Nine reasons why you are not growing (muscles)
Unfortunately, even the most precise application of training and nutrition can lead to dissatisfaction. For physical progress, you must eliminate making mistakes in your routine. In fact, the difference between success and failure is so small that if you make just one of the nine mistakes that we will list now, you could significantly limit your progress. Take a critical look at your routine to discover which of the following mistakes you are making and then work to eliminate them.
Using the same weights week after week
When was the last time that you felt real improvement in your strength? We often get into a rut by repeatedly using the same weight on the same exercise instead of challenging ourselves. If you don’t increase your weight or if you don’t do countless reps with perfect technique, you will never achieve impressive size.
Solution: Constantly working with the same weights, same sets, same number of reps even when there is no progress. This is not an optimal way to train. Instead you need to incorporate periodization into your routine – cyclic periods of strength training (1-6 reps per set of basic compound exercises trying to increase maximum lifts), bodybuilder-style training, (a mix of compound and isolation exercises 8-12 reps per set, with moderate to heavy weights) and strength endurance training (12-20 reps per set with lighter but still challenging weight). For example, in the first month you can work on endurance, in the second you can train like a bodybuilder and in the third month you should reduce the number of repetitions and increase the weight you lift.
Using weight you cannot lift
It’s important to get stronger, but heavy weights at any cost can stall progress and cause injury. Many bodybuilders work with weights that make it impossible for them to perform reps correctly. They try to do the curl exercise standing but by doing so, they work all their muscles except the biceps. Impeccable technique of performing the exercises is of crucial importance.
Solution: Reduce the load by 10%, correct the technique and then gradually increase the weight, but the form must be perfect. The reward will be muscle growth.
Do not allow the muscles to fully recover after the work-out
Rest well between workouts. Despite adequate recovery time, many bodybuilders rest minimally and exercise maximally. Muscles grow between workouts, not during them. If you often go to the gym, it would be best to reduce those visits, at least for a while.
Solution: For a change, try to work-out three days a week and rest in the remaining days. You can divide the program into three parts: a) abdomen and legs, b) back and biceps, c) chest, deltoids and triceps. Train each body part once a week. Or you can divide the whole program into two parts: a) thighs, back and biceps, b) abdomen, calves, chest, deltoids and triceps, so you alternately do the first and the second training three times a week. Or you can apply one option one month and the other the next. Discover what suits you best. Greater mass requires greater rest. Too much training means too little rest.
Avoid heavy exercises
“I can’t do squats, can’t we do leg presses?” Deadlifts? The very thought of that exercise follows you. Most people have said it or thought it at least once. That’s the reason why these people are relatively small. Big, compound exercises with free weights add a lot of mass. The main exercises for building mass are squats, deadlifts, military push, pull-up, rowing… These are the exercises you must perfect if you want big muscles.
Solution: Squats – Deadlifts – Bench Press. And force yourself to exercise with heavy weights. You don’t have to lift a car. Slowly give yourself time and opportunity to get used to these exercises, don’t give up and stick to simpler techniques.
You don’t give 100%
If you spend your time in the gym chatting with others, flirting or spending too much time in front of the mirror – you will never grow. You don’t need to train yourself to fall off your feet, but you do need to work hard.
Solution: Take a moment to focus and be present in each exercise. All you can put into the set. Do not do repetitions half-heartedly, when you can do 2-3 good sets, intense and in that way bringing yourself to exhaustion.
You neglect your health
You cannot train conscientiously without good health. Without consistent and conscientious training, there is no progress. And without good health, your body cannot recover optimally. Good health is a pillar of bodybuilding. Don’t wait until you lose your health to realize how much it means to you.
Solution: Take care of yourself and minimize the risk of injury. Avoid harmful activities. Jumping out of a plane without a parachute? Bad idea! Swimming in January? No way. Challenging a pit bull terrier. You know what we mean. Even exaggeration in training can cause illness because you will weaken your immunity. Take care of yourself and you will take care of your goals.
Persistent implementation of a plan that does not bring results
Too many people find a program or plan in a book or a magazine and then stick to it. Despite having common sense that says the opposite. You don’t want to use that as an excuse to throw yourself into harder exercises, but also anything that causes serious pain or doesn’t bring progress in the desired way is not good.
Solution: Adjust the program to yourself. Find what works best for you. Even the best programs can be adjusted to personal needs. In other words, adjust the sets and repetitions, frequency of training and exercises to yourself. If an exercise that you perform correctly is causing you problems regardless of reasonable adjustments, eliminate that exercise before it kicks you out of the gym.
Restriction
Limiting yourself is the surest path to failure. Don’t expect the impossible but believe that you can achieve anything. Arnold imagined that his hands would grow like mountains while he was working-out. Of course, he did not expect that his hands would really be like mountains, but he was open to that possibility. If you think that your hands will only be able to grow a little, you probably won’t cross that threshold. Let your goals be big and be happy with what you have achieved.
Solution: Set realistic short-term goals: 5kg on the bench press, another two centimeters on the arms, etc. Do your best to achieve it and then set new goals. Let your goals motivate you. If you wanted to compare how you are doing so far and your end goal, you can write it down – all repetitions and weights. And as the weeks pass, you must be able to notice even the smallest shift in the weights you lift or the number of repetitions.
Treat nutrition as a must and not as something that would be nice to fit into your regimen.
Nutrition may be last on this list, but it should be first when it comes to a bodybuilding plan. Many bodybuilders have failed precisely because they didn’t pay enough attention to food. Nutrition is a must for big muscles. Muscles don’t grow from air. That’s why in order to grow, slightly increase your calorie intake: those calories must be of high quality in order to provide your body with plenty of nutrients that will enable quick recovery after training.
Solution: Feed your muscles 5-6 times a day. Eat 1g of protein for every half kilogram of your body weight. Drastically reduce unhealthy fats, margarine, fried foods, foods that contain hydrogenated fats. Enrich your diet with healthy fats, such as olive oil and omega 3 fatty acids from flax seeds and salmon fish oil. In addition, eat large amounts of vegetables, fruits and unrefined grains. If you do not have variety in your diet, take a multivitamin supplement to ensure adequate amounts of vitamins and minerals that are crucial for muscle growth.
Taken from the site https://www.ogistra-nutrition-shop.com/
