5 Reasons You Can’t Build Muscle Mass

If despite the hard workouts and the time you spend in the gym, you still struggle to build muscle, you might want to take a look at these 5 scenarios that might be happening to you. Chances are you are making some of these basic mistakes.

Scenario 1 – You have no clue how many calories you eat a day

Ask any skinny guy in the gym how much they eat and you’ll get the answer: “I eat a LOT”. But when you ask them to specify what they ate this week or how many calories they consumed every day during the last few days, I bet they’ll get confused. The average “hardgainer” usually has no idea how many calories a day they eat.

The solution? Take notes of what you drink and eat during the next 7 days. Then visit one of the numerous online calorie calculators and see how many calories you are really consuming. This is a good starting point. This way you’ll be able to calculate exactly how many calories you are consuming each day, and how many calories you should consume to support certain muscle mass.

Just don’t be surprised when you find out that you are actually eating a lot less than you are claiming to eat.

Scenario 2 – You have no idea how much protein you consume on a daily basis

Perhaps you sometimes eat a chicken breast meal, drink a protein shake or two, and maybe even eat a few eggs – but the truth is … you have no idea how many grams of protein a day you eat.

Studies suggest that every active individual has an increased need of protein. Athletes need about 0.9-1g of protein per lb. Weightlifters need even more protein. Having no idea of what your daily protein requirements are, it is time to find out.

In a world focused on carbohydrates, it’s easy to consume less protein than needed. This is why you need to do the same thing as you did with the calories. Write down every protein food you eat and go through your log after a week or so. Aim to get around 1g of protein per lb of weight and if you are not gaining in couple of months increase the protein a bit more. You can reach your daily requirements by consuming supplements like amino acids, whey protein or casein. Just remember – supplements are just supplements, nothing can replace the most anabolic thing – real food.
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