1.    Catered to the lifter's goals. 

 

Novice lifters, as well as some intermediate lifters make the mistake of following a cookie-cutter routine. These routines are usually found in social media posts and even some reputable bodybuilding sites. People who designed it may be good-intentioned, but keep in mind that they're probably just trying to help people who have absolutely no definite goal in mind aside from "getting fit". Specific goals must be kept in consideration when designing a proper fitness routine to make sure that it is streamlined to reach that specific goal faster.

 

2.    Realistic work volume. 

 

Of the many tips for safe muscle building, perhaps one that would seem counterintuitive in the eyes of beginners is the deliberate limitation of work volume. Contrary to the image of bodybuilding being a gym-grind through and through, muscle is actually built at rest, not while working out. What lifting does is tear muscles, which is then repaired by the body during sleep. Muscle growth happens when the body overcompensates in this healing process. But if the workout demands high lifting volume, eight hours of sleep might not be enough to provide growth. Let alone heal the muscle tears. Proper volume and sufficient rest is a must especially when lean bulking, as calorie intake is deliberately restricted.

 

3.    Progressive overload. 

 

As mentioned earlier, muscles grow because the body overcompensates in its healing process. This is a natural stimuli which helps the body overcome the same workload easier the next time around. Without progressive overload, the body halts its adaptation and will no longer find the need to build new muscles. It's best to keep away from workout routines that have no clear progression recommendations. Calisthenics workout routines are particularly guilty of this because unlike lifting iron, it's not that easy to add weight after every couple of weeks. Sure, one can make a push-up more difficult by wearing a weighted vest. But that's not really how bodyweight exercises work. It's a lot more complicated and requires imagination and large progression jumps.

 

4.    As little machine assistance as possible. 

 

Machines are ubiquitous in any gym. But don't let their omnipresence trick you into thinking that they have to be used. In fact, intermediate bodybuilders who know more than they used to are not keen on using machines at all. This is because machines are training wheels that are detrimental to three dimensional movements. Squatting with machine assistance, for example, is just an up and down motion - it doesn't impose the need to balance.