One of the most important aspects of bodybuilding is learning proper weight lifting techniques.
When undergoing any kind of resistance training technique is very important, the most important reasons being: * To recruit the correct muscle groups * To avoid injury through using the wrong muscles or putting excessive pressure on joints etc.
Avoiding injury is obviously the most important aspect, however incorrect technique can also hinder your gains.
When starting off any weight training programme for the first weeks you should focus on proper weight lifting techniques, by doing this you are building a solid foundation and can then focus on increasing the weight once you've nailed down the technique.
Proper technique obviously varies from exercise to exercise, however common sense can go a long way, when you are first doing an exercise you need to look at what muscle groups you are hitting.
Lets take the bench press, you are going to primarily hit the chest and shoulders, any other muscles you hit are stabilising muscles to help with the lift.
Because you are hitting the chest and shoulders the bench press is a push movement and you should ensure it is only the chest and shoulders you are using, that means avoid any major arching of your back to help you lift! Ultimately proper weight lifting techniques involves common sense, for example if an exercise hurts, DONT DO IT! This could be down to bad technique or a underlying problem if it keeps occurring.
Remember if you are in doubt speak to a qualified trainer, or one of the best online resources for learning exercise form is exrx.
net.