Question about deumbbell training
May 24, 2022 6:42 AM Subscribe
My spouse and I recently exercising with dumbbells. The program calls for increasing the volume every week. At what point do we switch from adding repetitions to adding another set?
In case it matters: Our program is Starting Strength with Dumbbells, here. I understand to add weight regularly, and I can do the math to figure out adding weight vs. adding reps. For simplicity, I am changing the program slightly, doing each exercise 3 sets x 5 reps. We are two women about 60 years old. We are starting with very low weights, 2 and 3 lbs.
In case it matters: Our program is Starting Strength with Dumbbells, here. I understand to add weight regularly, and I can do the math to figure out adding weight vs. adding reps. For simplicity, I am changing the program slightly, doing each exercise 3 sets x 5 reps. We are two women about 60 years old. We are starting with very low weights, 2 and 3 lbs.
> At what point do we switch from adding repetitions to adding another set?
I think at lower weights when you're starting out, it probably doesn't matter too much whether you add reps to each set, or add another set. As long as you're doing more of something at each session (reps x sets x weight = more than last time), then you'll make steady progress. The difference comes when each set is sufficiently hard work that you need to rest for a while before the next set.
The programme that I follow is slightly different, with 5 sets of 5 reps each. I've been doing it for a few months now, and reached weights that I can't lift any more than 5 times without a full three-minute rest between sets. Yesterday at the gym, I was sharing the squat rack with younger guy who was doing 4x8 - fine for him, but eight reps is too much for me to do all at once. I need to get my breath back.
From the newspaper a couple of days ago: https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2022/may/20/experience-79-year-old-world-champion-powerlifter
posted by rd45 at 7:12 AM on May 24, 2022
I think at lower weights when you're starting out, it probably doesn't matter too much whether you add reps to each set, or add another set. As long as you're doing more of something at each session (reps x sets x weight = more than last time), then you'll make steady progress. The difference comes when each set is sufficiently hard work that you need to rest for a while before the next set.
The programme that I follow is slightly different, with 5 sets of 5 reps each. I've been doing it for a few months now, and reached weights that I can't lift any more than 5 times without a full three-minute rest between sets. Yesterday at the gym, I was sharing the squat rack with younger guy who was doing 4x8 - fine for him, but eight reps is too much for me to do all at once. I need to get my breath back.
From the newspaper a couple of days ago: https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2022/may/20/experience-79-year-old-world-champion-powerlifter
posted by rd45 at 7:12 AM on May 24, 2022
To a first approximation for beginners: It doesn't matter how many reps you do. It doesn't matter how many sets you do. And it doesn't matter how heavy the weights are.
What's important is that that you do it consistently, that you stress your muscles (so that the last few reps of the last set should be much more difficult than the first reps, but not so difficult that your form changes), and that you gradually increase the load, whether that means extra reps, extra weight, or extra sets (up to a point; if you are doing 5 sets of 30, you should increase the weight).
posted by Mr.Know-it-some at 7:29 AM on May 24, 2022 [5 favorites]
What's important is that that you do it consistently, that you stress your muscles (so that the last few reps of the last set should be much more difficult than the first reps, but not so difficult that your form changes), and that you gradually increase the load, whether that means extra reps, extra weight, or extra sets (up to a point; if you are doing 5 sets of 30, you should increase the weight).
posted by Mr.Know-it-some at 7:29 AM on May 24, 2022 [5 favorites]
Yeah, one of the biggest issues for folks doing their own programming, especially beginners, is trying to excessively optimize progression. You're lifting stuff, it doesn't matter too too much how you're doing it.
The article you link has one way to do progression. Another way might be something like:
3 x 5 @ 2
3 x 8 @ 2
4 x 5 @ 2
4 x 8 @ 2
5 x 5 @ 2
5 x 8 @ 2
3 x 5 @ 3
Adding reps will feel harder, adding a new set will feel differently harder, adding more weight will feel differently harder again. The goal would be to do something to make your workout feel harder every time it feels not hard enough, and pushing on any of those three variables is completely valid.
posted by HtotheH at 7:44 AM on May 24, 2022 [1 favorite]
The article you link has one way to do progression. Another way might be something like:
3 x 5 @ 2
3 x 8 @ 2
4 x 5 @ 2
4 x 8 @ 2
5 x 5 @ 2
5 x 8 @ 2
3 x 5 @ 3
Adding reps will feel harder, adding a new set will feel differently harder, adding more weight will feel differently harder again. The goal would be to do something to make your workout feel harder every time it feels not hard enough, and pushing on any of those three variables is completely valid.
posted by HtotheH at 7:44 AM on May 24, 2022 [1 favorite]
Reading the article you linked, they say that the reason for not increasing the weight every time is that dumbbells are more coarsely spaced that a barbell can be. That is, the total weight of a barbell can usually be adjust by as small an increment as 2.5 lbs for the total load.
Dumbbells, on the other hand, are often 5 lbs increments, which leads to 10 lbs jumps. Therefore, if you start off doing 5 set x 5 reps x (2 lbs x 2 -- one for each hand) you have a total volume of 100 lbs.
If you were to go up to 3 lbs per hand, your volume would be 150 lbs, which is a 50% increase! Therefore, you could do 5 sets x 6 and 7 reps, which would give volumes of 120 and 140 lbs, respectively. Then switch back to 5 set of 5 reps of 3 lbs. This way your volume goes up every time, but only by 10-20%.
In short: do as close to 5 reps as you can given the dumbbell sizes available to you and without increasing your total volume by much. This is what the article says but I agree with the posters above that you don't need to get into the weeds about the exact numbers.
posted by Maecenas at 7:53 AM on May 24, 2022 [1 favorite]
Dumbbells, on the other hand, are often 5 lbs increments, which leads to 10 lbs jumps. Therefore, if you start off doing 5 set x 5 reps x (2 lbs x 2 -- one for each hand) you have a total volume of 100 lbs.
If you were to go up to 3 lbs per hand, your volume would be 150 lbs, which is a 50% increase! Therefore, you could do 5 sets x 6 and 7 reps, which would give volumes of 120 and 140 lbs, respectively. Then switch back to 5 set of 5 reps of 3 lbs. This way your volume goes up every time, but only by 10-20%.
In short: do as close to 5 reps as you can given the dumbbell sizes available to you and without increasing your total volume by much. This is what the article says but I agree with the posters above that you don't need to get into the weeds about the exact numbers.
posted by Maecenas at 7:53 AM on May 24, 2022 [1 favorite]
Agreed with not overthinking it. If you feel like you're stalling out (can do lots and lots of reps at one weight, but can't do a whole set at the next one) you can look for microloading plates for dumbbells - they're usually magnetic, you stick them on the dumbbells to bring them up 1.25 or 2.5 lbs. Especially for upper-body exercises (and ESPECIALLY for estrogen-dominant people, who tend to be optimized for endurance) this can be really helpful in building enough strength to make it to the next plateau.
But if you're starting with 2 and 3lb weights, this won't be a concern for a while. I'd start attempting higher weight once you can do 3x12 or 3x15, just as a general rule. That would be a very not-Starting Strength set, but honestly doing Starting Strength with dumbbells is... not doing Starting Strength. It's fine! Almost anything is fine for beginners! But don't worry too much about it until you're at the point where you can't handle the dumbbells necessary to make squats hard any more.
posted by restless_nomad at 8:13 AM on May 24, 2022 [1 favorite]
But if you're starting with 2 and 3lb weights, this won't be a concern for a while. I'd start attempting higher weight once you can do 3x12 or 3x15, just as a general rule. That would be a very not-Starting Strength set, but honestly doing Starting Strength with dumbbells is... not doing Starting Strength. It's fine! Almost anything is fine for beginners! But don't worry too much about it until you're at the point where you can't handle the dumbbells necessary to make squats hard any more.
posted by restless_nomad at 8:13 AM on May 24, 2022 [1 favorite]
Quick tip for starting out with dumbbells - it’s perfectly fine to get some wrist/ankle weights, which often come with .5 lb increments, and use those to increase the weights you are lifting very gradually. That’s what I did when I was starting out with a set of 5 and 8 lb weights. I was able to use the wrist weights to transition between the dumbbell levels very gradually and then stretch the use of the 8 lb weights for another month until I was ready to buy a set of adjustable dumbbells.
posted by bq at 9:51 AM on May 24, 2022 [2 favorites]
posted by bq at 9:51 AM on May 24, 2022 [2 favorites]
Response by poster: You all gave me variations on a theme! Thank you for the advice.
posted by NotLost at 8:21 PM on May 24, 2022
posted by NotLost at 8:21 PM on May 24, 2022
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