It may sound like simple advice, but if you don’t develop and maintain correct weight lifting technique you will not progress and you will risk injury.

The human body is an interesting machine that can go off the rails very quickly. If you perform a movement with poor technique, the connective tissue or muscles you are exercising can tear or completely rip.

If you do not have control of the movements you are completing, you need to stop and reassess.

It is important to get your technique right from the start or else you might encourage your muscles to grow in the wrong directions. A glance through most gyms will reveal trainers with hunched shoulders, curved spines and other predicaments that are partly due to poor lifting form.

The first step you should consider is lowering the weight you are working with. Beginning with a low weight is the best way to train your muscles to move in the correct fashion.

Avoid ‘cheating’ – where you use other muscles to complete a rep – because this is an instant ticket to poor form and injury. Classic examples of cheating are on the bench press, where trainers arch their backs to push out the last rep. Get someone to spot you instead and finish with good form.

The last thing worth mentioning is that you should always have your form on the forefront of your mind as you workout. Concentrate on activating all the appropriate muscles through the exercise. This will ensure good posture and prevent you from taking shortcuts.