Obviously you want to be able to build muscle, but it’s important to build muscle safely. One bad injury (or even a minor one) can set you back for months. All it takes is one forgetful moment, so make sure you focus on this religiously.

Such traumatic incidents can easily be avoided by adhering to the following guidelines.

1) Barbell collars are more important than you think. Anytime before lifting make sure these are secure. You have to understand that one side can end up being heavier then the other, simply because the collar is loose. This ends up giving you a higher risk of having a weight disc slip off. Once the heavy side takes over, the barbell can swing through the air and cause serious damage.

2) If you are trying to max out make sure that you use a spotter to help you. Something that has been known to happen when trying to max out your weight is someone not being able to get the weight up, with it coming down on you causing serious injury.

3) If you’re sick, take a day off from the gym. To be honest you won’t have a good workout like you would if you were healthy. If you do go, you could end up losing 3 or 4 days because your sickness got worse. You have to remember that working out will actually lower your immune system, which will affect your illness. So steer clear of the gym, you’ll be happier if you do.

4) Ensure correct technique is always used. If you do Weight Lifting Exercises with poor form like swinging barbells using bodily momentum then you risk serious injury and will also not make much progress due to the fact that you won’t be targeting the muscle group specifically enough. Use strict form all the time.

5) Oh, and don’t overdo it. If you’re new, your first reaction is lifting weights as often as possible. Even though this is good, most of the time this will be too much for most people. The end result is you will weaken your muscles, especially if they haven’t fully recovered.

6) Diet is another key to your success. You will want to have the right nutrition because your body is going to be burning off a lot of things in the process of your workout. Eating bad foods can cause your body to break down not giving you the results you are looking for.

7) Showing off is a big no-no. If you’re lifting too much weight or competing with friends it’s great for motivation, but it can also end in disaster. Just stick with trying to beat your own personal scores. Keep track of what you do each day and figure out what you need to do tomorrow in order to be better. It will be enough motivation and it will reduce the risk of injury.

Adequately warm up. If you fail to do your muscle are more likely to snap and give-way. This can keep you out of action for weeks or possibly even months. It is very easy to do, 5-10 minutes aerobic work, a few stretching exercises and then a few warm up sets will be enough.

As you can see there are many different things that you need to take into consideration when training the right way. Make sure that you get good nutrition, stay focused, do not show off, and stretch before your workout, and you will be on your way to build muscle safely.