When you hit the gym, it’s expected that you should see muscle gains and fat reduction in at least a few weeks. However, some people spend months in the gym and the results are not always pleasing. Your body weight and muscle mass may remain the same as you work hard to lift heavy weights, and do strenuous reps. Consequently, the gym may become disinteresting and working out becomes an on and off activity. If you are facing such a predicament the problem may be something simple and fixable. Here are some reasons why you may not be enjoying muscle gains from your training.
Overtraining
When it comes to working out, more isn’t always better. The right amount of the correct type of training is what you need to gain muscle. Muscle growth is a gradual physiological process that requires numerous factors to be optimized for perfect results. Overtraining is a dangerous obsession of most people who want quick results. The effect of overtraining on muscles is counterproductive. Since the muscle is unable to recover between workouts, the process of hypertrophy is greatly reduced. Unfortunately, overtraining is a vicious cycle. When people overtrain and they don’t see results, they go back to the gym and push even harder. Gaining muscle is not only about working hard but also working smart.
Undertraining
The process of gaining muscle is difficult and most people shy away from training. Some trainers claim to have easy ways to gain muscle but the truth is that muscle gains don’t come easily. The intensity of training matters more than the reps you do during your work out. If you don’t break a sweat you are not muscle gains. The process of muscle hypertrophy involves the formation of micro-tears in the muscle fibres that are later repaired with more fibres. For this to occur your training has to be intense otherwise no new fibres will be formed. Entering the gym, doing a couple of deadlifts and spending time on the bench press machine is not sufficient if the intensity is not adequate. For the best results, you must put in the effort.
Avoiding intimidating workouts
Whether its squats or the bench press, everyone has that one workout they dread. Unfortunately, while on the quest for muscle gains, there are some workouts that are unavoidable. Therefore, one has to focus and deliver on the training. Moreover, some muscle groups are more difficult to exercise than others. Therefore, don’t miss leg day because of the pain it comes with. Working through intimidating sets and reps is the best way to get the muscle gains you desire.
The wrong workouts
Every workout has its purpose. Some build strength while others build muscle mass. Mass strength and muscle mass are related but they are not exclusively directly proportionate. Hypertrophic exercises are the best for muscle gains since they stimulate the generation of new muscle fibres. Consult your trainer on the best workouts for muscle gain before starting your sets.
Bad diet
Nutrition and working out go hand in hand. What you eat is as important as how well you train. Unfortunately, most people make the mistake of eating more to get more muscle gains. The quality of what you eat is crucial not just the quantity. It is true that eating a bit more is important to meet your muscle gain requirements but more often than not eating the right food gets you the results you need. A balanced diet is central to the optimal physiologic functioning of the body. However, the muscle gaining process requires slightly more portions of proteins and healthy caloric foods. Even distribution of meals and strict eating schedules are also crucial to enjoying maximum muscle gains.
Poor supplementation
Supplements are a convenient dietary addition to realising proper muscle gains. However, people make a lot of errors when it comes to supplementation. The first error is to replace food with supplements. Protein shakes and energy bars are not a replacement for food. They are good alternatives to get more nutrients into your body conveniently. Therefore, they supplement your normal diet. Moreover, getting the right supplements is important. Trusted brands and products like the Gold Standard Whey are what you need to get the right amount of quality nutrients for muscle gain. The supplements offer different benefits ranging from quick recovery to an energy boost. Getting the correct amount is enough to get the results you need.
Avoiding these poor habits is the first step in realising the muscles gains you seek. A good training program, quality diet, and proper focus are all recipes for good muscle gains. Unfortunately, there is no drug-free shortcut to gaining muscle. Optimizing your conditions and meeting your body requirements are enough to stimulate muscle hypertrophy. Therefore, to get the gains you seek, work hard and work smart.
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