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When it comes to building muscle there are many variables. When you first start out pretty much anything works, you build muscle relatively easy. Then after a few weeks your body catches on and you have to start thinking about how to train and eat to really pack on long term muscle mass. Everyone hits plateaus, it is how we overcome then that counts. Here are 5 reasons you could be struggling with adding more muscle.
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You are over-training
Many beginners tend to start off over enthusiastic. They train every day for 2 hours at a time and then wonder why there gains have stopped. Your muscles grow out of the gym and not in the gym. Your workouts should be short and intense, just enough to stimulate muscle growth.
Symptoms of over-training are things like not seeing an increase in muscle size or strength. Feel fatigued all the time, insomnia, lack of appetite, low energy levels and just sore muscles in general.
Reduce the amount of training you are doing per week and increase the rest.
You are under-training
On the other end of the spectrum you could be under-training. If your workouts aren’t of a high enough intensity and frequent enough you will not be creating the stimulation your muscles need to grow.
You should workout a few times a week and train hard each time. The intensity of the workouts must increase each time in order for your muscles to continue to grow.
You are not eating enough
If you are training hard, you must provide the building blocks and fuel your body needs to recover and grow. Eat plenty of calories; eat a slight surplus to account for the intense training and to allow for the growth of new muscle. Eat plenty of high quality protein, at least 1g per pound of body weight.
You are not sleeping enough
When you sleep your body really gets to work at repairing and building new muscle mass. This is when it can fully concentrate of releasing the vital growth hormones and fully recover from the workouts.
You lack consistency
Consistency is the key when building huge amounts of muscle mass. You must consistently train every week and continues to eat healthy. Follow your muscle building plan and stick to it. It takes time to build muscle.
To stay consistent you must be motivated. The best motivation comes in the form of solid results in the mirror. Write goals and stick to them. Track your progress and watch the muscle gains every week.
