Reasons You’re Not Growing-A handful of common mistakes that sabotage muscle gains
BY: Shelby Starnes
1. You’re trying to do a low or zero carb diet for growth
This is common among endomorphs and the formerly fat. They are scared of softening up too much while growing so they keep carbs to a ridiculously low level. This is a great way to slow muscle gain to a snail’s pace. While you don’t need a ridiculously high amount of carbs to grow, you do want an appreciable amount to harness the powerful effects of insulin, promote anti-catabolism and boost metabolism. A good rough estimate for intake would be at least 1 gram per pound of body weight (e.g., 200 grams carbs for a 200 pound individual), with the bulk of them coming pre, during and post workout. 1.5 to 2 grams (or even more) per pound of body weight would be even better but you may want to slowly work your way up to this level. If you’re leery of losing your hard-earned leanness, start around .5g per pound of bodyweight and gradually work your way up over time.
Remember to keep protein and fat intake in check – all too often I see guys raising their carb intake drastically without lowering their protein and fat. This almost always ends up being too many calories, which results in fat gain. Carbs aren’t evil but they can be a double-edged sword – learn to use them to your advantage.
2. You’re afraid of overtraining
“Less is more” is the mantra of today. Many seem to think that anything more than one 15-minute workout every other week will beat up their fragile body and drive their recovery into the ground. While it’s true that some guys train too much (like hitting chest and biceps twice a day, 7 days per week), you don’t need to take the opposite to the extreme. Three to five days per week are great for the novice to intermediate trainer and some can handle even more. Yes, muscles grow while resting but you have to stimulate them to grow in the first place. If you have a stubborn body part (or two), try training them twice a week. Don’t be afraid of hard work!
Here is a good sample training split:
•Monday – chest, shoulders
•Tuesday – back, traps
•Wednesday – rest
•Thursday – biceps, triceps, forearms
•Friday – rest
•Saturday – legs
•Sunday – rest
3. You aren’t monitoring your progress
It’s hard enough to eat right, train hard, remember to take your supplements, get enough sleep, etc. - who has time to monitor progress? But if you want to maximize your progress, you also need to track it.
Numbers aren’t really the best way to do it in bodybuilding – chasing a number on the scale is futile if you’re gaining fat or losing muscle. A better approach is to use pictures taken periodically (every week or two is good). Always hit the same poses, in the same lighting, same background, etc. so you can make a good comparison. Are you gaining too much fat in your quest for growth? Losing too much thickness in your quest for abs? Regular photos will help you assess. If you’re a bodybuilding competitor, taking videos of your posing can also be a very helpful tool.
4. Your commitment is at a level 6
Assuming you’re not a genetic freak, you’re going to have to be pretty disciplined and committed if you want to build an awesome physique. It’s easy to say you want to reach certain goals, but actually putting in the work on a daily, even hourly, basis is a whole different story. A couple of good days in a row isn’t going to cut it – it’s the guys and gals that string together week after week, month after month, year after year that end up with the desirable physiques.
Here are some tips to stay motivated and stick with this for the long haul:
•Frequently remind yourself of your long-term goals. Write down on a note card what you want to accomplish in the coming year (or month) and keep it near you at all times. Read it when you wake up and before you go to bed at night. Read it when you feel pressure to deviate from your diet or workouts.
•Enter a contest or set a goal with a deadline. Having something concrete to work towards makes it much easier to stay on track than just floundering about aimlessly.
•Tell others about your goals. You’ll be less tempted to slack off when others are watching and rooting for you.
•Hire a professional. Like telling others about your goals, hiring someone to help you achieve them forces you to be accountable for your actions. It also ensures that you’ll be using the most efficient methods to reach your goals.
These methods have helped me immensely over the years. If you find yourself struggling with discipline, commitment and motivation, I would recommend implementing at least a few of them.
5. Your hormones are out of whack.
This one is less common, but I’ve seen it more than enough times to feel that I should bring it up, especially to the 30+ age group. If you’re honestly putting 100% effort into your diet and training but progressing at a snail’s pace, it’s very possible that your hormones may be suboptimal, especially testosterone and thyroid. These hormones play a major role in how your body responds to both training and diet.
Talk to your doctor about getting blood work done if you suspect an issue. I’ve had numerous clients that found out their levels were low and once corrected/ medicated, started seeing awesome results from their fitness regimen.
BY: Shelby Starnes
1. You’re trying to do a low or zero carb diet for growth
This is common among endomorphs and the formerly fat. They are scared of softening up too much while growing so they keep carbs to a ridiculously low level. This is a great way to slow muscle gain to a snail’s pace. While you don’t need a ridiculously high amount of carbs to grow, you do want an appreciable amount to harness the powerful effects of insulin, promote anti-catabolism and boost metabolism. A good rough estimate for intake would be at least 1 gram per pound of body weight (e.g., 200 grams carbs for a 200 pound individual), with the bulk of them coming pre, during and post workout. 1.5 to 2 grams (or even more) per pound of body weight would be even better but you may want to slowly work your way up to this level. If you’re leery of losing your hard-earned leanness, start around .5g per pound of bodyweight and gradually work your way up over time.
Remember to keep protein and fat intake in check – all too often I see guys raising their carb intake drastically without lowering their protein and fat. This almost always ends up being too many calories, which results in fat gain. Carbs aren’t evil but they can be a double-edged sword – learn to use them to your advantage.
2. You’re afraid of overtraining
“Less is more” is the mantra of today. Many seem to think that anything more than one 15-minute workout every other week will beat up their fragile body and drive their recovery into the ground. While it’s true that some guys train too much (like hitting chest and biceps twice a day, 7 days per week), you don’t need to take the opposite to the extreme. Three to five days per week are great for the novice to intermediate trainer and some can handle even more. Yes, muscles grow while resting but you have to stimulate them to grow in the first place. If you have a stubborn body part (or two), try training them twice a week. Don’t be afraid of hard work!
Here is a good sample training split:
•Monday – chest, shoulders
•Tuesday – back, traps
•Wednesday – rest
•Thursday – biceps, triceps, forearms
•Friday – rest
•Saturday – legs
•Sunday – rest
3. You aren’t monitoring your progress
It’s hard enough to eat right, train hard, remember to take your supplements, get enough sleep, etc. - who has time to monitor progress? But if you want to maximize your progress, you also need to track it.
Numbers aren’t really the best way to do it in bodybuilding – chasing a number on the scale is futile if you’re gaining fat or losing muscle. A better approach is to use pictures taken periodically (every week or two is good). Always hit the same poses, in the same lighting, same background, etc. so you can make a good comparison. Are you gaining too much fat in your quest for growth? Losing too much thickness in your quest for abs? Regular photos will help you assess. If you’re a bodybuilding competitor, taking videos of your posing can also be a very helpful tool.
4. Your commitment is at a level 6
Assuming you’re not a genetic freak, you’re going to have to be pretty disciplined and committed if you want to build an awesome physique. It’s easy to say you want to reach certain goals, but actually putting in the work on a daily, even hourly, basis is a whole different story. A couple of good days in a row isn’t going to cut it – it’s the guys and gals that string together week after week, month after month, year after year that end up with the desirable physiques.
Here are some tips to stay motivated and stick with this for the long haul:
•Frequently remind yourself of your long-term goals. Write down on a note card what you want to accomplish in the coming year (or month) and keep it near you at all times. Read it when you wake up and before you go to bed at night. Read it when you feel pressure to deviate from your diet or workouts.
•Enter a contest or set a goal with a deadline. Having something concrete to work towards makes it much easier to stay on track than just floundering about aimlessly.
•Tell others about your goals. You’ll be less tempted to slack off when others are watching and rooting for you.
•Hire a professional. Like telling others about your goals, hiring someone to help you achieve them forces you to be accountable for your actions. It also ensures that you’ll be using the most efficient methods to reach your goals.
These methods have helped me immensely over the years. If you find yourself struggling with discipline, commitment and motivation, I would recommend implementing at least a few of them.
5. Your hormones are out of whack.
This one is less common, but I’ve seen it more than enough times to feel that I should bring it up, especially to the 30+ age group. If you’re honestly putting 100% effort into your diet and training but progressing at a snail’s pace, it’s very possible that your hormones may be suboptimal, especially testosterone and thyroid. These hormones play a major role in how your body responds to both training and diet.
Talk to your doctor about getting blood work done if you suspect an issue. I’ve had numerous clients that found out their levels were low and once corrected/ medicated, started seeing awesome results from their fitness regimen.
via World Class Bodybuilding Forum http://www.worldclassbodybuilding.com/forums/f481/reasons-you-re-not-growing-handful-of-common-mistakes-that-sabotage-muscle-gains-137480/
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