4 Reasons Why You Aren’t Gaining Muscle

10:02am - August 1, 2013

4 Reasons Why You Aren’t Gaining Muscle

Are you tired of spending countless hours in the gym without showing any real muscle gains? This is an all-too-common problem that millions of people experience. Regardless of how many hours you spend lifting weights, your body seems to hit a “plateau” where you no longer build muscle. Some people throw in the towel at this point and call it quits. However, the problem likely lies in one of the four following reasons…

#1 - Too Much Cardio

There’s nothing wrong with incorporating some cardiovascular exercise into your normal workout routine, but you should keep it to a minimum. Ever notice how all of the professional runners and joggers are skinny? Placing too much emphasis on cardio will burn calories without building any noticeable amount of muscle mass. Try to focus more on high-intensity interval training (HIIT) and less on cardio.

#2 - Not Eating Enough

You might be surprised to learn eating plays a critical role in developing muscle mass. It’s a common mistake for people to cut back on their dietary intake rather than increasing it when they are trying to build muscle. By limiting your dietary intake, you are essentially starving your body. Eat several small snacks and meals throughout the day to keep your metabolism up. In turn, this will encourage faster muscle growth.

#3 - Bad Form

Proper form is critical when lighting weights or performing any other type of strength training exercise. Some people naturally alter their form to make their workouts easier, but unfortunately this limits the effectiveness of the exercise. You must get into the habit of performing your strength training exercises in proper form to achieve more muscle mass. If you are having trouble identifying the correct form, don’t be afraid to ask someone at the gym for help. Most people will be more than happy to help you out.

#4 - Lack of Protein

The single most important nutrient to consume if you are looking to gain muscle mass is protein. It’s responsible for building and repairing muscle tissue along with numerous other functions. So, how much protein should you consume? There’s really no easy answer to this question, as it depends on several different factors. A good rule of thumb, however, is to strive for 0.75-to-1 gram of protein per pound of body weight each day. This might seem like a lot, especially if you weigh over 150 pounds, but it’s fairly easy to accomplish once you start supplementing your diet with protein shakes.