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As a strength and conditioning coach I witness a lot of people literally sabotaging their way to gaining muscle. Most people make the same mistakes over and over again and wonder why they aren’t packing on the muscle they deserve.
So I decided…I am going to help you guys out. Here are the top 3 reasons you are not gaining the muscle you deserve in the gym.
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Reason #1- You are not lifting heavy enough!
There I said it now you can go and hate me for it, but I suggest you get over yourself and put some weight on the bar.
What I mean by this is are you including big multi-joint full-body exercises in your current program? If your current program does’nt include the Deadlift, Squats and Benchpress you are wasting your valuable time.
These 3 exercises should be the cornerstone of your weekly program and yes you should go heavy and work to achieve max poundage in all these lifts. An attainable goal for all men should be a double bodyweight deadlift and squat, as well as a bodyweight Benchpress
If you currently can not do this get to work. When you achieve these goals you will be rewarded with a lot more muscle than you currently have.
Reason #2-You do not eat enough food!
In your quest to pack on muscle, eating is just as important as a good exercise program. Just like you spend time to plan out your workouts you need to plan out your meals as well.
Now you don’t have to get crazy and try all kinds of fancy diets I recommend you shoot to eat breakfast lunch and dinner with 2 protein shakes in between.
Try to avoid processed food and junk, shop the perimeter (avoid the aisle’s aim for natural food) of your local grocery store. Keep things simple inclAude fruits, vegetables, meats, and fish. Also aim to drink a gallon of water a day.
Your body is a machine and food is your fuel, plan out your meals accordingly and you will see the gains you are looking for.
Reason #3- Plan your Workouts.
This is a relatively simple concept yet it is vitally important to your success in the gym. Like the old saying goes “Without a plan you are planning to fail” not sure who said it but they were very correct.
So before you embark on your quest to gain more muscle take the time to write out your workouts for at least the next 4 weeks. Do not change your exercises each time, track and record all your sets, and aim to improve each week.
This although seems simple will do wonders for your physique. By tracking your sets you know if your improving and getting stronger. The equation is actually very simple, if you are getting stronger you are gaining muscle don’t over complicate this.
Follow these 3 simple rules and watch your gains in the gym sore I cant stress it enough keep things simple and good luck in your journey.