
In fact, the older we are, the heavier the weight we need to work towards to decrease sarcopenia (muscle wasting) and osteoporosis.
In over 30 years of training humans, I have found that once people reach around 70 years old, their ability to lift heavy objects decreases. Now, this is just my own experience with clients, and it could be because none of them had done any strength training before working with me.
As mentioned above, previous experience plays a significant role in determining how much weight you can lift. So, if you are in your 70s and have been lifting for years, listen to your body and challenge yourself with what feels ‘uncomfortably comfortable’.Women – Beginners:
Women – Intermediate (exercising 3+ months):
Women – Advanced (exercising 12+ months):
Hi, I’m PJ Wren.
I’ve been working with people of all ages, all fitness abilities, and varying fitness goals for over two decades.
I’ve helped thousands of women over the years who are just like you, feel more energized, stronger, and more confident in their bodies. I turn gym goers and non-believers of getting fit at home into believers, with at-home workouts that will give you the results you want, no gym equipment or crazy diet required!
I’m passionate about women over 40 because I am over 40 myself.
I know what it feels like to be middle-aged, and what it’s like to have a hot flash while looking for my bloody reading glasses.
I’m honoured you choose me, in the HUGE ocean of fitness professionals, to help you get fit, get strong and get fierce.
I promise to only give it to ya straight while listening to what you want, and what you need.
ox PJ
