Have you ever felt that despite doing all the right things at the gym, after a little success in the beginning, that the muscle no longer seems to be building? If yes, then you are probably getting some basic things wrong. For example, you might be overworking, which seems like the right way to go, but instead it’s counterproductive.
To know more about what you might be doing wrong, read this Bright Side article through to the end so that you not only correct your present mistakes, but also avoid the lure of other common mistakes in the future.
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1. Overtraining
That’s right, overtraining. People think that they are going to better returns by doing more, but this is not the case with muscle building. You see, muscles aren’t actually built while you are lifting weights or working out. While you are working out, you are actually breaking down the muscle. Your body needs ample rest in order to actually get bigger and stronger. Instead of hitting the gym everyday, make sure you are giving yourself time to recover. Its amazing the result people get by lifting three times a week for forty five minutes each session.
2. Isolating muscles
Most guys you see in a gym are pumping out bicep curls like they are the only exercise there is. Yeah, biceps are important, but endless curls won’t get them as big as possible. The reason is because your body is only using one muscle group to lift the weight, something that never happens in real life. What you want to do is compound exercises, exercises that work more than one muscle group at a time. The bench press, squat, and deadlift are great examples of this. Without getting too scientific, by doing primarily compound exercises, your body is going to be releasing far more testosterone which will put your body in a more anabolic state, helping you to get the muscles you want.
3. Alternating between upper and lower body days
A lot of people like to switch their days between upper and lower body. While this isn’t always a bad thing, it is not the best way to build muscle fast. To induce the highest possible hormone release, you want to work the entire body in every workout. I know a bunch of guys hate doing legs, especially squats, but they will actually significantly increase growth in your upper body.Basically, work out your whole body each workout to get the best results.
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4. Not capitalizing on the window of opportunity
THIS IS HUGE! When you are done working out, your body is in the perfect state to absorb nutrients to help muscle growth and recovery. Some guys know this, some don’t, but even those who do know generally don’t fuel correctly or at the right time. You want to have your shake within an hour of finishing your workout, preferably within thirty minutes; I think its best to have it right when you finish. A big mistake most guys make is the composition of their post workout shake or snack. You want 25 to 50 grams of protein WITH some slow releasing complex carbs. Recent studies have actually shown chocolate milk to be a great post workout drink!
7. Being inconsistent
Being inconsistent is the biggest thing you can do to thwart all of your efforts. If you are inconsistent, the progress that you have made by exercising will be lost instead of adding up, which is what you should ideally want.
Which mistakes do you think you are committing at the gym? Also, do not forget to share this post with your gym aficionado friends. Your help can aid them in getting the bulked up muscles they desire.
So there you go, make these small five changes and see a BIG difference!