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When starting weight training, you have to decide what muscle qualities you want to develop. While some people strive to gain muscle mass or strength from going to the gym, others are more interested in improving flexibility, speed or endurance. Knowing what you are trying to achieve in a given time will help you choose the suitable weights and intensity.

Start by spending 5-10 minutes doing moderate cardio such as cycling or jogging. It will prepare your mind and body for the workout to come.

Next, spend around 2-3 minutes to warm-up your joints around the area of muscles you will be working on.

Begin your first exercise using half of the normal weight by doing 1-2 sets.

The last thing in your warm-up routine should be stretching the muscles for 2-3 minutes.

Now you may start your planned training, using slightly less weight for your first set to avoid injuries.

Choosing the right pace for your weight training is essential, and based on the research, the slower moderate pace has more advantages.

One of the reasons for a slower pace is to maintain a good technique. Making fast moves usually changes your correct exercise execution to the bad one. Another reason for a slower pace is to protect your joints. And finally, muscles need to feel the constant pressure, which is difficult when working out too fast because of the impetus factor.

So, at what pace you should be exercising? For many, the best results come when they combine 2 seconds for a positive phase and around 4 seconds for a negative phase.

You slowly breathe out as you push or pull the weight. You breathe in when returning to the starting position. It is not uncommon for beginners to forget breathing and hold their breath. Please do not do it!

When it comes to extension amplitude for the exercises, be super cautious not to extend to the maximum and lock the joints. One example of this can be fully extending the knees on the press machine. It is a common mistake that can cost you an injury.

To increase your muscle strength, you have to go for heavier weights. First, find out the maximum weight you can lift/pull once. It tells your 100% intensity for an exercise. Second, calculate the weight, which would be 85%.

Choose your repetition depending on your plan. It can be as low as only one repetition and up to 5 or 6.

You should rest 1-3 minutes until you are ready to lift the same amount as before.

To increase muscle mass, go for weights 75-85% of the maximum you can lift/pull.

Do from 6 to 12 repetitions and rest 1-3 minutes until you are ready to lift the same amount of weight.

Note: beginners need less weight to get their muscles growing. Therefore, it is ok for them to start working out with as low as 50% of the maximum weight they can lift.