After you’ve established these goals, write them down. Then, track your progress by recording what you’ve accomplished each day and how you felt.  

Slow Down

Walk into almost any gym, and you’ll see somebody pumping iron quickly while grunting and groaning. Such displays are a lot less impressive than they look, because lifting weights too quickly allows momentum to creep into your motion. The more momentum is involved, the less the muscle itself has to work.

So, slow down when lifting weights. Some experts recommend using equal amounts of time for both raising and lowering the weight. Others urge you to take twice as long when lowering the weight. Whichever approach you take, the important thing is to use gradual, controlled movements from start to finish.

After you make this transition, you will probably find that you are able to finish far fewer repetitions than before. That’s OK. In the long run, you’ll actually build more muscle and increase strength using this go-slow approach.

Warm Up, Cool Down

When it comes to working out, it is common for people to avoid three crucial steps that help protect the body from injury: warming up, cooling down and stretching. Your fitness spring clean is the perfect time to add these often overlooked elements to your workout.

Regular stretching improves the flexibility of both joints and muscles. Stretching allows you to experience a full range of motion and reduces the risk of injury.