Swagatalakshmi Roychowdhury
Mind-muscle connection
Before you start working out, one of the most important things to remember is to build what is called "mind-muscle connection."
Consciously focus on the part of your body when you exercise and do not get distracted to avoid injury. Pay close attention to what your body is doing and count the number of repetitions (called reps) you perform of any exercise.
Progressive overload
Progressive overload means lifting heavier every time you go to the gym. You can train your legs and do all the bodyweight and barbell squats you want, but if you don't increase the weight you're lifting, you would not be seeing a lot of muscle gain.
Switch it up
Once you have a fixed routine of which body part you're targeting on which day, you can switch it up by mixing strength training with cardio.
For instance, if you're aiming to go gym 3-4 times a week, you can focus on cardio (treadmill, cross-trainer, etc.) on one of those days. Stick to your routine as much as you can and try not to change your exercises too frequently.
Train to failure
Training to failure is extremely important if you want to build muscle mass. It means performing reps of an exercise until you no longer can due to muscle fatigue.
For instance, if you're doing a bicep curl, your 8th or 10th repetition should make you feel like your arm is on fire, but you have to push through it! If you can easily do the maximum number of reps in a set, you're probably not lifting heavy enough.
Rest up
Prioritising recovery is just as important as working out. Take out time to rest in between days and try not to train the same muscle group in less than 24 hours. You need good sleep, water and nutrition to experience the fruits of your labour!