You need to lift weights in order to build muscle. However, if you are a new weight lifter and have been working hard but the results are not showing, there is a high possibility that you are committing the same mistakes which most new weight lifters make. Avoid these five common weight lifting mistakes so that your workouts start showing results and you can achieve the strong body that you have always craved for.

#1 – Staring without a warm-up

You must understand the importance of a warm-up before weight lifting. Several new weight lifters are tempted to forgo a proper warm-up and they don’t realize how this can hurt them in the later stages. The warm up aids you by increasing the temperature of your muscles and tendons and making them more elastic. This later helps in avoiding injuries and muscle tears.

#2 – Lifting the wrong weight

You must understand the fact that if you are lifting more weights than what you should, then there is a high possibility that you might injure yourself. However, there are also side effects of lifting too little. In case you are lifting way below your ability to lift weight, you are simply wasting your time as it will not help you in building any muscle. The perfect way is to start off with a lighter weight and then gradually moving to heavier weights. Try not to test yourself more than 75% of your maximum lift.

#3 – Lifting too quickly

Weight lifters have this misconception amongst them where they claim that lifting quickly is going to aid them in building muscle in a shorter span of time. This is not true. Specialists claim that a slower workout is always going to pay off in a better way. Working out too quickly does not show positive results and can also cause injuries.

#4 – Not innovating

It is easier for anyone to stay in touch with their old workout routine, but it’s definitely not going to aid you in the later stages. Try innovating and learn newer exercises. Once you start repeating the same exercises on a daily basis, you will stop seeing any positive results on your body and it will negatively affect the motivation which you have to go to the gym on a daily basis.

#5 – Standing still between sets

Do you rest between sets? That’s mostly what you have been told to do, but that’s not how things should be. If you are resting between sets, you are only missing out on the calorie-burn boost. This boost can only be achieved if you add a mini cardio routine between every set. Simply take a 2-5 minute jog or jump a rope. This will help you burn more calories than usual.

These are the five most common weight lifting mistakes which every beginner commits. Have you been doing the same? Give me your feedback and let me know how this has helped you out in your daily workout routines.

Image courtesy: mensfitclub.com