The Reasons You’re Not Gaining Weight or Muscle
Episode #8 of the course Muscle building by Theo Brenner-Roach
Hey, welcome to Lesson #8! Today, we’re going to look at the main reasons that you’re not gaining muscle and how to fix this to get yourself back on track.
There can be many reasons you’re not gaining muscle, ranging from the quality of your workouts to the quality of your sleep, but today, we’re going to look at four of the worst offenders and show you how to fix the problem to build more muscle.
You’re Not in a Calorie Surplus
This will be the single biggest factor in whether you’re gaining muscle. If you’re not eating in a calorie surplus, then you won’t gain weight—it’s really that simple. If you know you’re doing everything else right (training consistently and effectively) and you’re still not seeing any progress, then you’re not in a calorie surplus.
The truth is, even if you think you are in a calorie surplus and you’re not gaining weight, then guess what—you’re not in a calorie surplus. Address this problem, and you’ll soon begin to see progress again.
You’re Training Too Little
Now once you’re eating in a calorie surplus, then the next step is to muscle gain is effective training. If you’re only training once a week or in a haphazard fashion, then you’ll struggle to make meaningful muscle gains.
This doesn’t mean you need to train six times a week for hours at a time, but it does mean you need to stick to a regular training plan. Training three to four times a week for about an hour is enough to stimulate fantastic muscle and strength gains.
If you’re struggling to add muscle mass, then take a hard look at how often you train and make sure you get yourself into a consistent routine.
You’re Not Getting Enough Rest and Recovery
In the gym is where you break down your muscles, but it’s when you’re resting (days off) and sleeping that your body can begin to rebuild, making your muscles bigger and stronger.
If you skimp on your rest time by training every day, not eating enough, and either not getting enough sleep or getting poor quality sleep, then you’ll inhibit your body’s ability to recover. This means you’ll build less muscle and less strength until you make a change.
Aim to get a solid six-plus hours sleep a night and enough rest days per week to allow your body to adapt and grow from the training you’re doing.
Your Lifting Technique Is Bad
You’re doing all the exercises you’ve been told to do, but are you doing them the right way? Exercise technique is vital to your success, so if you want to be able to lift heavy, avoid injury, and build muscle, then your technique must be good. You need to spend time learning the movement properly before adding weight, and then when you do begin adding weight, you need to build it up slowly, ensuring that you keep good form as you progress.
Summing Up
If you find yourself stuck in a rut and not building muscle, then take the time to assess your position and see which of these issues has caused you to hit a roadblock. Once you have identified the problem, you can then set about fixing it and getting yourself back on the path to maximum muscle gain.
Tomorrow, we will take a closer look at two keys to your long-term success.
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