How many dumbbells are suitable for home fitness

There is no universal standard answer for choosing the weight of dumbbells for home fitness. For novices with no exercise foundation, it is appropriate to choose 5-10kg/piece for boys and 2-5kg/piece for girls. Advanced people can flexibly adjust according to training actions and goals. In principle, the weight should be able to complete the corresponding training times without obvious compensation.

Don’t think this range is too vague. I also encountered pitfalls when I first got into home fitness. At that time, I saw an online blogger saying that “training is useless if the weight is not enough.” As soon as my mind got excited, I bought a pair of 15kg dumbbells. As a result, on the first day I trained the side of my shoulders. When I raised my arms horizontally, my arms shook like plastic bags in the wind, and my trapezius muscles were as tight as rocks. The next day, my neck hurt so much that I had to struggle to even turn my head to look at the rearview mirror. When I went for a massage, I was scolded by the master, saying that if I continued to practice blindly, I would have a cervical disc herniation.

In fact, the choice of weight depends on what you are doing: if you want to shape your body and build muscle endurance, usually choose a weight that you can do 15-20 times before failure. For example, if a girl practices peach-butt dumbbell deadlifts, choose a weight that will make your butt sore after 15 times that you can't sit down, but your waist will not shake during the whole movement, which is just right.； If you want to increase muscle size, choose a weight that can be used to failure for 8-12 reps. For example, if you can’t push the 13th time after 12 reps of dumbbell bench presses for boys’ chest training, and you don’t slouch your waist or shake your arms during the movements, then this weight is appropriate. Here is a concept commonly used in the industry called RM, which is the maximum number of repetitions that you can complete to a standard with your best efforts. You don’t need to memorize it too hard, just feel it when you practice.

And don’t let one set of weights dominate the world. I have been practicing for almost two years now. I can use two 14kg dumbbells for deadlifts, but I still only dare to lift 3kg for bent-over flyes. Last time I was too heavy-handed and took 5kg. After three days of practicing trapezius creatine, even carrying a computer bag felt heavy. After all, the size of the muscle groups used in different movements is very different. The weight that large muscle groups such as the chest, back, and legs can carry is definitely much greater than that of small muscle groups such as the shoulders and arms. Lifting heavy weight will only cause compensation, and even if you cannot train the target muscles, you will still be prone to injury.

Nowadays, there are two different opinions in the fitness circle on weight selection for novices: One group advocates "starting with light weight", first looking for muscle strength, and making the movements standard, even if you practice with a mineral water bottle filled with water, to avoid developing bad habits of compensation.； The other group believes that you can "appropriate weight". As long as the movements are not deformed, a slightly larger weight can stimulate the muscles faster and help you quickly build confidence in exercise. There is actually nothing wrong with both of these statements. If you love to exercise, often play ball and climb mountains, and have a stable core and good coordination, you can definitely choose a weight that is closer to the upper limit in the range. ； If you usually sit in the office for a long time and are out of breath after going up two floors, it is safer to start lightly and slowly find the feeling.

What's more, since we are doing fitness at home, there are two restrictions that need to be considered that are not available in gyms: one is safety. The gym has mats and protective racks. If you can't lift it, it's okay to throw it away. If you drop it at home, if the weight is too heavy, it will be a trivial matter if it hits the floor, but it will be a big loss if it hits your feet or furniture.； Another one is disturbing the residents. If you buy a 20kg dumbbell and put it on the ground after practicing, the neighbors downstairs will knock on the door that day. When I lived in the old community, I bought a 3cm thick rubber mat. Every time I put the dumbbell, I would handle it gently, for fear of being complained.

If you are really stuck and don’t know what to choose, it is easiest to just buy adjustable-weight dumbbells. This is the kind I use now. If you want to add weight, add weights or lighten weights, you don’t have to buy several pairs to take up space. The only thing I have to remind you is not to buy too cheap. The buckle must be a screw-down type. I bought a plastic buckle on the cheap before. When I was doing bench press, the barbell plate slipped and hit my stomach. It hurt me for almost a week, and now I am scared to think about it.

In fact, you really don’t need to worry too much about the difference of one or two kilograms. Home fitness is originally designed to be convenient and easy to persist. Don’t get yourself injured just to compare weight with others. Feel the contraction of the target muscles more during training, which is better than anything else. After all, being able to practice three times a week is much more useful than buying a pair of expensive and heavy dumbbells and letting them gather dust at home.