Overtraining
If you work your butt off in the gym, dedicating hours upon hours to your training every single week, that could potentially be the problem. People seem to think that we build muscle in the gym, but we don’t, we actually destroy muscle in the gym when we exercise. We build muscle when we rest. If you’re training 6 -7 days per week, several hours per session, the reason you aren’t making any progress could be the fact that you’re overtraining, and not giving your body enough time to recover and rebuild itself. Try reducing the amount of volume in your training sessions, and aim for 4 – 5 days of training instead.Not consuming enough protein
Protein is a macronutrient which is essential for muscle growth and repair. One of the biggest mistakes that people looking to build muscle tend to make, is not consuming enough protein each day. To build muscle, you should aim for between 1.5g and 2g of protein per pound of bodyweight. So, if you weigh 200lbs, to build muscle, you would need to be consuming between 300g and 400g of protein per day. Make sure you include a protein source with each meal, space your meals out throughout the day, aiming to eat every 2 – 3 hours, and include a protein supplement for extra convenience.Not taking your diet seriously
Building muscle is considered by many experts to be a combination of around 30% training, and 70% diet and nutrition, so that should tell you just how important it is to get your diet on point. If you’re serious about building muscle and getting in shape, you simply must focus on your diet and make it your main priority, even above training. Cut out processed junk food and consume natural produce full of natural goodness instead. Stock up on healthy proteins such as lean meat and fish. Consume complex carbohydrates such as brown rice, sweet potato, and wholemeal bread etc. Make sure you consume enough healthy fats, and make sure you include plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables as they’re loaded full of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants.Under-training
As well as overtraining, another reason why you may not be making any noticeable progress could be the fact that you’re under-training and not working hard enough in the gym. In order to build muscle, you need to train each body part, how often will depend on which program you’re following, but you must include a variety of different exercises. It’s no good skipping the gym now and then, taking several days off at a time and training when you feel like it. If you’re committed to making progress, training will need to become a part of your weekly routine. If Monday is chest day (it is unofficially known as “International chest day” after all) then you make sure that every Monday you’re in the gym training your chest with a variety of different exercises. The same goes for all of your other muscle groups as well.
