10 Reasons Why You Are Not Building Muscle
So, you’ve been hitting the gym, eating protein, and taking supplements. Unfortunately, your hard efforts just don’t seem to be paying off. If you’re wondering whether or not you’re doing something wrong, the answer is yes. Whether you’re skinny or naturally bulky, packing on muscle isn’t a simple task for anyone.
You may feel like you’ve tried everything in the book to make things happen, but for some reason, it just isn’t happening. If you’re getting frustrated with your weight, you’ll want to keep reading. Below you’ll find 10 reasons you’re not building muscle.
Where’s Your Patience?
If you should try to understand anything about packing on muscle, it should be that the results from your first phase of training are results you can’t see. For example, coordination greatly improves each time you exercise. Your neuromuscular efficiency also increases. This is the communication between your muscles and your brain. It might be difficult, but try avoiding the mirror every day. Just have patience and your results will be sure to follow.
Consistency Is the Key
Whether it’s your diet or exercise regimen that’s lacking, consistency applies to both. Be sure to keep lifting weights at least three times per week, and always make sure you’re eating enough throughout the day. If you’re looking for a long-term change, consistency is the key. While missing a day or two won’t effect you dramatically, it will if you make a habit out of it. Always maintain the same schedule to ensure you’re packing on muscle. While it may not always be an easy thing to do, you’ll be thankful you did when your body looks better than you imagined.
Start Keeping Track
Your training log is just as important as your program. If you want to maximize muscle hypertrophy, you need to keep a note of every weight you’ve used, the repetitions completed, the exercise tempo, and the breaks between your sets. Logs are great for looking back to see how you may have been injured or over-trained. This will help you hone-in on any problem areas to ensure you’re getting the best work-out for your body.
Protein Matters
If you’re an athlete or trying to pack on muscle, you should be eating 1.3 to 1.5 grams of protein per pound of body weight. Basically, if you’re trying to maintain a somewhat healthy weight, you need to eat around 1.0 to 1.2 grams. Whether you prefer fish, poultry, and / or eggs, you’re guaranteed to get the different amino acids you need. These amino acids will help you build muscle quickly. Next time you’re sitting down for a meal, go ahead and add up the grams.
You Need Structure
It’s time for you to let go of the random routines and stick to a solid exercise plan. This is the best way for you to increase your muscle size and improve your strength. If you’re a beginner, random training has the potential to make you strong, but long-term routines are the key to maximizing your gains. If you want to build muscle, it’s imperative that you have structure and set workout schedules. Without structure, you’ll always be trying to pack on muscle, but never actually doing it.
We Know You’re Cheating
No one wants to be the guy at the gym who’s only doing half or quarter reps. Half reps won’t get you far. You’ll only get half the results. You need to learn how to do full reps for every exercise you do. By doing this, you’ll maximize your gains for the long-term. You can even stick to professing full-range motions with lighter weight sets. It’s much better than lifting with heavy weights using half reps.
Calm Down On the Cardio
In order to gain size and strength, you need to chill out on the cardio. If cardio is dominating your routine, you won’t get very far. By not allowing cardio to dominate your routine, you’re choosing to make your journey to packing on muscle an easy one. Don’t be afraid to slot in a few sessions, but remember that your top priority should always be lifting weights three times a week.
Compound Movements Scare You
Front raises, curls, and lateral raises are great workouts, but are normally performed at the wrong time during your routine. You need to be focused on big compound lifts when you start your routine. This will help to make sure you’re not feeling fatigued. Try exercises like squats, presses, and dead lifts in the beginning. Isolation workouts should always be saved for the end of your routine.
You’re Addicted to the Gym
If you’re spending too much time in the gym, stop now, you’re not building muscle. This is detrimental to your training process, and will definitely lead to a longer, tougher recovery time between workout sessions. It will also increase your stress levels. If you’re just beginning, you can get a lot done in 45 to the 60-minute session when you take the proper breaks between sets and remain focused. Spending all day, every day at the gym will never get you the results you want.
Supplements Are Not a Magic Formula
We all know that whey protein is great for increasing your daily protein intake, and creatine will build your strength and size. Whey protein and creatine alone will not be able to help you if you’re not going to the gym. Stop looking for a magic formula, and focus on your diet and exercise. It takes a lot of work to pack on muscle, but with the right steps, you’ll get there in no time.
Whip Yourself into Shape
Now that you know what you need, all you have to do is implement it into your daily life. Increase your protein intake, keep track of training, let go of fears, create structure, and remain honest with yourself. Until you start doing these things, you’ll always be trying to pack on muscles. It time for you to start actually doing it.
