Setting a huge goal like running a marathon or losing 100 pounds may not be the best way to get fit. These goals can feel overwhelming and cause you to give up when you don’t see instant results. Instead, set small, attainable goals that you can gradually incorporate into your lifestyle.

If you want to bench press without injuring yourself, proper form is a must. Remember to always lie completely flat on the bench. A great way to always maintain the proper form is to leave your feet firmly planted on the ground, and always grip the bar no more than shoulder width apart. This will allow a fluid, natural motion and enable you to keep a solid form.

If you are attempting a dead-lift exercise and want to protect your joints, mainly your knees, you should never max out with the weight you’re lifting. Attempting to lift too much weight will cause you to bounce and jerk upon lifting, and this can easily damage your knees and other joints. Going easy on the weight helps you go easier on the joints.

A tricep pushdown is an effective exercise to tone your triceps. It is important to perform this exercise correctly though. Your palms need to face your thighs. This will put less stress on your elbow joint. Do not let your palms face the floor putting unneeded stress on your elbows.

Use your workout equipment in an order to see maximum results. The order should be dumbbells first, regular barbells second and machines last. Doing exercises in this order will ensure that you don’t get fatigued too early in your workout, by engaging in the more labor-intensive equipment first. This also works your muscles out, from smaller to larger.

Cycling can be an intensive fat burner. Try to pace yourself with 80 to 100 rpm. There are digital computers you can attach to your bicycle to keep track of your rpm and mileage. If you stay within this zone, you can go further without fatigue, and also reduce your chance of injury. To figure out the pace you are bicycling, you count the times your leg raises every ten seconds and multiply it by six. This is the RPM you need to aim for.

When pursuing your fitness goals it is essential that you cut out the excuses. Excuses will cause you to fail. You should schedule a time to work out and follow through on it. Even if you only exercise for a few minutes, this is better than not working out at all.

Keep your workout machines and dumbbells in order. Use the smaller weights first and work your way up to the larger weight like barbells and bench presses, and then eventually work your way up to a machine. The smaller weights uses more of your muscle and you get fatigued easier.

As you can see, there are many better ways to gradually ease fitness into your lifestyle than making sweeping long-term goals. Follow the tips mentioned in this article for making small lifestyle changes to improve your fitness and before you know it–one small step at a time–you will be on your way to that marathon.