Top performance

The best way to improve your gains is to lift with top performance. A lot of people think they are lifting the right way. Well in fact a lot of us do, but there are also a lot of us that don't. How do I know if I am lifting right or not? Simple... I would look at two things. When you are lifting are you "feeling" the target muscles work? E.G. when you are doing dumbbell bench presses you should feel the majority of the work coming from your pec's [most of the feeling should be here], tri's and delts [as secondary groups]. If you feel discomfort or more effort on your back or any other part you are lifting wrong.*
*refer to ego
At this point if you are lifting wrong take a day or a week and step back in your training. Use lighter weight & move with controlled speed and focus on the muscles when you are performing the exercise. Think about the muscles when you move. This sounds silly but really try to imagine your muscles working when you curl the bar or push the weight away from your body. Doing this helps you "listen" to your body and you can feel & see what you are doing. When you start lifting right you will notice a huge difference in how much you can lift and how fast your gains come in.