How Do You Know You Grabbed the Correct Weight?

One of the biggest mistakes people make when starting their weight-training journey is not knowing what weight to use. Choosing the wrong weight can slow progress and hurt your gains. Everyone is different—some exercises will feel easier for certain people than others, and we all have our strengths. There is no “perfect” weight for everyone.

Instead, you need to learn through trial and error what weight works best for you and for each exercise. Here are a few quick tips to help you choose the right weight.

1. Know Your Sets and Reps

Before picking up a weight, you need to know how many sets and reps you’re performing.

• Lighter weight + higher reps = Endurance (more on this later)

• Heavier weight + lower reps = Strength (more on this later)

If you’re brand new to weight training, a great starting point is 3 sets of 10 reps.

2. Was the Weight Challenging—or Too Easy?

A simple rule of thumb: the last 2–3 reps should feel challenging.

• If you finish your set and feel like you could have done 5–10 more reps, the weight is too light.

• If you’re struggling right from the first few reps, the weight is likely too heavy(with some exceptions, such as training for a 1-rep max—more on that later).

  
  

3. Watch Your Form

Form is everything. If your form starts to break down, the weight is too heavy. If you have to complete an exercise improperly just to finish the reps, the weight is way too heavy. This greatly increases your risk of injury, so always prioritize proper form.

4. Example: Finding Your “Sweet Spot”

Let’s go with an example. You are starting out, your first exercise is Squats at 10 reps. You grab a 20lb dumbbell. You complete your 10 reps and find that the last rep was still easy. Second set you grab a 30lb dumbbell, you find the last rep a little challenging. Third set you grab a 50lb dumbbell but find you can only complete 8 reps with proper form.

Next week, when you perform squats again, you’ll start with 40 lbs until it becomes too easy. Then, you increase the weight. The goal is simply to find your starting point and progress from there.

5. Keep Challenging Yourself

You want to find the balance between challenging yourself enough to see results and lifting safely without injury. If you always grab the same weight and never push yourself, you’ll eventually plateau and your muscles won’t develop.

This week’s goal: try adding 5–10 lbs to one exercise and see how it feels.

Finally, don’t be afraid to write things down and track your progress—you might be surprised by how much stronger you’ve become.