Keep your shoulders injury-free

As great for your body as resistance training undoubtedly is, there are certain risks inherent to such a taxing workout. In particular, if you are lifting a good amount of weight to increase size and muscle strength (rather than lifting light weights to tone and burn fat), the risk of injury is something that you should always bear in mind.

One of the more common injuries people suffer is to the rotator cuff, which is located in the shoulder near the armpit. This specific injury is on that oftentimes occurs during the performance of the bench press, one of the most popular and effective weightlifting exercises for your upper-body. In light of this fact, researchers have found that narrowing your grip while benching may help reduce your chance of injury. And, to the presumed delight of many seasoned lifters, the researchers also found that this slight narrowing of grip will have little affect on the strength of your lifts.

On most Olympic bars, which are the kind you'll typically find in just about any gym, there are little notches that serve as reference points for your hands. Based on the aforementioned research, which was published in the Strength and Conditioning Journal, you should make efforts to keep your hands inside these notches. Placing your hands any wider than this -- which is basically anything wider than shoulder-width apart -- increases the risk of injury.

In addition, always be sure to warm up with about 5 minutes of moderate-intensity cardio before beginning your lifting routine. And, don't forget to stretch before and after your workout.