When designing your own fitness program, an important factor in the routine's design is determining how much weight to lift. This amount will be based on your goals.
Muscular Endurance
12-15 reps
Muscle Strength and Size
8-12 reps
Power
4-8 reps
This is the approximate number you want to feel muscular fatigue at, meaning you can't do anymore reps.
To determine the amount of weight to use, just take a guess at first to see how many reps you can perform.
For example: The goal is strength and size. For bicep curls you pick 15lbs but manage 25 reps. Rest for a few minutes and try 20lbs. If you get to 15 rest again and try 25. Do this until you fatigue at the 8-12 rep range.
If you are doing bicep curls at 10lbs and you stop at 12 reps, even though you won't fatigue until 50 reps, you are not working your muscle enough to promote change.
By determining the weight that is suited for your current strength you will know when improvements have been made, and when it's time to raise the weight. This will probably happen every 8-12 weeks.
On the other hand, using weights that are too heavy is a common mistake that's really counterproductive. Using weights that are too heavy but still trying to fall in the rep range causes exercisers to go too fast and swing the weights. This doesn't target the muscles properly and put strain and the joints.
Using the right weight amount is crucial for a solid and effective program. So take the time to figure out what you want out of your program, and where you're at strength wise to develop an effective and safe fitness program.
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