So you’ve begun a fitness program that involves strength training. This will be very beneficial to your body in many ways and provide strength where you probably never knew you had it.

The key to a successful strength training program is change. As you progress, it will be necessary to make some changes to fit your growing fitness routine. This is an important part to becoming physically fit and will keep you going for a long time to come. Below are some tips you can follow once you have begun your fitness program and are ready to make those necessary changes.

After you have been exercising for a few weeks, begin adding one repetition or a few pounds to your weights each week. This will help you slowly increase the number of times you are able to perform any given exercise as well as the amount of weight you can actually lift. You might also choose to alternate weeks. One week add a repetition and the next, a little more weight.

Once you hit about 16 repetitions, increase the amount of weight you are lifting and drop your repetitions down to about 12. You may even choose to go as low as ten, depending on how much you have increased the weight amount.

During the first several weeks, it will be absolutely essential to focus on how you are performing each exercise instead of the amount of weight you are lifting. When exercises aren’t performed correctly, two problems can occur. First, the exercise won’t serve its purpose if it isn’t executed correctly. Secondly, you can injure yourself if you neglect technique. Building muscle takes time and you have plenty of it so be careful not to overdo it.

Once you have been working through your fitness program for six or so week, it is okay to change the routine so it becomes more difficult. This will challenge you in a good way while allowing you to ease into the changes.

If you are unsure about the specific exercises you should do or don’t know a lot about weight training, consider hiring a personal trainer. This person is trained in the area of fitness and will be able to help you with all aspects of your program.