No doubt you've heard the expression "no pain, no gain," and you probably think of it most often when you're thinking about exercise and weight training. The conception is that you really have to hurt yourself to make any progress; that you need to work so hard you're in pain to really get the results you want.

The truth is that pain shouldn't factor into the equation. Yes, weight training is supposed to be hard work. You really need to challenge your muscles, literally tearing them down in order to build them into even stronger muscles than you had before your workout.

Exercise experts say that you should lift weights to the point of exhaustion to see the best results. That means that you couldn't possibly do another repetition if you wanted to. But the key is that it's to the point of exhaustion, not to the point of pain.

Pain is not a sign that you're doing things right. Pain is the marker of an injury, something that will probably keep you from hitting the weight room for a longer period of time, which will actually slow your progress.

When it comes to weight lifting, there is an extent to which moderation is a good idea. It's better to work with a slightly lighter weight than to try to "challenge" yourself with a heavier weight than you've ever used before and end up hurting yourself. Of course that doesn't mean you use the same weight you started with forever, but it does mean you don't add weight just for the sake of doing so.

Instead you should always be mindful of what your body is trying to tell you when you're working out as well as after. If you ever feel pain, that's your body telling you to stop what you're doing. Don't try to complete the reps just because you're supposed to do 10 and you're hurting at five. Don't keep going just because people are watching.

Pride won't make sprained or strained muscles feel better, and you won't heal faster because you hurt yourself showing off. Remember that your mind and your body work best when they work together, and you shouldn't be overtaxing your muscles just because your mind thinks that you should be able to lift a certain amount of weight.

The term "gentle" isn't one you often hear in weight lifting circles, but you do need to be a little gentle with yourself, especially when you're first starting out with weight lifting. You don't know what your body is capable of, and though you won't find out without testing the limits, you should do so in a careful and gentle way so you don't end up sabotaging all that hard work with a debilitating injury.