If your muscle-building efforts didn’t yield results in 2015, I have the answers for you.

There’s a reason for everything in this world.

And lack of bodybuilding progress can also be explained…so read this post to ensure 2016 is the year you finally succeed and get the body you want.

 

 

(1) YOU’RE NOT SLEEPING ENOUGH

 

I’ll start with one you probably weren’t expecting. Why begin here? Because it’s just so common in today’s world. People are not getting enough sleep.

A lack of sleep causes increased in catabolic/stress hormones and suppresses the release of muscle-building anabolic hormones.

 

 

(2) YOU’RE NOT GETTING ENOUGH DAILY CALORIES

 

When you’re in a caloric deficit for too long, it becomes very difficult to build muscle, since the required hormones in the anabolic machinery decrease.

See my free Calorie Calculator here to make sure you are eating enough.

NOTE: On my fast fat-loss plan, Total Six Pack Abs, we take care of this – you will not be in a permanent caloric deficit. This explains why people not only preserve muscle mass when cutting on this program, but they often build new muscle while getting ripped.

 

(3) YOU’RE NOT EATING ENOUGH PROTEIN

 

Muscle tissue = protein. You can bust your butt in the gym, but if the required amount of protein isn’t being consumed, you simply cannot build any new muscle.

Consume 1g of Protein per Pound of Body Weight

To build muscle consume 1g protein for every lb bodyweight eg 180lbs=180g protein Share on X

I have a more precise formula on this article: how much protein to build muscle.

By the way, I recommend Optimum Nutrition Whey in the USA, and Impact Whey from MyProtein for those of my readers in Europe.

 

(4) YOU’RE OVERTRAINING

 

Most people just don’t understand what overtraining actually is. OVERTRAINING = UNDER-RECOVERING

We only ‘stimulate’ gains in the gym, we do NOT actually ‘build’ muscle in the gym. The building comes in that resting/recovering period between workouts. If you don’t leave sufficient time between sessions, you’ll under-recover i.e. overtrain. Sufficient rest is absolutely key to building muscle. If you train the same muscle again before point 2 below, you’ll literally make no progress whatsoever.

If you’re new to MuscleHack or just haven’t downloaded your FREE copy of T.H.T. training, do it now! It will have you hit that perfect spot (point 2 above) and you’ll make amazing, uninterrupted gains.

Many thousands of people around the world will tell you that downloading THT was the best move they ever made. See their results here. You WILL notice changes in the mirror in a few weeks, if not the first week. The scales, your clothes, and other people’s comments will also confirm this. Download it free below…

 

 

(5) YOU’RE DOING HIGH-INTENSITY CARDIO WHEN TRYING TO BUILD MUSCLE

 

Following on from point 4, any high-intensity activity will interrupt the recovery/growth process and actually prevent your gains from materializing. Why? Because a muscle stops recovering when it’s worked.

Go hard in the gym with weight training, then rest and eat. No further activity is needed and may actually be counterproductive. See my article: Cardio Sucks.

 

(6) YOU’RE NOT WORKING TO A HIGH ENOUGH LEVEL OF INTENSITY

 

Make no mistake about it: Intensity matters! In fact, it’s the most important factor. Volume matters, too. But volume only starts to matter once you are taking those sets to a high level of intensity i.e. training to positive failure. All the biological markers for muscle growth (like metabolic stress) increase as intensity increases. The result is maximum protein synthesis levels.

All the volume in the world will not make up for a lack of intensity. I’ve written endlessly on this topic – see this article on Total Volume vs Intensity here. And another great article on this is ‘Should You Train To Failure In Every Set?‘.

And if you want to make the point that, “But I know a guy who doesn’t always train to failure and he’s big”, read my response to that type of thinking here.

For “hyper-intense” techniques that produce very fast size gains in your chest and arms, see my experimental workouts – The Chest Blast and The Arms Blast. They’ll blow you away!

 

(7) YOUR REPS ARE TOO LOW

 

I define too low as 5 reps or less per set. Such modes of training make more neural and strength improvements…but not much in the way of size gains.

I’ve had so many people over the years email me regarding their lack of progress on 5×5 workouts (or even lower rep protocols). When they do, I tell them to see my post detailing the scientific reasons why 5×5 workouts will not build maximum muscle here.

The general consensus from people like me, Tom Venuto, Mark Sisson, The Poliquin group, the National Strength and Conditioning Association, is that reaching a point of muscular failure between 8 and 12 reps produces the best gains in size.

5 reps or less/set are not optimal for size gains. Shoot to reach failure between 8-12 reps Share on X

 

(8) YOU ARE NOT LOGGING YOUR WORKOUTS

 

I gotta admit it – this annoys me. Guys that go into the gym with no structured plan and certainly no way to keep a record of the weights and reps completed.

Once of the most important factors in the muscle-building game is progressive overload i.e. making small, incremental strength increases in every muscle group over time. If you aren’t keeping records, you haven’t a clue what’s going on.

Fact is, you need to know the best exercises to stimulate growth, how often to hit each muscle, and exactly how many sets and reps to do…and log all of it. You get all of this for free by downloading my THT training package now. Yes it’s free. You don’t even need to go to your email to confirm anything – it’ll take you directly to the download page.

 

 

(9) YOU’RE NOT DRINKING ENOUGH WATER

 

Getting enough water is crucial for peak strength and energy levels. You should aim for around 12 x 8 ounce glasses of water per day. You can include any protein shakes, tea or coffee, you have towards your daily fluid intake.

For optimal muscle gains shoot for ~12 x 8 ounce glasses of water per day Share on X

 

(10) YOU’RE TRAINING FOR THE NUMBERS, NOT THE STIMULATION

 

Stimulating individual muscle fibers to increase in thickness is the very reason you’re in the gym. Once you understand this, your sets need to focus on the intended muscle and stimulating it to grow.

Stop letting your ego get in the road and trying to lift the heaviest weights possible. It’s not about that.

“Ego lifts” get you nowhere. Keep constant tension on the intended muscle and bring that muscle to failure. Rest. Repeat. See my post ‘Feel The Muscle Not The Weight‘ for more. There’s also a good article on T-Nation on this topic by Clay Hyght.

 

If you have any questions about training or diet, ask me below. If you need personalized 1-on-1 help from me, consider booking a consultation with me.

And also add me on social media here…

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Train With Intensity!

Mark