There’s two important concepts the novice weight lifter needs to know before jumping into a strength training program, Good Form while exercising and Progressive Overload.
Having the right form with each exercise allows one to maintain the stress and tension on a particular muscle group. The beginner should take as long as they need to master proper form so that the form doesn't fall apart when they start adding more weight to the exercises. If the majority of the stress is focused anywhere else besides the targeted muscle group, adequate growth is nearly impossible and in some cases lead to injury.
Progressive overload in layman's terms simple means changing or altering the amount of stress on the muscle. Here are some ways for you to apply progressive overload…
Adding more weight
Doing more reps with the same weight
Decreasing your rest time between sets
Increasing your range of motion
This is very simple and the most important concept in building muscle yet most people don’t embrace this principle.
Here’s an example…
If I can squat 225 pounds for 20 reps, I must do 21 reps or squat with 230 pounds for 20 reps the following workout to apply progressive overload. Even if I can only perform 15, 10 or even 5 reps with 230, I’m still applying the principle of progressive overload.
IMPORTANT NOTE:
With the previous example, if for whatever reason you can’t do 225 pounds for 20 reps in the following workout, that’s okay. You might have been off on your protein intake that day or the week before. You might have had a stressful week at work and is effecting your sleep quality. You might be a little depleted of glycogen and need to incorporate more carbohydrates in your diet. With that said, if you’re not seeing satisfactory strength gains, 9 times out of 10 is because you’re not recovered from your last workout (See section on Recovery). Whatever the case may be, don’t get discouraged. Go back to the drawing board and don’t give up. Your taking on an endeavor that requires a lot of patients.