What weight should I buy?

by | Blog, exercise equipment, Movement tips

The question I get asked most is what weight should I buy?

This is a tough one to answer because one size does not fit all.

​It will depend on how strong you are right now and what you are going to do with it. 

Let’s look at what exercises you might do with the weight. 

One of the most important exercises you will learn is a deadlift. A deadlift will make your back stronger, your core stronger and will help you pick up stuff from the ground! Think about picking up a bag of groceries off the floor. How much do you think it weighs? You can even put it on a scale and measure it! It will no doubt be more than 5 lbs.

Now think about the heaviest thing you want to be able to lift off the ground as you get older without being afraid of hurting yourself. Maybe it is a big bag of potting soil or a giant bag of dog food or if you are like me, an overstuffed suitcase. My suitcase can weigh up to 50 lbs. I want to carry that thing myself, up flights of stairs if need be. Now add 10 or 20 lbs to that amount so that you are more than safe picking the thing up in real world conditions. That is your goal weight!

Now you don’t start with the goal weight – you work up to it- but picking up a 5 or 10 lb weight off the ground will do absolutely nothing. It won’t make you stronger and it won’t even teach you proper technique.

So instead of buying small weights, why not start with something that is about what your groceries weigh?

Another exercise you may do is an overhead press. An overhead press is great for strong shoulders, good posture and putting that suitcase in the overhead bin. (are you sensing a theme here?) This exercise may require a lighter weight at first.

So you can see that different exercises may require different weights. ​

If you want to buy a weight, I recommend maybe a 20 lb kettlebell for deadlifts and a 10 lb dumbebell  for overhead presses.  If you want lots of versatility, get two 20lb kettlebells and a 10lb dumbbell and you can use the double kettlebells for heavier lifts once you get stronger. 

Anything lighter than 20lbs is not a good kettlebell weight – just get a dumbbell if you need lighter. 

I hope this helps! 

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