1. Warm up and stretch

Nothing interferes with a training regime like being banished from the gym because of strained muscles. Before you begin any workout, raise your heart rate with a few minutes on a treadmill or exercise bike, and make your first set of any exercise a light one to warm up the muscles for the heavyweight action to come. After a workout, cool down with some light cardio exercise and stretch to help loosen muscle fibres, which will counteract the shortening effect that exercise has on them. Hold every stretch for at least 20 seconds, and don’t ‘bounce’ – you will only risk injury.

2. Have a plan

It’s important that your workout is progressive. You need to keep increasing the intensity of each workout as your muscles get stronger. The only real way to keep track of this is by making a plan, noting the weights, sets and reps you are doing, and aiming to improve on those figures at regular intervals. What’s more, by making a plan you can set goals for yourself, which will inspire you to keep going.

3. Slow down

Resist the temptation to rattle through each set until you have hit your suggested number of reps and then call it a day. A far better method is to slow down and really concentrate on working the muscle you are targeting. For most movements you should aim to lift the weight under control before squeezing at the top of the move for a one-count, and then lower the weight slowly, taking three to four seconds to return to the start. If you take at least four seconds to complete each rep, you may find that you have to use less weight, but you will make much better muscle gains.

4. Lift to failure

You need to overload your muscles to make them grow, and that means you need to adapt your workout so you can’t manage the final rep of each set – this is called pushing to failure. If you can complete all your reps with ease, then you’re not making any real gains. Remember that ‘failure’ means when you can’t complete the rep without breaking perfect form, not when you can’t move the weight at all. Never be tempted to break form to crank out a few more reps or you will risk injury.

5. Focus on your core

The muscles that make up your lower back and abdomen – your core muscles – are the ones that help you to stand tall, prevent back strain and support you when playing sport. You can help to keep them strong by using stabilisation techniques in your workout. Try using dumb-bells, which oblige you to keep your whole body stable, rather than machines that fix your body in one position. Also, try sitting on a Swiss ball when doing arm and shoulder exercises – that extra bit of wobble will pay dividends in your core region.

6. Mix it up

If you stick to the same old routine week in and week out, your muscles will become used to it and stop responding. That’s why our workout plans move you on month by month. The trick is to hit muscles from different angles, using different exercises and equipment to keep them guessing and stimulate new growth. Make the most of everything your gym has to offer – machines, cables, dumb-bells, barbells, medicine balls and kettle bells.

7. Drink water

You only have to be one or two per cent dehydrated for this to have an impact on your performance in the gym, and if you’re feeling thirsty it’s a sign that you are already dehydrated. Keep a water bottle handy at all times and take sips from it at 15-minute intervals, rather than glugging down litres of the stuff in one go, which will only make you bloated.

8. Eat straight after your workout

The half-hour immediately after you finish your workout is the best time to stock up on carbohydrates and protein in a 3:1 ratio to repair damaged muscle tissue and to counteract the effects of hormones produced during exercise. A ripe banana, a smoothie or an energy bar is the perfect post-workout snack.

9. Get your rest

Your muscles do not grow while you are in the gym; they grow while they are recovering afterwards. It is vital to take rest days between workouts and to take several days between working the same muscle group with any intensity. If you hammer your muscles every day then you are overtraining and, far from gaining the physique you want, your body will start to cannibalise your precious muscle for fuel.

10. Enjoy it

Most people give up on exercise because they get bored and it all seems like too much effort. But if you always keep your workouts enjoyable by changing what you do, exercising outside, training with a friend or making it a competition – then you’re sure to keep at it.