Weight Training for Beginners | Strength Training for Beginners | Best Dumbbells for Beginners, by Yes2Next on YouTube. 9 min 52 s.
- Video length
- 9 min 52 s
- Time to do it
- 20 minutes
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Steps
- 9
What you need
Steps
Warm up for 5 minutes first. Walk on the spot, roll your shoulders and do a few slow arm circles so your muscles and joints are ready to lift.
Start with a light pair, around 2 to 5 pounds for arms and 5 to 10 pounds for legs. Beginners and older adults should always begin lighter than they think they need.
Do one test set of 8 to 12 reps with that weight. Move slowly and keep your form clean on every single rep.
Judge the last two or three reps. They should feel hard but still doable with good form. If you could knock out 15 easy reps, the weight is too light.
Go heavier if it felt easy. Move up one size at a time, usually 2 to 5 pounds for upper body and 5 to 10 pounds for lower body.
Go lighter if your form breaks. If you struggle to lift the weight even once or twice, it is too heavy, so drop down a size.
Write down the weight, exercise and reps in a notebook or phone. Next session, use the same weight or slightly more.
Train two full body sessions a week with at least one rest day between them. Apply the same rule to resistance bands: pick one that makes the last reps hard.
Rest until muscle soreness fades before working the same muscles again, then repeat. Soreness is normal. Sharp joint pain is not.
Tips and common mistakes
Expect some soreness a day or two after training. It means you are building muscle, so rest until it settles.
Do not jump to heavy weights to speed things up. Clean form with a lighter dumbbell builds more than sloppy reps with a heavy one.
Add your two strength sessions on top of about 150 minutes of heart-pumping cardio each week.
If a weight feels different on each side, use the weight your weaker side can control.
Questions
How do I know a dumbbell is too heavy?
If you cannot lift it once or twice with control, or your form falls apart, it is too heavy. Drop to the next lighter pair and build up from there.
How often should a beginner lift weights?
Two full body sessions a week with at least one rest day in between is enough to start. Add more only when you recover well between sessions.
Should I be sore after every workout?
Some soreness is normal after a new or harder session. Rest until it fades, and expect less soreness as your body adapts to the weight.
This guide was drafted from the video's details and general task knowledge. It has not been checked against the full video. Check the video and relevant product instructions before following a procedure. Report a correction.
