Let me start by saying, for most of you, this isn't going to be new information.

Are you training properly? Has anyone ever shown you the proper way to lift? I see guys and girls in the gym doing it wrong every day. I'm talking about technique. It's not about how much weight you lift, (unless you're a power lifter,) and it's not about how many reps you do. It's about making the muscle work!

It's about HOW you do the exercise.

First off, slower is better. Guys, ask your girl if I'm wrong. Haha, but seriously, I see people lifting as if the whole purpose is just to watch the weight move. As if the entire goal is to finish the set. News flash, the goal is not to move the most weight in the shortest amount of time. Unless your goal is to eventually be injured. In that case, carry on. The goal is to get the maximum amount of muscle contraction, per rep, per set.

Secondly, concentrate. Kai talks about making a mind/ muscle connection. I call it, focusing on the muscle you're supposed to be working. If you're working bis, think about the bicep. Visualize the muscle expanding and contracting. Picture the blood flooding the muscle. It sounds like psyco-babble, and for some of you, it will be. But trust me, it fucking works.

Thirdly? is that a word? Anyway, try to keep the muscle contraction constant throughout the entire movement. I'll use biceps curls again for the example. If your doing dumbbell curls, flex your bicep as you would if you weren't even holding the weight. Flex it hard. Flex until you think it's going to cramp. Squeeze that shit at the top of the lift. I mean, really squeeze it. If it doesn't hurt, you're doing it wrong.

Fourthly, negatives are your friend. Don't just lift the weight only to let it fall and then catch it at the bottom. Concentric contractions occur when the muscle shortens in length. During a standing biceps curl, this is the upward part of the lift. Eccentric contractions occur when the muscle lengthens during the movement. It's the downward motion during the biceps curl, known in gym speak as the negative. Use this part of the lift to your advantage. If you ignore the negative, you're really only doing half of the lift.

As is said above, for most of you, this isn't new info. But I see pics of guys on here that either don't know how to train, or don't know how to gear, or don't know how to diet, or all three. And even those of us that do know how to train still need to hear this stuff from time to time because we get lazy or distracted. I know a little about gear, a little more about diet. I know a lot about training.

This post isn't comprehensive, it's geared more toward the untrained lifter. So, I've just covered the basics. I look forward to hearing input and feedback from everyone. I don't know everything and I'm always open to suggestions.