I'm 120lbs - What mass of weights/dumbbells should I use?

dingdong

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I'm 120lbs (9 stones). I DON'T want to become muscular or not be able fit into an XS/S shirt anymore.

I want my arms to look like this:
http://m.popstar.com/Gallery/Celebrity/A/Adam+Brody/Photos/00000013-9803.jpg
http://donatetoabum.com/http://dona...1/02/adam-brody-sunglasses-dog-Penny-Lane.jpg

The very biggest I ever want to be is this (and even this is too much for me tbh).
http://www.usmagazine.com/uploads/a...064058_harry-styles-one-direction-article.jpg

I know I should target other muscle groups to get things in proportion, but I'm just wondering what weight I should use? 5kg/10kg?

Thanks! (I really don't know anything about weights/gym lol).

p.s., I'm 22 years old and have weighed this much since I was 16 lol. I can eat a pizza/chocolate/mcdonalds everyday and not gain weight. (Not that I do!). I eat a good healthy homecooked meals everyday :)
 

Dave NoCal

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First of all, you almost certainly don't have to worry about accidentally becoming too muscular. It takes a lot of work and is almost impossible for naturally slender guys. If you join a gym, they may offer a couple of initial training sessions for free. I suggest basic exercises to work the major muscle groups. For example, one day I work on the back (with pull downs), shoulders (with shoulder presses), and biceps (with curls). The next I do chest (bench press), and triceps (with tricep extensions). The last do I do legs (with squats, quadricep extensions, and hamstring curls). I do calf raises and cruncs every workout. I'd suggest start with light weights and move up. If you are bulking up too fast for your liking (unlikely!) reduce the weights and increase the repetitions.
 

redneckgymrat

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Additionally, building muscle requires more than just working out. Nutrition. Food. Protein is very important. Search google for the details.

Basically, if you don't eat right, and enough, your muscle mass will not increase very easily.
 

Otep

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You're 120 pounds but you didn't list how tall you are. If you're 6 feet tall and 120 that's very different than being 5'2".

As others have said you'll absolutely need to eat properly. If you're naturally very skinny, as I am, it's definitely an uphill battle. In addition to things like protein shakes you'll want to cram as much protein and calories into as many meals as possible. If you don't already you can start eating a lot of chicken breast.

On the plus side any muscle you have/gain will show through very easily. My muscle mass is pretty small but everything I have shows.
 

dingdong

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Thanks for all the advice guys, I've taken them on board. Yep I know I'll have to eat more protein based meals, but I already eat like a horse as it is!

My height is 5'9" (175 cm) if that helps?

But can anyone tell me what WEIGHT I should be using for arms? I have no idea what is normal/what to calibrate things against lol.
 

OscarM

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You really have to go there and pick up the weights to see; it really depends on your current ability.

Choose a weight that you can do, say, 12-15 reps. Go light first and work your way up (so 5kg). If that's way too easy by the 15th rep, go up a kg or so. [At my gym they have the dumbbells in pounds 5, 7.5, 10, ..., 100 LBs etc. So the smaller ones go up by about 1kg each step, as it goes higher it goes by 2kg, 5kg per step]

You must to do everything in proper form. If you can't maintain proper form for however many reps you're trying to do, you need to go lighter.

Symptoms of bad form:
Feeling pain in joints or back - if you experience this even while lifting as light as possible, and in proper form, stop and go see a doctor. Otherwise go lighter.
Swaying your back - too heavy; go lighter.
 

LeftCoast

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OscarM is right. Pick up a dumbell and try a few curls. If you're not working to lift the weight, it's too light. Try a 20-pounder maybe. If you're working too hard, go lighter. And don't start out doing too much. If you're really working out you will be sore.
 

Otep

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I caution against tryng to consume a lot of empty calories. That is how you develop fat stores around your midsection. I say work on getting fit, strong, and well-nourished. The rest will take care of itself.

If he can eat pizza, McDonalds, etc. every day without gaining weight then there is absolutely no worry about empty calories (at least not now).
 

B_FootballStud21

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I'm 120lbs (9 stones). I DON'T want to become muscular or not be able fit into an XS/S shirt anymore.

I want my arms to look like this:
http://m.popstar.com/Gallery/Celebrity/A/Adam+Brody/Photos/00000013-9803.jpg
http://donatetoabum.com/http://dona...1/02/adam-brody-sunglasses-dog-Penny-Lane.jpg

The very biggest I ever want to be is this (and even this is too much for me tbh).
http://www.usmagazine.com/uploads/a...064058_harry-styles-one-direction-article.jpg

I know I should target other muscle groups to get things in proportion, but I'm just wondering what weight I should use? 5kg/10kg?

Thanks! (I really don't know anything about weights/gym lol).

p.s., I'm 22 years old and have weighed this much since I was 16 lol. I can eat a pizza/chocolate/mcdonalds everyday and not gain weight. (Not that I do!). I eat a good healthy homecooked meals everyday :)


If you're afraid that lifting weights is going to get you too big, you probably are not going to work hard enough to get that big anyway. Look up a workout routine, and push yourself. If you don't push yourself you'll look exactly the same. If you want to gain weight, eat real food, and eat more of it. Its pretty simple actually, if you go to sleep every day with a caloric surplus, you'll gain weight, if you go to sleep every day with a caloric deficit, you'll lose weight.
 

Smaccoms

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I'm 120lbs (9 stones). I DON'T want to become muscular or not be able fit into an XS/S shirt anymore.

I want my arms to look like this:
http://m.popstar.com/Gallery/Celebrity/A/Adam+Brody/Photos/00000013-9803.jpg
http://donatetoabum.com/http://dona...1/02/adam-brody-sunglasses-dog-Penny-Lane.jpg

The very biggest I ever want to be is this (and even this is too much for me tbh).
http://www.usmagazine.com/uploads/a...064058_harry-styles-one-direction-article.jpg

I know I should target other muscle groups to get things in proportion, but I'm just wondering what weight I should use? 5kg/10kg?

Thanks! (I really don't know anything about weights/gym lol).

p.s., I'm 22 years old and have weighed this much since I was 16 lol. I can eat a pizza/chocolate/mcdonalds everyday and not gain weight. (Not that I do!). I eat a good healthy homecooked meals everyday :)


When you work out, increase the size of your diet without changing the content. This will get you the nutrients you need.

Do exercises that work as many muscle groups simultaneously as possible. It makes it much more difficult and much more effective.

There are different kinds of muscular you know. There is power, strength, endurance, hypertrophy. They all have slightly different ways of building muscle and thus requiring a different number of sets, reps, and rest period lengths.

A good way to learn the basics I would think be to talk to a several different trainers and do the initial free training sessions. Different trainers have different approaches and will tell you slightly different things about the same topic. Going to several will give you a general gist of whats going on.
 

Smaccoms

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If you're afraid that lifting weights is going to get you too big, you probably are not going to work hard enough to get that big anyway. Look up a workout routine, and push yourself. If you don't push yourself you'll look exactly the same. If you want to gain weight, eat real food, and eat more of it. Its pretty simple actually, if you go to sleep every day with a caloric surplus, you'll gain weight, if you go to sleep every day with a caloric deficit, you'll lose weight.


True, you body can't as well tell the differnece between fat and muscle. it just puts on what you are training. Either way, you still gain fat while training. This is why body buildings go through muscle building and fat burning routines on a regular basis.

That's once you reach expert levels though. If you are just beginning, you wont need to worry about it at all.

Did you know the initial first 6-8 weeks of muscle strength gains are all in the nervous system and how it communicates with the muscle? Pretty cool, right?
 

D_Audemar_Awfulass

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There is no correct answer top your question because people with same hieght and weight do not lift same amount of weights. This is so because we have difefrent strength. I have lifted weights for some 25 years already and have accumulated a decent amount of muscle on my 5'7.5" frame, weighing in at 200 pounds now, lean. But many who are about the same height and weight lift considerably heavier weights. Just find weights you are confortable with and try them.

Thanks for all the advice guys, I've taken them on board. Yep I know I'll have to eat more protein based meals, but I already eat like a horse as it is!

My height is 5'9" (175 cm) if that helps?

But can anyone tell me what WEIGHT I should be using for arms? I have no idea what is normal/what to calibrate things against lol.
 

Smaccoms

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Whatever amount of reps you do in a set, make sure it is difficult to finish the set while you are still able to maintain good form. the length of the rest period will depend on how many reps and sets you are doing and what your goal is.

Muscle endurance means doing a lot of reps (3-5 sets ish) with little rest in-between. Muscle endurance is required for stuff like water polo where the muscles are working VERY hard the entire time.

Strength and power means less reps (5 or 6) with a similar amount of sets. 3-5 minutes of rest between each one. The idea here is so that you NEED to power through each rep to complete it, and that you are dead by the 6th one. While strength is brute force, power depends on how quickly you can perform that power. Perform the reps as quickly as you can while maintaining good form. Power is useful for most sports because most sports are anaerobic.

This is at least what we were taught in class. I was a kinesiology major (I graduated in May). I did actually take a couple personal training classes. I have the text book. I even took the ACSM personal training exam. I passed.

Never actually taught anyone in a gym though. I can say I've spent a lot of time there myself though.

Whatever.
 

Smaccoms

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There is no correct answer top your question because people with same hieght and weight do not lift same amount of weights. This is so because we have difefrent strength. I have lifted weights for some 25 years already and have accumulated a decent amount of muscle on my 5'7.5" frame, weighing in at 200 pounds now, lean. But many who are about the same height and weight lift considerably heavier weights. Just find weights you are confortable with and try them.

your mad hot man
 

korgalv

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I've just started doing the gym thing. Hoping to get toned but not bulk. I'm doing about 10 reps and 3 sets of most of my upper body workouts and leg work outs, doing 15 on the calf pushes. Hoping that does the trick. I'm a smaller guy too so I don't anticipate ever being able to be real Muscular. Im 5'9" 140lbs.