Many people approach a weight training workout plan like they would approach a recipe in the kitchen. They’re looking for someone to hand them all the ingredients and give them all the directions, which they can then simply follow and get the results they desire.

While it may work that way when baking a cake, it rarely works that way when creating a weight training workout plan. This is because different people approach weight training with different needs. So the first thing you need to decide on is — what kind of results do I want?

An insufficient answer is “to become stronger”. That doesn’t mean anything. How will you know when you have become stronger? Will your biceps be a certain size? Will your body fat be at a certain percentage? It’s important to have an extremely clear and detailed goal in mind before deciding what type of weight training workout plan to go with.

Besides knowing where you would like to arrive with your weightlifting, you also have to know when you’d like to arrive there. How long are you willing to wait until you get the results you desire? Some people wish to simply increase their strength because it makes them feel better. For them, is a lifelong goal. Therefore, it’s not important if they get quick results in a short period of time.

At any rate, if you are new to strength training, it’s far more important to develop the proper form and learn the fundamentals than it is to create the perfect weight training workout plan. Just like you wouldn’t build a house on a faulty foundation, you shouldn’t build a weight training workout plan until you have understood the fundamentals of weight lifting, as it relates to form.

Finally, know that your fitness training workout plan is going to change over time. Nobody gets it perfect the first time. It is only after you have received feedback by trying different things are you able to adjust your training routine to make it more effective. Things to look out for are how long it takes you to recover from different exercises as well as where you seem to make the most — and least — improvement.

While it’s good to have a template to work off of, don’t expect to get the perfect muscle building program right out-of-the-box. Take an existing workout plan and tweak it and modify it to your specific body type and your goals.