Dumbbells are considered the best type of equipment when it comes to muscle building. They’re versatile, provide a good variety of exercises, and can really focus on specific muscle groups. One of their most unique features is that they come in different weights that you can choose from according to your own strength levels. And as a beginner, it can get pretty confusing about the exact amount of weight that can build muscle and whether or not you should lift heavy or light dumbbells. With that being said, will 20kg build muscles?
For smaller muscles like the biceps or triceps, 20kg dumbbells are way too heavy especially if you’re a beginner, but for bigger ones like the chest or the back, 20kg dumbbells can build muscles as long as it generates tension and resistance which is essential for growth.
In this article, we’ll talk more in-depth about if 20kg dumbbells can build muscles and if they’re good for beginners and experienced weight-lifters.
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Will 20kg Dumbbells Build Muscles?
When it comes to muscle building, dumbbell size rarely matters, it’s all about how much tension and resistance they’re able to generate for a specific muscle group, which means that 20kg dumbbells will build muscles as long as you’re struggling to do 6 to 8 repetitions using them. And this amount of repetitions will vary according to what muscle group you’re focusing on.
To put this into perspective, let’s compare two very well-known dumbbell exercises: Bicep curls and the dumbbell press.
If you’re using 20kg dumbbells, bicep curls will be way harder to do since the biceps are considered a small muscle group that naturally can’t lift heavy weight especially if you’re a beginner. Using that amount of weight will not build muscles and will only increase your chances of injury. If you can’t even do 6 repetitions with proper form (while not swinging the hands), that amount of weight is way too heavy for you and you should consider decreasing it to a more efficient one that’ll make you reach that goal of 6 to 8 reps.
For the 20kg dumbbell press, the same rule as before will apply here as well. As long as you’re able to generate enough tension and resistance, then you’re good to go. And since the chest is a pretty big muscle group, it’s way easier to reach that goal of 6 to 8 repetitions especially if you’ve been lifting for quite some time. However, if you’re a beginner, that amount of weight is still considered way too heavy for you and you should probably decrease it. Remember, use a weight that will make you struggle around the 8th repetition. That little struggle and squeeze that you feel at the end is the key to muscle growth.
Is Lifting 20kg Dumbbells Good?
The answer to this question depends entirely on your current strength levels:
For Beginners
As a beginner, lifting 20kg dumbbells right off the bat is probably not a good idea. The number of repetitions that you’ll be able to do using them will significantly limit your growth potential and you’ll increase your chances of injury especially if your muscles are too fragile to support heavy weights.
When you’re first starting out, you want to take things slowly and learn the foundations first using light weights to get the feel of the bodybuilding world and you’ll slowly but surely be able to lift even more than 20kg dumbbells. It takes time, it’s challenging, but it’s definitely worth your while based on the rewards.
Start with 1kg dumbbells to learn the basics, then move to 4kg, then 7kg, and so on, and you’ll eventually reach the point where you’ll be able to do 12 repetitions easily using 20kg dumbbells, if you can already do it, that means that you’re an experienced weight-lifter.
For Experienced Wight-lifters
As an experienced weight-lifter, meaning that you’ve been in the game for more than a year, 20kg dumbbells is a reasonable amount of weight as long as it generates enough tension as I mentioned in the beginning.
It’s still probably a little bit too heavy for small muscles like the biceps and the triceps since they don’t require heavy weight to grow, but you can definitely start experimenting with heavier weights since your muscles built enough strength to support it.
And for bigger muscle groups like the chest or the back, at this point, 20kg dumbbells will be too light and you’ll need to increase it to a more challenging set of weights that’ll make you struggle around the 6th or 8th repetition.
Conclusion:
As a general rule of thumb, the size of the dumbbells doesn’t matter at all. The most important factor to consider when you’re trying to grow your muscles is whether or not the amount of weight that you chose is able to generate enough tension and resistance that’ll push you outside your comfort zone and make you struggle around your 8th repetition. If the dumbbell that you chose fits all these criteria, then it will make you stronger and build your muscles.