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How to choose a working weight for an exercise. How to determine the optimal working weight? Rules for safe training

Hello!

Very often, girls who have recently come to the gym and have little experience in training do not know how to determine your working weight. In particular, this applies to online training, when the trainer draws up a training program, he writes the name of the exercise and the number of repetitions and approaches. The weight of shells is often not indicated for the reason that everyone will have their own weight. For some it is squats with an empty bar, and for others it is a barbell weighing 50 kg. That's why I decided to tell you today, how to determine working weight. This will help you become more independent during the training process and not be a blind kitten in the hands of a trainer.

So, let's look at a specific example.

You need to do 15 barbell squats in 3 sets. How much barbell weight should you take?

Weight determination in any exercise, be it squats, dumbbell shoulder press, lunges, deadlifts, etc. starts with the number of repetitions. This is our starting point. If you need to do 15 reps, then you need to choose a weight so that you can do 15 reps. The weight of the weight in this case should be equal to 70% -75% of your one-time maximum.

One-time maximum is the weight that you can technically do for one repetition. That is, if you can do squats with a weight of 15 kg for one repetition, then 70-75% of 15 kg will be 10-12 kg. THIS will be your working weight to work with. At the same time, it should be such that when finishing the exercise, you have one or two more repetitions left that you can do technically. No more!

That is, the weight should not be too light for you and not too heavy.

If at the 15th repetition you feel that you can do another 3, 4, 5 or even 10 repetitions, then the weight you chose is too small, you need to take more.

Or if you took a weight, and at the 10th repetition you feel that you cannot complete the exercise to the end, and you cannot complete the last 5 repetitions, then it means that the weight you took is too heavy, you need to reduce it.

Here you must focus on your strengths and adequately evaluate them. No need to feel sorry for yourself! Often the mistake girls make is to take less weight than they can handle. For some reason, few people take more, basically everyone takes smaller dumbbells and a lighter barbell, and then they wonder why there is no result from the training??? Yes, because they don’t do enough in training! They do everything in light mode. Where they could take more weight and do the specified number of repetitions with high quality, they take less weight, thinking that this will do. This is better than doing nothing at all and lying on the couch! YES, this is UNDOUBTEDLY BETTER, but for the result that you want and expect from training, from the trainer and from yourself in particular, you must always step over your laziness, self-pity and imaginary weakness!

You are much stronger than you think! It’s just that the instinct of self-preservation sometimes turns on when it’s not asked, and this often happens during training, when you cause pain to your body (and working in the gym or any other physical activity is a lot of stress for the body). But you must try to distinguish between a real instinct of self-preservation and not lifting a 100 kg barbell if you have never done it before, and self-pity, which is very well disguised as the first!

Stop feeling sorry for yourself! Anyone who feels sorry for himself lies on the sofa with folds of fat on his stomach and eats cookies! You are not like that!!! Therefore, we work on ourselves and choose a weight that is adequate to our strength and work with it! We are not afraid to pump up and become men, this is not in our nature!

I really hope that you have figured out how to choose your working weight, and you will no longer have problems with this when you go to the gym.

I wish you to always be in shape and never feel sorry for yourself during training!

Video option:

Yours sincerely, Yanelia Skripnik, was with you!

The working weight cannot be chosen at random. Learn how to determine the load that will help you gain muscle mass in the shortest possible time.

As a strength training veteran, I often hear two types of questions from beginners. The question, unrelated to which protein powder to take, is a completely different issue: How much weight should I lift on any given exercise?

A very good question to which there is no easy answer. In fact, we find ourselves at a crossroads here with a ton of options, so let's go through them in order. This will allow you to tailor your training program to your needs, ensuring you are always using the optimal weight.

You can take a 10kg barbell, lift it 75 times, and after a while you will feel tired and your arms will be bloody. You will definitely sweat a lot. On the other hand, you could take a 40kg weight, lift it 8 times, and then give up because you can't complete even one more rep. In both cases you are training "intensely". But which option should be preferred?

This may seem strange to you, but the answer depends on your goals. If you want to get as strong as possible, you will use more weight than your counterpart who wants to get as big as possible. And to increase muscular endurance, you will have to work with even less weight.

  • Developing strength requires choosing a weight that allows you to train in the rep range of 1 to 6.
  • Gaining muscle mass is based on training with weights that allow you to complete 8 to 12 repetitions.
  • If muscular endurance is on your agenda, you'll want to stick with a working weight that you can perform at least 15 reps with.

Now let's take a closer look at all three training protocols.

1. Strength training

The biggest and strongest men and women - powerlifters, Olympic weightlifters, strongmen - have one single goal: to become stronger. To lift heavy equipment in competition, you have to lift heavy weights in training. And when we talk about heavy, we mean really, really heavy.

To develop strength indicators you need both, and. They involve several joints at once, for example, the bench press involves the shoulder and elbow joints simultaneously. Multi-joint activity like this generally activates more muscle mass, allowing you to lift heavier equipment.

During heavy sets, the work is done primarily by those muscle fibers that we call fast-twitch; they respond better to strength training by increasing volume and strength. However, they run out of energy very quickly, so you won't be able to perform high reps with heavy weights.

Rest periods between main sets should be long enough so that incomplete recovery does not ruin the next set. Of course, lifting heavy weights involves a preliminary warm-up, during which a series of sets with progressively increasing weights precedes work with maximum tonnage. Athletes who work on strength also try to avoid, and this technique is adopted mainly by bodybuilders.

When working on mass, focus on complex exercises

Although those who train for maximum strength work with really heavy weights, their methods are not the best for maximizing muscle size (). Bodybuilders and gym goers who are looking to gain muscle mass take a slightly different approach to determining how much weight they should lift. The weight you can complete 8-12 reps with has been proven to produce the most muscle size.

But this statement requires some explanation, so let's start with that.

You must train with proper technique. You've probably seen videos on YouTube of guys doing bounce bench presses because the bar is too heavy and they have to use a little extra momentum to move it. This is not considered good technique. Each exercise contains its own “set of technical rules”. Generally speaking, you must control the apparatus and use only those joints that are destined to participate in this movement. If your biceps curl involves your knees or hips, you're using joints you shouldn't be using. There's a term for this—cheating—and it subverts the mantra of proper technique.

Perform “full” sets of 8–12 reps. Of course, you could just put a little less weight on the bar and stop at 12 reps, but that wouldn't be a full set. A full set ends on the verge of muscle failure - at the moment when you can no longer complete another repetition according to all the rules. If you can do 13 reps, you're using too light a weight. By analogy, if you can only do 4-5 reps, the load is too high for maximum muscle growth. The golden mean is a weight with which you can complete 8 to 12 repetitions without assistance.

Bodybuilders also train fast-twitch muscle fibers, usually starting with compound exercises divided according to body parts. This technique requires a high volume of training load (3-4 working sets of compound exercises performed at various angles) and short rest periods (60 seconds for small muscle groups and 90 seconds for large muscles).


The golden mean is in the range of 8-12 repetitions

Not everyone trains to become very big or very strong. You can train at low intensity by choosing a weight relative to your one-rep max. This approach activates mechanisms in muscle fibers that make aerobic energy synthesis pathways more efficient, but does not increase muscle size. As a result, the muscles can perform many repetitions for a long time without fatigue. An example is the musculature of classic marathon runners, which is designed for continuous work over a long distance.

If your goal is muscular endurance, you should choose a light weight that will allow you to complete 15-20 or more repetitions. Such stimuli are not strong enough to increase strength or mass. This is because the muscles use slow-twitch muscle fibers, which are designed for long-term work and do not increase in volume the way fast-twitch muscles do.

The relationship between weight and number of repetitions

Once you've already decided on your goal, it's easy to figure out what weight to use for which exercise. Obviously, there is an inverse relationship between the number of repetitions per set and the weight of the apparatus. As you increase the weight, you will be able to complete fewer reps, and with a lighter weight, you will be able to complete more reps.

You can use the following table as a starting point. If your bench press max is about 100 kg, the number of reps you can complete with a given weight will be something like this:

Weight 60 65 70 75 80 85 90 95 100
Repetitions 15 12 10 9 7 5 4 2 1

This strength curve is unique to each athlete and each exercise, and you can design your training protocol based on it. Let's say this is your bench press strength curve. Then to work on strength you would have to train with a weight exceeding 85 kg. For mass training, you would train with weights between 65 and 75 kg, and for endurance development you would have to use weights beyond the lower end of this chart, less than 65 kg.

Each of us has our own strength schedule for each exercise, and you can become familiar with your schedule as you train. The key to success is to use a weight that is ideal for your goals. If you're used to starting an exercise with a warm-up set, you can always hang the bar long before muscle failure and tell yourself it was another warm-up set if you think you're not getting into the desired rep range. In the next approach, adjust the working weight. By recording your results in a notepad or smartphone, you will save yourself from guessing at your next workout.

Fine-tuning the working weight

The hard part is over, but that doesn't mean an experienced lifter can't fine-tune the weight he's lifting. Here are a couple of tips to help you with this.

1. Build warm-up sets in ascending order

Some people think that warming up is a waste of time, but it actually helps you lift more weight. Your tissues will become more elastic if you go through the motion path before lifting heavy weights. It should be noted that although bodybuilders train to muscle failure, warm-up sets never approach this point. Stop any light weight approach well before muscle failure. A bodybuilder who plans to lift 100 kg on the bench press and complete 8-12 repetitions in each set should adhere to the following warm-up scheme: 60, 80 and 90 kg.

2. Heavy weight - at the beginning of the workout

Since intense training tends to deplete your energy reserves, place your most difficult exercises early in the training session when there is plenty of fuel in the tanks. You can even train at the lower end of the hypertrophy zone by choosing a weight that you can only do 8 reps with. As you train your target group, vary the number of reps per set and train at slightly different intensities: perform sets of 10 (almost to failure) and 12 reps toward the end. With the exception of the warm-up, start exercises in the lower rep range and work your way up to 12 reps towards the end of the workout.


Try to vary the number of repetitions per set when training one muscle group

3. Be careful with progressive overload

Muscles adapt to training stimuli, becoming larger and stronger. Powerlifters and bodybuilders know that most of the adaptation occurs within fast-twitch muscle fibers. If we graph this, your strength curve will move up and you will be able to perform more reps with each weight you work.

How do you know when it's time to increase your load? Try this method: When you can do 2 more reps with a particular weight you started with in two workouts in a row, increase the weight. If you started out doing 8 reps with 100kg on the bench press and now manage to do 10 reps in two workouts in a row, move up.

  • For upper body exercises such as the bench press, the weight should be raised approximately 5%. So instead of 100 kg you need to put 105.
  • For lower body exercises such as squats, the weight should be increased by about 10%. Instead of 100 kg you need to put 110.

Let's say you've gained muscle volume and increased your strength. To continue to progress, you must challenge your muscles in new ways by increasing the load. As you can see, you must progressively increase the load, otherwise you will simply mark time. Complacency is your biggest enemy no matter what your goals are, so pushing yourself to do more reps or using a little more weight will help you progress.

Even the most dedicated lifters will eventually hit a training plateau. High-intensity training techniques, in which you competently manage the working weight, can spur mass gain and strength gains, but they should not be performed on a whim, but after carefully planning specific training methods. Learn different techniques to help you cycle your training.

You'll soon learn that the bigger and stronger you become, the less you see "random" results, and the more carefully you have to plan your training process. It seems counterintuitive, but you will find that the more you know, the faster you progress.

Correctly calculated working weight when performing strength exercises in the gym can in the shortest possible time help an athlete pump up muscles, increase strength indicators, make muscles more prominent and, of course, get rid of ridiculous injuries in training.

All exercises that athletes perform in gyms are usually divided into two main classes, insulating(single-joint) and basic(multi-joint), that is, they involve two or more joints when performing a working movement.

It is very important to choose the right working weight in basic exercises, because only they can significantly influence the growth of strength indicators and muscle mass(remarkably, they can also cause very serious injury to the athlete, so it is important not only to select the correct weight during training, but also to thoroughly study the performance of these exercises).

Basis for calculation working weight should become interest(%) of the maximum possible weight that you can lift in this particular exercise. For example, there are concepts that are closely related to the gym, such as light, medium, and heavy workouts. So, light training means the working weight in the exercise is 60-65% of the maximum, medium 70-75%, and heavy 80-85%.


Calculation of working weight in an exercise

Let us consider below, using a specific example, the calculation of working weight when performed on a horizontal bench.

An example of calculating the working weight in the bench press

Suppose we found out that our maximum result in the barbell chest press is 90 kg, which means that the working weight, when converted to training taking into account the load, will look like this:

  • if we have an easy workout: 90 * 0.6 (0.65) = 54 or 58.5 kg = 55-60 kg
  • if the average workout: 90 * 0.7 (0.75) = 63 or 67.5 kg = 65-70 kg
  • if hard training: 90 * 0.8 (0.85) = 72 or 76.5 kg = 75 kg

Round up to the whole or a larger number, then during the training itself you can adjust it (not important). You can see how to combine training, light, medium and heavy loads in. As a rule, if the exercise is performed on 6 repetitions, then this heavy training, if 8 – average, if on 12 easy.

As for calculating the working weight in isolating exercises, for example, on a horizontal bench, and so on, there is no strict calculation, here you should focus more on your own sensations, taking into account the load you want to get and the number of repetitions you want to perform.


An example of calculating the working weight in the bench press

If you train hard, then at the end it should be really hard (but don’t push yourself to the point of complete failure, this is unnecessary, a lot of stress for the body, after which it will need to be given a lot of time to recovery), if average, then it should not be very hard, but not easy, if the load is light, then the exercise should be performed without unnecessary, excessive effort, in compliance perfect technique.

How to find out the maximum working weight in an exercise

As we have already found out, calculating the maximum working weight in isolation exercises does not make much sense (especially when it comes to training newcomers), so you must concentrate all your efforts on calculating the basic exercises (this is, first of all, the bench press)

1 way

To calculate the maximum in an exercise, you can use universal formula: perform the exercise with the correct technique in 5 sets of 6 repetitions and multiply the working weight by a factor of 1.2, the resulting figure will be your maximum weight.

It is necessary to perform it so that after 5 approaches, you cannot complete the 6th approach fully, without violating the technique, for all 6 repetitions due to the resulting muscle stress (fatigue).

Let's say you're in the gym, doing deadlifts with a weight 120 kg all 6 repetitions in 5 approaches, so in the 6th approach, if you were doing it, you would not be able to do it for all 6 repetitions (5 or 4), in total we get your maximum deadlift: 120 * 1.2 = 145 kg approximately .

Method 2

Perhaps someone doesn’t like such a rough calculation, then in this case, you need to warm up thoroughly, do a full warm-up, and by experiment, adding weight to the barbells in increments of 5-10 kg, lift the weights until you reach your maximum.

Adjusting the weight on the bar when calculating the weight lifted per time in increments of 5-10 kg, more relevant to isolation exercises, and basic exercises when you approach your limit ( submaximal scales). Typically, athletes begin to use a step 20-30 kg, both during warm-up approaches and when calculating your maximum.


How to find out the maximum working weight in an exercise

For example, let's calculate working weight in the basic leg exercise – squatting with a barbell on the shoulders:

We know that an athlete assumes that he can squat with a barbell for about 110-120 kg, it is necessary to calculate how much he can actually squat if a regular leg workout of medium intensity looks like this:

  • 4 sets of 8 reps, with a weight of 90 kg.

In order to determine how much weight an athlete can lift a barbell with, it is necessary to first carefully warm up using an empty bar, light weights and for muscles (optional).

  • 1 set of 15 reps with empty bar
  • 1 set of 12 reps with 40 kg
  • 1 set of 8 reps with 60 kg
  • 1 set of 4 reps with 80 kg
  • 1 set of 2 reps with 100 kg
  • 1 set of 1 rep with 110 kg
  • 1 set of 1 rep with 115 kg
  • 1 set for 1 rep from 117.5 - 120 kg (hardcore)

Thus, the resulting figure can be used in all training programs that mention percentages of the maximum working weight in a specific exercise.

3 way

Use different online calculators, or applications from the play market, which often use formulas Brzycki, Apley, Lander, Lombardi, Mayhew, O'Connor, Vatan. However, the accuracy of these programs leaves much to be desired.

The most proven way to calculate the maximum is the one that is carried out practically, by actually feeling the weight lifted, that is, method No. 2.

How to increase weight on a barbell (simulators)

To fully complete the training, in addition to calculating the working and maximum weight, you need to know how to correctly increase bar weight. This is especially important at the initial stage, when the strength, and therefore the weight on the barbell, will grow very quickly, because a beginner is still very far from reaching the limit of the body’s hidden strength capabilities.

Once you feel that it is easy for you to do installed working weight in an exercise, or you are doing a heavy workout (6 repetitions) with a large margin, then in this case, you can safely increase the weight on the bar by 2.5-5 kg. The main thing in this matter take your time, and the proverb “the slower you go, the further you will go,” shows the true picture of the upcoming future in increasing the working weights on the bar.

Slowly increasing the weight on the bar has a positive effect on the absence of injuries during training and on the correct execution of the exercise technique.

It is also necessary, especially at the initial stage of training, to start training diary, in which you will record progress and regression in the exercises, that is, the number of approaches and repetitions performed, rest time, the feeling of fatigue after completing the approach and the working weight in a particular exercise.


How to increase weight on a barbell?

By recording the weight on the barbell and the date of the workout in your diary, you will be able to see and adjust further working weight.

Now we know how much weight needs to be placed on the barbell (exercise machine), and what is the optimal number of approaches and repetitions that need to be done in order to maximally involve muscle growth processes in the work.

All that remains is to choose the most effective exercises for muscle growth.

What exercises to do in the gym

We have already introduced the best exercises for muscle growth in this one. If anyone is interested, be sure to follow the links, because this information will help you choose the most effective ones among the entire list, which in turn will save you time.

For general understanding principle When choosing certain exercises in the gym, you need to understand, as we wrote at the beginning of the article, that there are isolated and basic (multi-joint) exercises. For beginners, must be performed primarily only basic without wasting precious strength and energy on isolated exercises that are ineffective for muscle growth.

So that you don’t rack your brains about how much, in what order, and what exercises to do, we have written training programs, depending on the level of training, if you haven’t done any physical exercise at all (or it’s been a very long time), then this one is suitable for you, and if you have experience in the gym ( 1-2 years), then this one is for you.

If you want us to develop for you individual training program, then contact us via the feedback form.

I would like to emphasize that the rude muscle mass give regular exercises in the range 6-12 reps:

  • Deadlift
  • Bench press
  • Barbell Squats

These are exactly those “magic” exercises for a beginner level athlete, which not only can, but also need to be performed (if you are not healthy contraindications).


What exercises to do in the gym?

If your goal is to lose weight (get dry), then you need to radically change your diet. To gain weight (muscle), you need surplus, that is, an excess of calories, to burn fat, you need a deficiency (excess) of calories in the body, which is created primarily by cutting carbohydrates. Read more about how to eat to dry out or gain weight in the relevant articles.

Also remember that the gym when losing weight becomes in a secondary place(but many fitness trainers don’t understand these banal things when they force their client to squat with a barbell in order for her hips to become smaller!), when gaining weight, on the contrary, strength exercises are required so that all excess calories do not turn into fat, but are used as fuel for the growth of high-quality muscles.

Choosing the correct working weight of the barbell or dumbbells when performing exercises is one of the key points of successful strength training for both men and women. An excessively low working weight will not allow the activation of muscle growth mechanisms, and an excessively high one will increase the risk of injury by reducing control over the technique of performing the exercise (especially when performing).

That being said, the worst thing you can do to determine the weight you need is to rely on the people around you in the gym. Just because someone is doing a biceps curl with 20kg dumbbells or doing a bench press with a 80kg barbell does not mean that you need the same weight for the same exercise.

Muscle-brain connection

Watching how a pumped up and muscular athlete performs an exercise with a huge weight, a beginner makes a seemingly logical conclusion - the greater the working weight in the exercise, the better. However, this is only the external side of the training. What's really important is conscious activation of muscle fibers, not just lifting a heavy barbell or dumbbells.

Development between the brain and muscles is the first step required to create an athletic physique. You must learn to feel that a strength exercise is being performed precisely by the muscle being trained, and not simply by the force of inertia. In addition, you should feel that the load is on the muscles, and not on the joints and ligaments.

What weight is best to pump biceps?

Biceps training is one example when an excessively heavy working weight simply does not allow a beginner to feel the direct work of the muscles. As a result, when lifting a barbell for biceps, the main work is not done by the arms, but by the muscles of the body, neck and even lower back, provoking the development of chronic pain in the spine.

To find the right weight to train your biceps, start with dumbbell exercises. Take a 5-6 kg dumbbell and perform 12-15 repetitions - if these repetitions are easy enough for you, increase the weight by 1-2 kg. If you notice that you have to strain your core and arch your body to lift the dumbbells up, lower the weight.

Working weight and calculation of the number of repetitions

It is necessary to understand that the limit of exercise repetitions recommended in training programs is a direct indication of the amount of working weight. If we are talking about performing 12-15 repetitions in an exercise, then this means using moderate weight. If we are talking about 5-8 repetitions, then a heavy barbell will be required.

In this case, the working weight should be such that it allows you to perform the exercise at the lower limit of the recommended number of repetitions. In your next workout, your muscles will become a little stronger and you will be able to add 1-2 repetitions without increasing the weight. The working weight needs to be increased only when you reach the upper recommended limit.

How much does the barbell weigh?

The key to determining the correct working weight is to write the weight down rather than trying to memorize the number. If today you were able to bench press a barbell with 40 kg for 8 repetitions, then next time you will need 42.5 kg and 6-7 repetitions - in most cases, such “details” are simply impossible to keep in mind.

When calculating the working weight, it is important to take into account not only the weight of the plates on the bar, but also its own weight. A standard Olympic barbell usually weighs 20 kg, but lightweight variations weighing 15 kg are sometimes found. The weight of a curved EZ biceps bar is typically 6.5 kg. If you are in doubt about the weight of the barbell, you can always check with the gym staff.

How to feel the muscles working?

Often, beginners believe that the characteristic burning sensation in a muscle is a sign of its involvement in work. However, this is not always the case. Despite the fact that triceps extensions with dumbbells, performed with the body tilted forward, quickly provoke the appearance of a specific burning sensation in the muscle, this is a deceptive signal.

When performing this exercise, a burning sensation occurs not at all because the triceps is actively involved in the work, but because of the restriction of blood circulation in the arm - in simple words, the muscle is literally squeezed. That is why it is better to use body weight or machine exercises to train triceps.

Rules for safe training

Another important point in choosing the correct working weight when performing strength exercises is constant monitoring to ensure that the joint of the working limb is in the joint capsule. For example, when lifting dumbbells to train your shoulders (both laterally and in front), you must pay attention to ensure that your arm does not “go” too far from your torso.

Remember that a shoulder injury, often caused by training with too much weight on dumbbells or a barbell, can put an end to your “sports career.” If you have this injury, you will be unable to perform virtually any exercises that involve your arm - that is, any exercises for the biceps, triceps, shoulders, chest, or even back.

***

To choose the right working weight when performing exercises, it is important not only to learn to feel your muscles, but also to observe the recommended repetition limit - first you should work at the lower limit, gradually increasing the number of repetitions, and then the working weight itself. In addition, you must ensure that the joint is always in the joint capsule.

For those of us who are already familiar with bodybuilding first-hand, the question of choosing a suitable working weight seems absurd and simply inappropriate. However, for those who are just beginning their development in this sport, this is the very first question that comes to the mind of a beginner standing in front of an endless rack of dumbbells.

Question: How to choose a working weight for training?

I just started bodybuilding and the very first obstacle I faced was choosing a working weight. How can I determine which weight is best to train with?

Working weight in bodybuilding

The question of choosing a working weight is widespread among. However, the answer to this question is very simple. Before we solve this cosmic problem, we'll talk about muscle failure.

What is muscle failure?

Muscle failure is the point at which performing another repetition with good technique on your own becomes impossible. I advise you to immediately stop performing the exercise as soon as you realize that you are unable to complete another repetition with correct technique. So, for example, if you bench press a 60 kg barbell and complete 12 reps, but are unable to do another rep, then you have reached muscle failure on the 12th rep.

How to choose weight for exercise?

The number of repetitions prescribed by the training program will affect the resistance. So, for example, if you need to perform 10-12 repetitions in the exercise "", then you need to choose a working weight with which you will achieve muscle failure within 10-12 repetitions. Since you are just starting to delve into your first bodybuilding training, choosing a working weight will be a matter of trial and error. Here are a few steps a newbie needs to take:

  1. To begin, decide on the exact number of repetitions you need to perform for a particular exercise. Let's take 10-12 reps as an example.
  2. Choose a weight that you feel will allow you to reach muscle failure within these reps.
  3. If you manage to reach muscle failure within these reps, then continue using the same weight for the next set.
  4. If you were unable to do 10-12 repetitions and you lost strength, say, on the 8th repetition, then reduce the working weight in the next approach.
  5. It may also turn out that you have superhuman abilities that will allow you to step for 12 repetitions. In this case, increase the working weight slightly in the next set.

As a beginner, it is imperative that you keep a log of the weights used for each exercise in the required rep range. Thus, you will slowly begin to navigate the selection of a suitable working weight. Additionally, keeping a training diary is a great way to track your progress.

When to increase working weight?

Even though this question has not been asked, I still think it is relevant. The working weight for an exercise should only be increased when the current working weight used would result in muscle failure outside the prescribed repetition range.

For example, let's say your training program calls for 3 sets of 10-12 reps, and your training log shows you using 12 kg dumbbells for this exercise and reaching muscle failure on the 12th rep. You begin the exercise, but this time you notice that you reach failure on the 13th rep. This is the very signal indicating the need to increase working weight.