6 Common Mistakes You MUST Avoid to Build Muscle

Are you trying to build muscle mass but not seeing the results you want? It can be frustrating when you’re putting in the time and effort but not getting the gains you’re hoping for. Don’t worry, you’re not alone. Many people make common mistakes when trying to build muscle. Let’s take a look at some of these mistakes so you can avoid them and achieve your muscle-building goals.

Mistake #1: Not Eating Enough

One of the biggest mistakes people make when trying to build muscle is not eating enough. Building muscle requires a lot of energy. Therefore, if you’re not consuming enough calories, your body won’t have the fuel it needs to build muscle. Accordingly, make sure you’re eating enough protein, carbohydrates, and healthy fats to support your muscle-building goals. A good goal is to try to get 50-60% of your calories from carbohydrates, 25-30% from protein, and 15-20% from fats.

• A good app for tracking and managing your carb/protein/fat ratio is the FatSecret app. It has a huge database, you can scan barcodes of whatever you’re eating from directly in the app, and it even has the option to add items from the menus of popular restaurants. Get it FREE for Android or iPhone here.

Mistake #2: Not Getting Enough Sleep

Another mistake people make when trying to build muscle is not getting enough sleep. Your body needs rest to recover and repair from your workouts. As a result, you should aim for at least 7-8 hours of sleep each night to give your body the time it needs to recover.

Mistake #3: Not Lifting Heavy Enough

If you want to build muscle, you need to challenge your muscles. Many people make the mistake of lifting weights that are too light, which won’t provide enough resistance to build muscle. Make sure you’re lifting weights that are heavy enough to challenge your muscles.

• We recommend having a small notebook at hand when working out. Date your workouts, and record the number of sets per exercise as well as the amount of weight lifted. Begin by attempting to add 3-5 reps per set for a few workouts, then increasing the weight. E.g, if you’re doing 3 set of 10 curls with 15 pound weights, reach for 13-15 curls per set for 2-3 workouts, then increase to 3 sets of 10 with 20 pound weights.

Mistake #4: Doing Too Much Cardio

While cardio is important for overall health, doing too much cardio can actually hinder your muscle-building goals. Cardio burns calories and can make it harder to consume enough calories to support muscle growth. Focus on weight training and limit cardio to a few times a week.

Mistake #5: Not Varying Your Workouts

Your body adapts quickly to your workouts, which can make it harder to build muscle if you’re doing the same routine over and over. Mix up your workouts by changing the exercises, sets, and reps to keep your muscles guessing and avoid hitting a plateau.

Mistake #6: Not Allowing Enough Rest Time

Rest is just as important as the actual workout when it comes to building muscle. Make sure you’re allowing enough rest time between workouts to give your muscles time to recover. Overtraining can actually hinder your muscle-building goals. You should be giving a muscle group a minimum of 48 hours of recovery time before training that group again, so rotate your workouts to isolate functional groups in order to prevent muscle breakdown.

A classic workout split for isolating muscle groups is as follows:

• Day 1: Back and Bicep muscles (rows, curls, lat pulldowns, etc.)
• Day 2: Chest and Tricep muscles (bench press, tricep pulldowns, skull crushers…)
• Day 3: Leg exercises (squats, lunges, leg press…)

Take a rest day, then repeat. Aim for 5-6 workout days per week.

By avoiding these common mistakes, you can make sure you’re on the right track to building muscle. Remember to eat enough, get enough sleep, challenge your muscles with heavy weights, limit cardio, vary your workouts, and allow enough rest time. With time and consistency, you’ll be on your way to achieving the muscle gains you’re after.

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