The first step to begin gaining and toning muscle is to determine how you want to train, and where you want to train.  Gyms are a great option, and are most commonly recommended for beginners.  These facilities are equipped with various types of weight training machines, free weight options, and professionals on staff to help guide you throughout the process.

If you would prefer to begin at home, you can certainly purchase your own free weights, small weight bench, home weight machine, and/or resistance bands.  Take a trip to your local sporting goods store and speak with a member of the staff to ensure you make the right purchase.

Next, you will need to design a complete program for your training needs.  Begin by setting realistic goals, and set a workout schedule you will be able to keep.  The most common mistake beginners make is designing a plan that tries to do too much too soon, and takes up more time than they can truly devote.  It might be worth consulting with a personal trainer when setting up your plan.  These professionals are highly skilled in this area and can be excellent guides to get you on the right path.

It is also important that you educate yourself on muscle health during this stage.  You need to understand how hard to work your muscles, that you should never exercise the same muscle groups two days in a row (except abs), and that in the beginning you will need to have a day of rest between each workout session.  Muscle training puts wear and tear on your tissues and they will need a bit of time to heal and regenerate.

When you are just beginning it is necessary to get your body used to moving, and burning calories.  In addition to just focusing on weight training, you should include cardiovascular exercise.  Once you get your body used to a higher level of activity you can then begin to add more focused training programs into your fitness routine.  You should go about introducing weights slowly and gradually increase the amount of weight and resistance you work with.

Finally, a proper diet is essential to gaining and toning muscle.  Once you begin to workout your body is going to have more specific nutritional needs.  You will be expending more energy, and burning more calories.  It is important that you replenish your body with the right type of fuel.  Foods such as lean protein, yogurt, milk, cheese, beans, nuts, and complex carbohydrates need to be consumed.  If you are trying to bulk up a bit, you can supplement your daily diet with protein shakes, smoothies, and higher protein foods.  Be careful doing this, as you do not want to add extra saturated fat.

Remember, the process of gaining and toning muscle takes time.  When you stick with your program, and make healthy changes in your life, you will be thrilled with the results.

If you are trying to lose weight, and build some lean muscle you should be lifting between sixty and eighty percent of your one rep maximum.  This will help you burn fat, and gain some good muscle tone. 

The problem with using this formula to figure the weight level is that most of us do not have any idea what our maximum is, and we do not really care to try to think about it.  What ends up happening is we use the same weights over and over, and while we still get some exercise, the results will not change.  This is a great way to go about keeping your body from changing, but it is not terribly efficient if you are trying to lose weight or build more muscle.

So, how should you go about determining the proper amount of weight to train with?  A good basic rule of thumb is to figure this without having to think about it too much, or break out the calculator is to train with weights that are heavy enough that you can cannot do more than fifteen repetitions, but not too heavy that you cannot complete eight repetitions. 

You should be able to hold the weight properly and use good form while performing these repetitions.  By the time you get to the end of your set, within the last two to three reps, you should feel a bit tired, and have a bit of difficulty continuing.  You should literally feel the burn.  If you find that you cannot maintain proper form by the end of your set, then you need to switch to a lighter weight.  If you find that you have reached rep fifteen and can still keep going, you need to increase your weight.

The important thing to remember when it comes to weight training is that you must push yourself just a little, and give you your muscles more weight than they can handle.  Muscles will not be able to grow or gain strength if you do not gradually increase the weight. 

The challenge of lifting weights becomes as much a mental process as it is a physical process.  If you are unable to push your mind as well as your entire body, you will not get the best possible results.  When you are able to commit fully to your new workout routine you will be better able to build upon a solid program, which will encourage you to keep lifting and strive for the next level. 

You will know your limits, and be able to reach your goals.  Keep in mind weight training is a process that cannot and should not be rushed.  Follow these guidelines, use physical and mental control, and you will be amazed with the results.

The bench press is the number one piece of equipment that people use improper form on.    People often cheat by using their entire body to lift the weight, rather than just using their upper arms and chest.Proper bench press form does allow you to arch your back slightly, but it does not allow you to lift your rear end off of the bench. 

In order to get the best workout on the bench, and to tone your pectoral muscles, the back needs to be pushed inward and down just slightly while laying flat on the bench.  This allows your chest to come forward a bit and allows for a much more intense workout.  Your feet should be on the floor, your rear end on the bench, and your back should follow its natural arching pattern.  Cheating by pushing your back upward or off of the bench is not only wrong, it can also cause injury.

The squat is another weight lifting exercise that is often done improperly.  Many people add more weight than they can truly handle and do not squat down low enough to the point where their thighs are parallel to the floor.  Proper squatting form means your lower back should be arched a bit to avoid bending, your knees should be bent forward slightly but not hyperextending past your toes, and your hips and buttocks should be toward the back.

When performing dead lifts you need to make sure your form enables you to control your movements with your legs, and hips, and not lift the weight with your lower back.  Allowing your hamstrings to help control your lifts will increase your overall strength.
 
Always make sure you control the negative part of the movement when weight training.    Keeping the weights under control and taking a bit of time to make sure your form is correct will allow you to get the very most out of your workout and drastically reduce your chance of becoming injured.