So, you’ve spent the last few months in the gym lifting heavy weights and working your ass off (allegedly), but you’ve got nothing to show for it? Then, it’s very likely you’re making the mistakes described in this article. There are several things which could explain why your muscles aren’t getting bigger and why you aren’t making any progress. Fortunately, all of these things are completely under your control.
In this article, we’ll describe in detail all the reasons why you’re not gaining muscle at the rate you should be gaining and the changes you need to make in order to start seeing results and build an impressive physique.
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Your workouts consist of mostly cardio
This doesn’t mean that you should eliminate cardio completely. It is very important for maintaining low body fat levels and keeping your heart healthy. You get bonus points if you bike or jog, considering that outdoor exercise is related to increased energy and improved mental health.
However, in regards to building muscle mass, running on the treadmill won’t improve your results dramatically. Each component of training, minus the cardio, can help you with muscle hypertrophy, which is a scientific term for gaining muscle. Cardio exercise tends to expend calories and puts the body in a caloric deficit, which is a great strategy for getting shredded, but not for building muscle mass. Why You Should Stop Doing Endless Cardio if You Want to Look Good !
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The weights you’re using aren’t heavy enough
The small dumbbells lurking in the gym’s corner were a great place to start as a newbie, however, if you’ve been in the lifting game for a while, you know that progressive overload is the main precursor to gaining new muscle mass. You cannot continue to build muscle by using the same weights over and over again.
There are a plethora of exercises to choose from, either free weights or machines, but if you’re not constantly increasing the weight even by small increments, you won’t be giving your body a reason to grow, no matter what exercise you do. If you want to continually gain new muscle tissue, you have to break it down using a weight that is challenging enough to create micro-tears in your muscle fibers, which after a period of rest, get repaired and become denser and stronger.
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You don’t get enough quality sleep
The micro-tears that occur in the muscle fibers need rest in order to rebuild themselves and become stronger, which in the end results in a bigger muscle. When does this process occur, you may ask. It occurs while you’re asleep. Here is what happens to your body and mind when you don’t sleep enough
This is why it is essential that you rest adequately and feed the muscles between workout sessions or you will only break them down which will result in them becoming weaker. In the long-term, you increase the risk of becoming over-trained, which can ultimately lead to injury, and even more trouble falling asleep.
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You aren’t consistent with your workout routine
If building serious muscle mass is your top priority, then the most efficient method to do this is by doing 3 intense resistance-training sessions and 2 light-intensity sessions each week. Consistency is very important in a workout program, targeting at least each muscle group twice a week in order to optimally build muscle.
If you want to switch some exercises, it is suggested that you, for example, use sumo squats instead of conventional squats, step-ups on a box instead of lunges and then going back to the former. This type of variation can be pretty effective in building new muscle, however the weights you’ll be using still need to be heavy enough for you.
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You have developed muscle imbalances
A muscle imbalance happens when one muscle or muscle group is stronger than its complementary/opposing muscle. This can severely limit your ability to train effectively, and may even lead to increased risk of injury in the long-term. It is very important that you recognize if you’re targeting the muscles you think you are and recognize whether you have developed a muscle imbalance which tends to alter the movement pattern.
A very common example of muscle imbalance in women is stronger quadriceps and tighter, weaker hamstrings, the result of sitting for long periods of time, wearing high heels and improper workouts. If you think you may have an imbalance, go and see a physical therapist, who will prescribe some specific movements to even the imbalance out.
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Your form is bad
If you want to stay in the muscle building game for a long time, you will have to learn not only to lift the weight but also lift it in a safe and controlled manner. If you’re not doing the movement correctly, it will be impossible to make any significant progress.
For someone that is just beginning to work out, it can be very helpful to train with a personal trainer who’s had lots of experience in order to learn proper execution form. The same goes for experienced lifters, as well. If you’re not sure about how to perform a specific movement, it’s always better to ask. If you aren’t training the correct muscles, you can’t expect them to grow bigger.
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Your genetics may be a detriment to your progress
It’s a fact that your genes play a huge role in regards to your potential to build muscle. Generally, there are two types of muscle fibers: type I, also known as slow-twitch fibers and type II, also known as fast-twitch fibers. Depending on which type you have more of, you might be able to either build muscle fast or slow. Fast-twitch fibers are twice as thick as slow-twitch fibers, lending to the thickness of the muscle when it’s inactive.
The people who have a genetic predisposition of a higher percentage of this type of fibers can increase their muscle size easily while those with a higher percentage of slow-twitch fibers have to train really hard to put on muscle. It’s the main reason why an elite sprinter genetically has a greater percentage of fast-twitch fibers than an elite marathoner, it all comes down to what we are born with.
