Pay attention to the following 7 points that I’m going to make.

Because if you are making 1 or more of these mistakes, you are most definitely not making the gains you could be!

 

 

(1) SKIPPING WORKOUTS

 

This is a MUCH bigger deal than most people realize. When you skip a workout, you cannot get it back.

Let’s say you miss 20 workouts over the course of a year; you will always be 20 workouts behind where you could have been because there is nothing you can do to make up for them.

You cannot insert extra workouts in the future to replace them as you’ll train too often and overtrain. See point 7 for more.

Skipping workouts puts you permanently behind where you could have been. You can never get it back.

Never miss training. Skipping workouts puts you permanently behind where you could have been. Share on X

 

(2) NOT MAKING THE MUSCLE DO THE WORK

 

In my last MuscleHack article, I said, “The goal of any effective exercise is to recruit the maximum number of muscle fibers in the intended muscle and ensure constant tension. If we can do this, we can maximally stimulate growth in the intended muscle.” Here is that article.

By really making the intended muscle do the work for every single rep of every single set, you will recruit more muscle fibers, create more metabolic stress, generate more micro-tears in individual muscle fibers and as a result…produce more growth stimulation. It’s really that simple!

 

(3) NOT GETTING YOUR DAILY PROTEIN

 

Aside from water, muscle IS protein.

If there is insufficient protein coming into your body on a daily basis, it is impossible for your body to build new muscle tissue.

A good rule of thumb is to get 1g protein per pound of body weight per day. See my protein article here for more.

Regarding whey protein, here are my recommendations:
My recommended European protein | Recommended US protein

 

(4) CHANGING YOUR ROUTINE TOO OFTEN

 

No you don’t need to ‘confuse’ your muscle. I can assure you that muscle tissue does not get confused.

You need a good, science-based workout and from there progressively overload the muscle over time. This means that over the long term, you should be able to complete more reps with more weight.

But it’s a slow process and small, incremental weight increases work best.

For more in-depth and scientific analysis on why changing your routine too often is bad for your gains, read this post: ‘Why NOT changing your routine gives you bigger muscles‘.

 

(5) GETTING ROUTINES FROM BODYBUILDING MAGS

 

These workouts are not scientifically based. The magazine industry must come up with new workouts every month to keep you buying.

So the writers end up pulling workouts out of their a$$ and selling them to a gullible public.

Hey, did you know that most writers of these magazines don’t even lift? I bet you didn’t. Just a little insider tip for ya!

Most writers of fitness mags don't even lift. Just a little insider tip. Don't take their advice Share on X

 

(6) LACK OF INTENSITY

 

The intensity of a set is directly proportional to the amount of growth stimulation generated. Taking a set to failure is the only way to get 100% out of each set.

The intensity of a set is directly proportional to the amount of growth stimulation generated. Share on X

 

Taking a set to failure:

• Recruits the maximum number of muscle fibers in the muscle being worked
• Creates more metabolic stress (which correlates positively with protein synthesis levels)
• Generates more micro-tears to individual muscle fibers.

You therefore produce more growth stimulation in every set. Fact.

Some people take the approach that ‘total volume’ trumps intensity. It most certainly doesn’t.

You cannot make up for a lack of intensity with increased volume. This is a biological matter, not a mathematical one. Get the intensity first, then add volume/sets. But if the intensity isn’t there, all the volume in the world will count for nothing (unless you’re a genetic freak).

See my post here on ‘Intensity Vs Total Volume‘ for more.

 

(7) TRAINING TOO MUCH TOO OFTEN

 

I’ve beat this issue to death, but there are always newcomers to MuscleHack.

So here goes: Your workout does NOT ‘produce’ muscle growth. Repeat: training does NOT ‘produce‘ muscle growth.

Training ‘stimulates‘ muscle growth. The growth is then produced in the rest period between workouts. The recovery process IS the growth process.

If you train again before the recovery/growth process has finished, you short-circuit any growth and get absolutely nowhere. The goal is to train intensely to ensure that growth is stimulated, then rest and let the growth take place.

Here’s a diagram I created a number of years ago to illustrate the point. I call the point when the growth/overcompensation process has fully completed the ‘Peak Overcompensation Point‘ (P.O.P.).

 

I’ve personally been training 3 days per week (full body) with better results than a 5-day split for over a year now.

For anyone doubting that 3 days can be better than 5, read my post on ‘3 days Vs 5 days’ here.

 

GET STARTED ON T.H.T. TRAINING

 

It’s time to start training properly. Start training with a program that actually works! See real testimonials here. Everything is free. There are no excuses.

• Download the full THT training program and workout logs below (start with the 3-day plan in the 8-12 rep range)
• Download the Android app and track your THT workouts right inside the app!

After inputting your email, you will be taken directly to the download page for instant access to the workout. You don’t need to log into your email to click on any confirmation link.

 

 

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…

Facebook | Instagram | Twitter  | Google+

 

P.S. Want easy high-protein recipes? With easy-to-make protein-packed recipes to fuel your muscle growth, MuscleHack Buff Baking makes eating healthy feel like a cheat meal. There’s pancakes, peanut butter cookies, ice cream, “strong man’s” sausage bake, chocolate cake, “popcorn” chicken and many more! Check it out here.

Train With Intensity!

Mark