How to Weight Train

If your goal is to gain significant amounts of muscle weight, then your first step should be to learn how to weight train. Lack of knowledge is probably one of the most common causes of failure when it comes to building mass. If you don't know how to weight train safely and effectively, reaching your goals will be nearly impossible.

It's funny now many beginners think that they can just walk in to the gym with no direction and build muscle fast. Although it isn't rocket science, it also isn't as simple as many people believe.

Just like many things in life, you will have to do your homework if you want to build significant amounts of muscle.

Learning how to weight train probably looks more complicated then is actually is. Don't let it overwhelm you! All you have to do is learn the five elements that are covered in this article. Once you do this you will be well on your way to designing a program that will build you some serious muscle.

Here is what you have to learn:

The amount of weight to lift
The number of repetitions to perform
The number of sets to perform
What tempo to train at
How often to train, for what duration

How Much Weight for Each Exercise?

Aim for 70 - 85% of your 1 RM

Choosing the correct amount of weight for each exercises is extremely important. If you use the incorrect amount of weight, you will not be training at the intensity that has been proven to maximize muscle growth.

When choosing the amount of weight to use, the main goal is to lift heavy enough so that you reach "failure" a the end of the set. Failure simply means that you should be struggling by the last two repetitions. If you are aiming for 8-10 repetitions f dumbbell weights

or example, the weight should become very difficult to lift once you reach that number.

Typically, most successful bodybuilding programs incorporate a weight that is between 70-85% of your 1RM (1 repetition maximum weight). By using this calculation you should get a weight that can only be lifted between 6-10 repetitions, which is considered the ideal range for building muscle.

Here a step by step example of how you can estimate how much weight to use for each weight training exercise:

Step 1:
Determine your 1RM for each exercises. This is the maximal amount of weight you can lift, using correct exercise technique.

Step 2:

Use your 1RM to plug in to the formula below. Do this for each exercise. this number will be the actual estimated weight that you should use for that specific exercise.

(1RM) X (.70 - .85) = Estimate weight

So let's say your maximum bench press is 185 lbs. You would plug that number in to the formula, and it would look like this:

185 X .70 = 129.5 lbs.

185 X .85 = 157 lbs.

Therefore, the estimated amount of weight that you should lift for this example would be between about 130 and 157 pounds.

Step 3.

Using the estimated weights you calculated using the above formula, perform one failure set for every exercises. Keep track of the number of repetitions you were able to complete then add or decrease weight until you are able to perform the number of repetitions that your program specifies.

*Remember, using weight that is too light will primarily increase your muscular endurance, but won't stress the muscle fibers enough to stimulate significant growth. Using weight that is too heavy on the other hand will stimulate your nervous system and in turn increase your strength, but won't incorporate the optimal number of repetitions required to build muscle.

How Many Repetitions for Each Exercise?

Aim for 8 - 14 repetitions per exercise

A repetitions is the actual number of times a weight is pushed or pulled during each set. Typically, most successful bodybuilding programs incorporate between 8 to 14 repetitions per exercise. This is generally considered the best range for building muscle. Although you might perform more or less repetitions as your program progresses, it's the range of repetitions that you will be using most often in your program.

Since 8 - 14 repetitions is a rather wide range, you have to estimate the number of repetitions that you think will best suit your genetics. This will take some trial and error on your part, but you should be able to figure it out relatively quickly.

The easiest way to start is by figuring out what body type you are, since this should give you an idea of the distribution of muscle fiber types in your body.

So what body type are you? If you are a skinny, lanky body and have difficulty building muscle you are probably a "hardgainer". If have a larger frame, and find building muscle relatively easy, you are probably a"massgainer". If you don't fall in to either of those categories like the majority, you are probably "in-between", and have roughly a 40-60% distribution of slow and fast twitch fibers.

Since higher repetitions work better for slow twitch fibers, and lower repetitions work better for fast twitch fibers, then we can conclude the following:

Hardgainers- If you are a hardgainer, you typically have a larger distribution of slow twitch "endurance muscle fibers" meaning that slightly higher repetitions (12 - 14) are probably the way to go.

Massgainers- A massgainer has a higher number of fast twitch fibers, which respond better to lower repetitions in the range of 8 - 10.

In-betweens- Most of us are somewhere in between hardgainers and massgainers when it comes to the distribution of muscle fiber type, and therefore should

How Many Sets Per Workout for Each Muscle Group?

Along with the number of repetitions that will be performed for each exercise, you have to decide how many sets of each exercise you will perform. Typically, most successful muscle building programs incorporate 1 to 4 sets per exercise, and up to 20 sets total per workout.

The number of sets you choose will vary based on your specific goals. In general, small muscle groups such as the arms and shoulders should be trained less often than the larger muscle groups such as the legs and back.

How Much Rest Time Between Sets?

Aim for Between 30 - 60 Seconds

After each set you perform, you must rest your muscles to allow energy stores in the muscles to replenish. It is important to figure out how many seconds you should rest for during this time. Too little rest will mean that you will not have enough strength to complete your second set, while to much rest will decrease the intensity of your workout.

Typically, most successful muscle building programs incorporate between 30 and 60 seconds of rest time between each set. This is the optimal amount of rest time for hypertrophyThe amount of time you choose should equal the amount of time it took you to complete the set (a 1:1 ratio).

How Often Should I Weight Train, and for What Duration?

Aim for 3 - 4 Days per week for 45 min.

You should weight train no more than three to four days each week for about 45 minutes per workout. Any less than this will likely not be enough to stimulate significant muscle growth, and any more may be more than your body can handle.

Contrary to popular belief, more is not always better when it comes to weight training. Many people assume that they have to train five or more days per week to see significant muscle gains. This simply isn't the case, and training more than three or four days a week can lead to overtraining, which will slow your muscle gains considerably.

A good program to start with is a "three day split", in which you would train each muscle group three days a week with one or two rest days between each workout.

Regardless of the type of a split you choose, try to minimize consecutive workouts and allow one or two days between each workout. Your body needs these rest days to rebuild muscle.