Dumbbell Decisions: How to Develop Your Weight Workout Plan

Designing a workout plan can be a little daunting if you’re not sure where to start. Most people start simple and tend to base their workouts around cardio exercises, although weights are very important to help meet your fitness or lifestyle goals. Resistance-based exercises using weights are a great way to challenge yourself, build lean muscle mass and introduce a little variety into your workout. If you’re interested in developing your weight workout plan, consider these easy tips.

The right equipment

Weight-based equipment can be tricky to master or be confident in using straight away. To develop your weight workout plan, try starting simple with some dumbbells as they are a fantastic introduction to resistance training. They don’t require complex pulley systems or changing plates to do your workout, they are ready to go as is. Dumbbells come in a variety of weights, making finding the right weight for you very simple. Starting with dumbbells means you can develop a program that isn’t too complicated but helps build that all-important muscle. Exercises like chest press, bicep curls and so many more are simple to execute using dumbbells, but be sure to start light knowing you can always increase between sets.

Ask for help

One of the best ways to develop your weight workout plan is to seek professional advice. Depending on your goals, strengths and weaknesses, there will be an exercise that can help or inhibit your progress, whereas speaking with a trainer to assess those goals can really help develop that workout plan. Introducing consistency and variety after a period of time are important which are the things that a professional trainer can help you design. It doesn’t mean spending big dollars to have sessions each week, you may choose to have them design a plan and then go off to start working on it yourself.

Find the right routine

Weight-based workouts are great, but you want to be sure you find the right routine for you. Overworking muscle groups can be dangerous and lead to muscle fatigue or injury so find a routine that allows your muscle groups to recover in between sessions. Many people find it useful to break up their body and isolate muscles in a single session. For example, training the chest one day and then legs the next. This allows the upper body to recover while you work out the lower and it spreads the fatigue rather than being sore all over. Take the time to find a routine that works for you and set realistic goals of how many times per week you wish to do weight-based workouts. 

Focus on form

Developing any workout plan should be about controlled progression. With weight-based workouts that is even more important and you should resist the urge to go too heavy or be sucked into an ego contest. Start with weights that are manageable and work your way up to the heavier weights, focusing on the correct form and not how much you are lifting at the time. Your form will always result in progression so don’t allow yourself to push too far too early. A good rule of thumb is that in any set, the last few reps should be hard but manageable.

Weight-based workouts are an amazing way to supercharge your fitness goals. Taking the time to find the right workout for you is incredibly important. Focus on the easier equipment at the beginning, seek help when you need it and never allow yourself to get caught in an ego contest at the gym. Starting with a reliable and safe program early on will ensure you see significant improvements down the track. If you’re interested in developing a weight-based workout, then consider these simple tips to get started.