As many of you know, weight training is my main exercise activity when it comes to fat loss. However, training with equipment such as dumbbells and barbells properly is known by very few. If it was easy then you would see a lot more muscular and lean physiques on the streets.

Before you learn how to weight train properly, it is critical that you learn these five weight training tips before you even begin to start hoisting heavy objects above your head.

1. Goal Setting

“Inch-by-inch life is a sinch. Yard-by-yard life is hard.” Words made famous by Vince Delmonte himself. Treat your goal setting the same way. Do not expect to be on the cover of Men’s Fitness by next summer. Decide how much muscle weight you wish to achieve in three months. Six months and one year. Decide where you wish to finish and work backwards. Creating a powerpoint presentation with your favorite physiques also helps reaffirm your journey.

2. Commitment

The only reason you will fail is if you are not truly committed to your goals. Do your homework and find a weight training program ideal for your specific goals and situation. Study the program fully prior to commencing. Comprehend every detail of the program and if you don’t, contact the author of the program to ensure you have no excuse to misunderstand or perform the workout incorrectly. After you chosen a program, take responsibility for your decision and follow it to it’s full completion. Do not try it out for three weeks and than say, “It’s not working…” and try another program. This will create a negative attitude and set you up for inevitable failure.

3. Education

How much do you really know about building muscle? Let’s put it this way, if you had to teach someone else how to transform their body in the next twelve weeks, could you help them? Never mind, could you transform your body in the next twelve weeks? If not, you probably do not know enough about how your body works from a training, nutrition and recovery stand point. Order a book, visit a reputable website and find out everything you must know, about proper weight training, before you start the guessing game.

#4: Proper Technique

You wouldn’t try and perform dental surgery on yourself? So why would you try and teach yourself proper weight training technique? It boggles my mind when I look across the gym and see two grown men throwing around dangerously heavy weights while jeopardizing the health of their tendons, ligaments and joints. Leave your ego at the door and seek assistance from a reputable fitness trainer who can teach you proper weight training technique. If money is an issue, check out some of my favorite fitness gurus, Vince Delmonte and Mike Geary, online and soak in every single detail of how they train and their technique.

#5: Progression

Approach each workout with the attitude of “I am going do better today, then I did yesterday!”. Your bench press does not need to go up twenty pounds in the first week. But just imagine your bench press went up consistently 2-5 pounds every week for the next year? That would be some fantastic muscular and strength gains! Your goal is to simply out do yourself from workout-to-workout, week-to-week. Whether you do one extra rep, one extra set, a extra 2 pounds or a shorter rest period, these are are measurable signs of weight training progress.

Take a look at video below.

These are bootcamp workout survivors that Vince took through the ringer one morning during a conference we attended. I’ve been through workouts like that before, and once you realize you’re not going to die, its an incredible feeling.

Vince DelMonte is the author of Your Six Pack Quest and VinceDelMonteFitness.com. He specializes in teaching people how to build muscle without drugs, supplements and training less than before.