1) Warm-up: Before you start training with weights, you must do warm-up to elevate your heart rate so that blood carries more oxygen to all body parts & make it ready for the exercise. Warm-up can be done by doing spot jogging for 5 minutes or stationery cycling for 5 minutes or any other convenient aerobic exercise. Proper warm-up reduces the risk of injury and helps prevent soreness and strains in muscles, tendons and ligaments.

2) Stretches: After warm up you must do stretching in which you hold your body parts in a state of muscle elongation for 20-30 seconds (Static Stretch). Stretching reduces further risk of injury.

3) Work large muscles first: The big muscles of the legs, chest and back often require heavier workloads and therefore should be trained when you are full of energy. When you start your weight training your first set should be very light with 15-20 rep for your specific warm-up. This will allow you to lift more with less risk of injury.

4) Progresssive overload: You should increase the weight you lift progressively every set. As stated above, your first set should be very light weight but this set is not counted as working set. In the second set (first working set) increase the weight & do 10 reps. If you can do 10 reps comfortably then increase the weight for the second working set. If you can do 7 to 8 reps comfortably, then increase the weight in the 3rd working set. In this set if you can do 4 – 5 reps properly with correct techniques then you move on to next exercise. Next time when you repeat this body part, you should try to lift for more than 4 – 5 reps of the same weights as lifted in last set of the last workout.

5) When to increase Wts.: If you can do more than 10 reps in a set, it is time to increase weights. If you cannot do more than 4 reps with correct techniques then reduce the weights. Always follow this criteria to decide when you should increase the weights.

6) How to increase Wts.: In a nutshell, if you can do 8 or more rep with a given weights with proper techniques, it is time to increase the weights. If you cannot lift more than 3 reps, that means you are lifting more weights than your body permits and therefore you should reduce the weights. If you can lift 4 – 5 reps only, then you should try to increase the reps next time. When you can do 8 – 9 reps with your last set weights, then you can increase the weights marginally. Slowly but surely you see the progress in this way.

7) Cool Down : After you finish your workout, it is time to cool down your body. Do stretching for all body parts and hold the stretch for 30-40 seconds. Do not stop exercising abruptly.

8) Pair your exercises: Arrange your routine so that you work one muscle group, then its opposite. For example pair quadriceps lifts with extensions for the hamstrings, biceps curls with dips for the triceps, and push-up for chest and shoulders with bent-over rows or chin-ups that work the Latissimus. By performing exercises in pairs, you also allow each muscle group to recover in case you want to work it in a second exercise.

9) Use variations carefully : In many instances, you can perform slight variations on the basic movement of an exercise. These not only afford variety, but can increase the intensity or focus of an exercise. However, during any one workout, it is better to do distinctly different exercise than several variations of one exercise. Performing three versions of a push-up, for example, is not as effective as doing one type of push-up and, later, a bench press or overhead row.

10) Work slowly and steadily: Slow, controlled movement subjects the muscle to relatively consistent stress during both the lifting and the lowering phase of an exercise. Quick, explosive movements make you work hard at the beginning of a repetition and that initial thrust can then carry the muscle through the rest of its motion. As well as being less productive for shaping and toning, fast movements are also more likely to injure you.

11) Breathe evenly: You may need to hold your breath briefly during an instant of effort. But do not hold it longer than a second or two. Though your muscles may be working an-aerobically, holding your breath too long can prevent blood from returning to the heart. Holding your breath can also cause cramping during abdominal work. As a rule of thumb, you should inhale when you lower the weights and exhale when you have lifted the weights half way.

12) Use a full range of motion: For each rep, move the joint through its maximum extension and flexion. A muscle that makes only a partial movement performs less work and can lose flexibility. Because range of motion differ for each joint and each exercise, you need to concentrate, in each case, on what your own maximum range of motion is. Do not flex or extend so far that the joint is suddenly bearing the workload. That should always be the job of the muscle.

13) Rest between sets: After each set, you need to restore energy to the muscle so that it can continue to contract during the next set. If the rest interval is too short, you will exhaust yourself. If too long, the next set will not make you work harder (which it should). For most training purposes, one to two minutes rest is sufficient. But if you are performing only one set of an exercise, you need to rest only a few seconds before starting an exercise that stresses a different muscle group.

14) Cool down: Abruptly stopping a workout can cause blood to pool in the veins, creating a sudden drop in blood pressure that may produce light-headedness or fainting. An activity such as running in place or repeating one of the warm-up routine keeps blood circulating and help the muscles recover.

15) Keep track of your progress: Record reps, sets and weights for each exercise every day, every week in the LOG-BOOK. Some muscles will respond more quickly than others, so you will need to increase the overload at different rates. Once you have achieved the look and the strength you want, you need not increase the workload further. But you do have to keep working out to maintain the benefits.