by James - This article may contain affiliate links.
You may be working out hard, but you are yet to develop the muscles that you want, and you wonder why? There has to be something you are doing wrong and some of the reasons why you are not building muscles include:
1. You are not eating enough
Building muscles constitutes 80% of the diet and 20% of training. The best diet is one that has the right amount of nutrients, i.e. fats, carbs, and proteins. The body needs about 3000-5000 calories each day, and if you don’t eat enough, there will be no repair and growth of muscles after working out. It is recommended that half an hour after your workout you should take a protein meal or a protein shake so as to build muscles and help it the post workout process.
To explore in-depth check out:
- Constructing A Smart Mass-Gaining Diet
- Eat Massive to Get Massive
- What to Eat After Workouts to Get Results You Want
2. Not training intensely
If you don’t work out intensely, you will not build muscles. Do exercises that are intense like lifting heavy weights so as to challenge your body to go beyond its normal capacity so that change can happen. Do compound lifts for a longer period, such as 5-6 reps.
3. Inadequate rest or sleep
Rest is very important if you want to build muscle as the hormone human growth hormone (HGH) that is responsible for the change is highest when you sleep. Lack of sleep leads to high cortisol levels, which break down muscle tissue. Sleep eight hours a day and have a 20-minute nap during the day. Also, don’t exercise daily rather, have a rest day where you let the body recover from the intense workouts.
Watch this nice video to learn more.
Recommended books on the topic.
4. Not being consistent
If you are not serious about working out and your diet, then you will not develop muscles. To build muscles, you need to be committed all through and provide the body with the optimal environment such as lifting more weight and give it the required amount of nutrients each day so as to allow it to grow. Don’t do random exercises, but rather have a workout plan and stick to it and you will improve your strength and increase muscle size.
5. Doing too much cardio
To build muscles, you need to lift more weights, do more compound exercises. Doing too much cardio will cause you to lose too much body fat and not build any mass. Combine resistance training with cardio and be consistent in lifting more weights and the body will adjust to heavier weight.
Actually, performing too much cardio will put your body in a catabolic state and burn hard-earned muscle. The loss of muscle will not only reduce strength, but it will also slow down your metabolism. If your metabolism slows down too much, you’ll have a tough time burning fat. ~ bodybuilding.com
6. You don’t track your progress
Tracking your progress gives you an insight of your body changes so you should track how you are doing your exercise and also eating. Tracking the difference in your progress will help you in determining where to challenge yourself more while in the gym and also check on what kind of foods you are eating.
7. You rely much on supplements
Supplements are good for replacing the nutrients that you are not taking adequately, but too many supplements aren’t the best in building muscles. It is advisable to make sure to balance them with your exercises, nutrition and rest so as to help repair and build muscles.
If you follow the tips above, you must be sure that you will pack on muscles. People think muscle building is just about lifting weights, but it is a science. If you need proven workout tips do not forget to subscribe to our newsletter or follow us.
Last update on 2023-11-22 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
