5 Reasons Why You Not Gaining Muscle

Have you been showing up to the gym consistently but still, there's no progress on your muscle growth?

Many of us in the gym are going for a couple of reasons to either build muscle or tone up! We might think we are doing everything right by showing up and lifting weights, but we somehow still hit a plateau. Why?

We are here to break down five common reasons you aren't gaining muscle.

1. You're Not Eating Enough

The most common and most overlooked mistake when it comes to putting on muscle! Most of us start at the gym and get so focused on healthy eating that we accidentally put ourselves in a caloric deficit which isn't optimal for increasing our muscle. Don't completely scrap your carbs or lower your fats to nothing. Those alongside protein come in handy when you're training to grow muscle! 

2. Too Much Cardio

Lots of us are trying to gain muscles while getting shredded. I mean, that's the goal. Well, what if I told you that strict cardio isn't the best for that result? Yes, cardio burns fat, but when overdone, it burns muscle too! You didn't know? Well, now you do! Try doing more HIIT workouts to help maintain a high heart rate to burn calories while keeping your muscles growing.

3. Lack Of Consistency 

This is when you need to remember it's a lifestyle, not a season! Do you want actual life-changing results? Then you have to take action on your everyday life. Stay consistent. We all know we've been in a place where we would say, "oh well, I couldn't make it to the gym today." " What's one more rest day?" "This cheesecake won't make a difference!" We didn't stay consistent, and we eventually fell off track. It's okay to have fun and take a rest but don't do things that entirely steer you away from your goals.

4. Need More Rest 

The "I'll rest when I'm dead mentality" is not one to live by for incredible results. If you want to grow your dream body, you better be able to get at least 8hrs of sleep a night & take a rest day or two. You might think the results are all from training, but they also come from resting. This time off will help your body recover so that you can get back to the gym pushing heavier weight, training harder and longer than before. 

5. Hypertrophy Training

What is hypertrophy training? This training aims to increase muscle mass by utilizing low to intermediate rep ranges with heavyweight! Keep your sets to about three per exercise, reps about 8-12 per set, and weight about 75- 85% of your one-rep max! This type of training is the best for helping you achieve your muscle gaining goals.

For all that are a little nervous about gaining muscles for fear of looking "bulky," remember it's a process, and you won't look bulky unless your goal is to look bulky! Also, you have to build muscles to burn fat, and the more muscle you make, the more fat you'll burn at a rested state!! 😱

Happy lifting SP Fam