Five Simple Things To Avoid When Building Muscle
Building muscle takes hard work, but many people fail to see results because they choose to avoid real food. Many people fail to meet their fitness goals because they cannot overcome their own habits.
The idea of “building muscle” scares people. The results sound unnatural and unhealthy. Most people imagine they will grow into copies of Jay Cutler, Ronnie Coleman, or Arnold Schwarzenegger.
However, building any muscle takes discipline, hard work, and eating healthy.
Most people fail to understand the importance of basic dietary requirements for increased muscle hypertrophy. The body cannot build without having substance and material to do so.
We live in a world that doesn’t promote growth or strength but convinces people to buy into trends and consumerism.
This is why I’ve compiled this list of common mistakes that people continue to repeat. These are mistakes that many people, including myself, underestimate.
Some of these mistakes are also why I initially gave up on building mass. I did not understand the importance of eating then nor that I should be eating healthy meals.
1. Never Go to the Gym Hungry
Working out hungry isn’t doing you any favors and could be hurting your performance. By hungry I mean starving and dehydrated, where the last thing you had was an energy drink at eight in the morning.
Even if you are on a low-carb diet, you want to plan your meals where you get the most out of those carbs. Carbs are critical and vital for your overall results and performance in the gym.
This is especially true for people looking to build muscle and lift heavier.
I have seen better results by eating quality carbs an hour before weight training. Even eating rice cakes with peanut butter beforehand has me feeling ready to workout.
This is a quick snack that takes seconds to make. If you are looking to bulk up then switch the rice cakes out with whole grain bread.
You could also eat oatmeal with different fruits and nuts. There are different creative options as well, but the goal is to get something that is higher in carbs and low in fat. You can feel a slightly empty stomach and still have a great workout, but you should never allow yourself to become dehydrated.
You will not have the same strength and mental ability to push yourself while dehydrated.
By staying hydrated and avoiding hunger, you will do much better and see quicker results than by living and training like a maniac. You will do better with eating real food beforehand than by drinking 400mg of caffeine before your workouts.
2. Don’t Be Too Proud to Research Basic Workout Exercises
There is too much good and free information online for anyone to be performing dangerous and ineffective exercises.
There are too many people in this world who go to the gym without any idea of what they’re doing. It still happens even with countless and free YouTube videos.
The point is that you should avoid injuring yourself doing something dangerous and pointless. Avoid CrossFit.
“A person who likes to be average at everything, and good at nothing. A person who exercises often, so that they can get better at exercise. Someone who puts in many hours of effort, without understanding the difference between training and exercise”. — Urban Dictionary
On a more serious note, lifting weights is simple but still requires lots of technique when performing these basic maneuvers. There are also differences in strength training, building muscle, and exercising.
People who are serious about making the gym a lifelong hobby and way of life should take care of their bodies versus burning out in a few years.
One of the best YouTubers and personal trainers that I recommend is Jeff Nippard. He is not only recommended by me but by millions of viewers and subscribers. He is a gold mine of information and free tutorials for even the most fundamental exercises.
For example, I struggled with the front squat for a long time because I thought I could figure it out on my own. It wasn’t until I watched a video from Jeff Nippard that I learned how to do it properly.
My technique has become much better and I feel pretty cool performing a hundred kilo front squat for reps — without breaking my back.
3. Stop Avoiding Heavier Weights
I see this time and time again. People will perform five sets of some workout while keeping to the same weight. It’s exactly how I used to train. I would do sets of ten reps with my max weight.
I saw results but I eventually hit a plateau. Now I train with the idea of progressively lifting more weight overtime.
How this works:
Your body is a giant organ that tears and grows because of certain stressors such as lifting weights. When our muscles tear and heal, they will become bigger depending on many factors, such as diet, intensity, and genetics.
The muscles need to have a higher level of weight after having healed and become stronger.
For examples with squats, I start with my warm-up and then do this:
- 1 sets of 60 kilos with 15 reps each
- 1 set of 80 kilos with 12 reps
- 1 set of 100 kilos with 10 reps
- 1 set of 120 kilos with 8–10 reps
- 1 set of 80 kilos with 12–15 reps
I began by having my highest squat at 80 kilos. My first set was done with 40 kilos, but overtime I had to move up in weight to keep growing.
This is how I perform most of my training with other exercises, including bicep curls and bench press. I push the limits by increasing the weight and reps overtime.
The Caveat: The body will of course reach a limit to how much they can squat or bench press, and people must then focus on more reps or alternate exercises to move more weight.
More weight does not mean more muscle.
There is more to gain by focusing on repetitions and a progressive overload than by trying to lift as heavy as possible.
By keeping this in mind, I went from scraping out a squat one-rep max of 100 kilos to feeling like I could backpack the weight up Mount Fuji.
No ego lifting, please.
4. Eat Real Home Cooked Meals
If you want to pack on muscle and lift like Ronnie Coleman then you have to eat more carbs and protein than fat. Eat until you’ve reached a surplus of calories that exceeds your maintenance requirements.
You also don’t need to eat more than 200 to 300 calories more than your maintenance needs. This will help you lose fat and build muscle in an easier and more controlled way. If you don’t see big enough results then go to 500 or 600 calories.
Eating a thousand calories over your maintenance needs is just going to put an excessive amount of pressure on your lifestyle and health.
There are many apps and plans online to calculate this. My favorite is MyFitnessPal. It lets you scan items so you can calculate calories much faster. It also gives you a list of your macros and an idea of how to divide them into your diet.
Macronutrients are the four big building blocks people don’t think about. They are the things that your body needs in huge amounts.
- Proteins
- Carbohydrates
- Fats
- Water
The important thing about cooking your own meals is that you will be getting the most out of your money, and you will be able to count and manage your calories and macros much easier.
The biggest downside to this is that it takes a bit of extra work in planning and buying groceries. Many people just end up eating the same chicken and rice for years. Don’t be that person.
Have the creativity and energy to learn some basic cooking skills and even learn more advanced recipes. Food is also a key to someone’s heart.
5. Leave Your Negative Thoughts at the Door
This is the biggest factor that ultimately makes people quit the gym or any fitness goals. Negative thoughts will make you quit.
Maybe you feel like there isn’t enough time in the day for keeping to a workout plan. Maybe you can’t afford the gym or just think you can’t.
Maybe you’re overweight or underweight and hate how you look.
Maybe your last experience was god-awful.
The thing is that these thoughts are just thoughts, but many people will quit before they can make themselves proud.
If you honestly hate everyone at your gym then find another, but don’t ever quit on yourself because of others.
Results will make you and keep you addicted to fitness.
There is too much information for me to fit it all into one article, but these were the five things that have kept me away from the gym or that have hindered my results. Please consider them, and I hope you find yourself with a stronger body and state of mind.
