For building muscle, there’s no substitute for weight lifting. It looks easy. You can go in any local gym and see people working out with weights. {mosgoog left} And if you’re watching the right people, you can really learn a lot about building muscle in the quickest and easiest way.

Unfortunately, if you’re watching people lifting in a gym, you can also see a lot of people who are not building muscle the way they want, because they are making some very basic weight lifting mistakes. This keeps them from developing quickly, makes their workouts more difficult, and can cause injuries and just generally make workouts, and the whole process, less fun and more uncomfortable.

Here are some of the more common mistakes I notice:

1. Not warming up as a part of your weight lifting routine.

The first muscle building mistake I see commonly is not stretching or warming up. Muscles do not work well when they’re cold, and you can seriously injure yourself – and keep yourself from building muscle – by trying to lift without stretching and warming up first. Always start your muscle building weight lifting routine with a good warm-up.

2. Doing the same weight lifting routine every day.

Building muscle requires varying your routine at least every 60 days. Your muscles get used to a particular exercise, and building muscle becomes harder because your muscles have learned that exercise and position. Add some variety to your weight lifting routine. Change things up every couple of months, and your muscle building progress will improve greatly.

3. Not keeping a log of your progress in gaining weight and building muscle.

Building muscle does not happen automatically, and when you’re doing a weight lifting program, you need to keep a log. Ideally, you would keep a detailed entry of every exercise. You’d note what you do, for how long, and the result in terms of building muscle over time. At the least, keep a general weekly log and track your exercises in your head. Building muscle takes work, but it takes the right kind of work.

4. Not doing a full-body workout to build muscle in a balanced manner.

Building muscle happens locally, in each set of muscles. Many guys don’t do the legs. They just ignore 40% of their muscle mass, concentrating on building muscle in their upper bodies, where it’s “more noticeable.” What is really noticeable is that these guys are building muscle in their upper bodies through weight lifting, but they’re walking around looking like they might topple over, because they have matchstick legs.

5. Lifting too-heavy weights with bad form

You’re not building muscle if you’re doing the weight lifting routine wrong. You’re also risking serious injury if you’re grunting and groaning and lifting a weight that’s too heavy to lift correctly. Form is more important than weight. Building muscle requires doing your weight lifting exercises correctly, with a manageable amount of weight. Injury is not going to further your goal.

6. Keeping a low intensity level throughout the workout

Some guys, and women, too, when they’re doing a weight lifting routine, keep it pretty easy. Building muscle does not happen with an easy workout. And don’t save your best for the last, doing easy sets and then blowing out in your last set. Weight lifting and building muscle require steady, controlled sets, increasing the intensity with each set to keep your muscles working.

7. Overtraining in an effort to build muscle and gain weight faster

 You’re not building muscle when you’re overtraining, in weight lifting or any other sport. What you’re doing is straining muscle, not building it, and you’re going to not only injure yourself, but prevent yourself from building muscle effectively. Muscles need to work correctly, and doing too much weight lifting is not the answer. Building muscle can’t be rushed. Take the time to do it right, or you may find you’re spending more time

Building muscle is an attainable goal, and it’s fun to watch yourself gain muscle weight. By avoiding these common mistakes in weight lifting, you can grow bigger steadily and accomplish your goals.