Most people go to the gym to build muscle and tone up. These folks read, watch workout videos, or consult with trainers to learn how their workouts should progress. Unfortunately, many of these still make several common mistakes that can hamper their progress at gaining muscle.
There is a lot to the work of building muscle, much of which the videos and trainers don’t tell you. These include workout tips as well as information about the best bulking supplement options. Incorporate the secrets below and say goodbye to your muscle-building plateaus.
Not Eating Enough
One of the primary reasons people don’t build muscle is that they aren’t eating enough and, more importantly, they aren’t eating enough of the right foods. It doesn’t take long when discussing optimal fitness before people start on the importance of protein, but the right combination of carbs and fats is just as important when it comes to building muscle.
The nutritional goal of anyone who wishes to build muscle should be 2.2 grams of protein, 5.5 grams of carbs, and 0.9 grams of fat per Kg of body weight each day. This is the most optimal formula to get the best results. Anyone who believes they aren’t getting enough of these should seriously consider adding a bulking supplement to their daily diet. You can click here for details of one such option.
Not Enough Rest
Most people believe that building muscle is all about training, but another key element is getting enough rest. Getting enough rest is just as important as training. Making matters worse, everyone is busy, which often leads to not getting enough sleep.
Sleep is what recharges the body’s batteries. To get a full recharge, people should aim to get at least eight hours of sleep each night. The key, however, should be to listen to your body. If you feel like you haven’t had enough sleep, take a day off from training and rest. You will come back stronger than ever before.
Too Much Cardio
When it comes time to burn fat, most people ramp up the cardio. The truth is that, although they are burning fat, too much cardio slows down the building of muscle mass. Anyone who wants to cut fat and build muscle should incorporate high-intensity interval training (HIIT) cardio sessions with their workout. Good HIIT sessions will keep your heart rate up and allow you to continue muscle growth.
No Consistency
It doesn’t matter how good your workout regimen is—if you don’t stick with it, it won’t do any good. Your muscles won’t respond when they aren’t exercised regularly. It’s the same way with your diet and rest. By contrast, anyone who is consistent in training their bodies, eating right, and getting enough rest will see the results they want. Your body will respond to your work, but you can’t consistently take time off, eat wrong, binge drink, have too many sleepless nights, and still expect to have the body of your dreams.
Wrong Techniques
Doing cheat reps are great to get through an exercise, but too much cheating is a waste of time. Further, adjusting weight levels to the point of accomplishing rep goals is not getting enough for your work. Instead, the ideal rep range should be between eight and twelve reps. You should also push yourself to lift heavier weights, not less consistently. After you can lift three sets of a certain weight, increase it by five percent if you want to give yourself a real challenge.
Training hard is great to build muscle, but as is pointed out above, building muscle is much more than just hard workouts. If a good diet and adequate rest accompany a good training regimen, there should be no reason you can’t build muscle.