Not Sure How Heavy to Lift? Follow This Trainer's Simple Advice

If you're new to weightlifting, you should begin in the endurance and stabilization phase. The focus of this phase is increasing stability and muscular endurance and improving muscular coordination. The rep and set range for this phase will be: one to three sets of 12 to 20 reps at 50 to 70 percent of your one-rep max. Your one-rep max is the heaviest you can lift with proper form for a given exercise. If your one-rep max for dumbbell squats is 75 pounds, you should be lifting between 37.5 and 52.5 pounds. In this phase, your rest should be zero to 90 seconds between sets.