Choosing the right starting weight for strength training depends on your experience level, body weight, exercise type, and fitness goals. Beginners should prioritize mastering proper form with lighter weights before progressing to heavier loads. Most sources agree that starting with weights allowing 8-15 controlled repetitions with good technique is ideal, though specific recommendations vary by muscle group and equipment. For absolute beginners, bodyweight exercises or extremely light weights (2-10 pounds) are often recommended before advancing to barbells or heavier dumbbells.

Key takeaways from the research:

• Start with weights allowing 10-15 reps for upper body and 8-12 reps for lower body exercises ^[1][6][7]
• Upper body: 2-10 pounds for beginners; lower body: 5-30 pounds depending on exercise ^[3][5]
• Bodyweight percentage method: 15-20% of body weight for chest/shoulders/back, 30% for legs ^[2]
• Begin with just the barbell (45 lbs standard, 35 lbs women's) for compound lifts before adding plates ^[3]

Determining Your Starting Weight

Bodyweight-Based Starting Points

For those completely new to strength training, several sources provide bodyweight-based calculations to determine initial weights. This approach helps standardize starting points relative to individual size and strength. The Reddit fitness community suggests beginning with 15-20% of your body weight for upper body exercises (chest, shoulders, back) and 30% for lower body exercises ^[2]. For example, a 150-pound beginner would start with 22-30 pounds for upper body movements and 45 pounds for leg exercises.

Other sources provide more conservative absolute weight recommendations:

• Nerd Fitness recommends 2-5 pounds for upper body and 5-10 pounds for lower body when first starting ^[3]
• OnePeloton suggests 5-10 pounds for light, 10-20 for medium, and 15-30 for heavy exercises ^[5]
• Healthline emphasizes starting with weights allowing 10-15 reps with proper form ^[6]

The Mayo Clinic provides a simple test: "Start with a weight you can lift comfortably 12 to 15 times" ^[7]. This rep-based approach ensures the weight isn't too heavy while still providing resistance. Most sources agree that:

• The last 2-3 reps should feel challenging but not impossible
• Form should never break down during the set
• Beginners should err on the side of lighter weights to focus on technique
• Weight can be increased by 5-10% once 12-15 reps feel easy ^[3][6]

Equipment-Specific Recommendations

Different equipment requires different starting approaches. For barbell exercises, Nerd Fitness recommends beginning with just the barbell itself (45 lbs for standard, 35 lbs for women's) before adding weight plates ^[3]. This allows beginners to practice proper form with compound lifts like squats, deadlifts, and bench presses without excessive load.

For dumbbell exercises, the recommendations vary by exercise type:

• Upper body isolation exercises (bicep curls, lateral raises): 2-10 pounds ^[3][5]
• Compound upper body movements (dumbbell rows, shoulder presses): 10-20 pounds ^[5]
• Lower body exercises (goblet squats, lunges): 10-30 pounds ^[3][5]

Women's Health provides more specific dumbbell recommendations based on experience:

• Beginners: 2-5kg (4.4-11 lbs) for upper body, 5-10kg (11-22 lbs) for lower body
• Intermediate: 5-12kg (11-26 lbs) for upper body, 10-20kg (22-44 lbs) for lower body ^[8]

The YouTube video emphasizes having three pairs of dumbbells (light, medium, heavy) available to accommodate different exercises and progression needs ^[10]. This approach allows for:

• Light weights (5-15 lbs) for isolation and endurance work
• Medium weights (15-30 lbs) for most compound movements
• Heavy weights (30+ lbs) for lower body and advanced progressions