Something that a lot of people get caught up in when trying to build muscle is lifting the heaviest weight at all times. The one thing that slips the minds though of these people is making sure that you do in a safe manner.

Many of the traumatic incidents you see in a gym can be avoided by taking the proper precautions. We recommend following the guidelines we’ve listed below so you can build muscle safely.

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) Probably the biggest thing to saving yourself from major injury is making sure that you use the right technique. Becoming off balance or lifting weights in the wrong manner can cause serious injury to your muscles and cause you to be laid up for quite awhile.

5) Do not over do it. It is very common when motivation is high especially for newbie’s that you want to lift weights as often as possible. This motivation is fine but working out everyday or even every second day will likely be too much for the majority of people unless a split routine is used. You will actually weaken your muscles if you workout again when they are not yet fully recovered.

6) Not eating properly. Emphasis will have to be placed on muscle building nutrition if you want your muscles to grow. If you do not consume enough calories then you are not going to be able to support muscle growth and will therefore be wasting your time in the gym. During the day eat frequently high quality nutritional meals.

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.
Last but not least make sure you warm up. Most muscles and tendon tears come from someone who doesn’t stretch before workout. Make sure that you spend at least 15 minutes doing various stretches so that you are not lifting while you are tense.

With those above guidelines in mind and with correct muscle building nutrition there is no reason why you should not workout to build muscle happily and safely where ever you train.