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6 Muscle Building Mistakes to Avoid (SLOW OR NO GROWTH)

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Rating: 4.0; Vote: 1

When it comes to building muscle, you have to make sure that you avoid making these muscle gaining mistakes. Now, many think that nutrition and specific exercises are the key to building new muscle, and of course I’m one of them. However, without this prerequiste, none of the exercises or foods you do will matter. We are talking about the effort you are putting forth in the gym. This starts with understanding the end point of your sets and what your goal should be for the sets that you perform. This is where things tend to get confusing. People hear terms like RPE or rate of perceived exertion or they talk about reps in reserve and tend to want to leave some effort in the tank so as not to overdue their exertion and still get the same results since that is what studies say. The issue with this thinking is that almost everyone, especially beginner lifters, underestimate their effort. What may be prescribed as an RPE 8 winds up being an RPE 4 which is far too low of an intensity to actually produce results. Similarly, everyone wants to rely on only S tier exercises thinking that these are the magic factor for putting on muscle. I’m telling you, it has nothing to do with the exercises if you can’t get the intensity right. Doing set after set of the greatest exercises in the world will not build muscle if you don’t perform any of them with the right amount of effort. Ask yourself, when is the last time that you found yourself doing the exercises that you love rather than the ones you know you need to do. I am guilty of this myself and have to force myself to change course and get back on track when I see this happening. As a matter of fact, if your goal is to gain muscle you need to find yourself almost being a little fearful or at least having a bit of nerves prior to some of the sets that you’ll perform in any given workout. The absence of nerves indicates that you are not pushing yourself close enough to your potential and not stretching your physical limits. Instead, you are lifting within your comfort zone, a place where little new muscle gains are to be had. The mere concept of progressive overload relies on the pushing of your muscles and body past its current level of ability in order to create an adaptation that forces the body to pack on new muscle growth. One of the ways to determine if you are on the right track is to check your face along the way. I’m serious. Do you ever find that when you are exerting your highest efforts in the gym that you make the classic ugly face That’s not a coincidence. As a matter of fact, it’s nearly impossible to keep a straight face when you push hard enough in your training since the muscles of the face require a lot of voluntary muscle control. When your body is distracted, focsuing your efforts on moving heavy weights, we don’t have the volitional control over the smaller muscles of our face and they are free to do what they please - often with uglifying results. But this is a good thing since it indicates a high enough level of intensity. I often say, when you enjoy your training sessions and maybe even if you break a sweat, it doesn’t mean that it was indicative of a successful workout to build muscle. In fact, I would argue that it likely was not. Muscle building workouts are not meant to be enjoyable. Exercise is fun. Training is not. Training is the putting forth of maximum effort or at least at a very high level, with the end result being that you’ve forced your body to adapt to come back bigger and stronger than it was prior to that workout. This is how you gain muscle. This is how you build muscle over time. It may feel slow, but I can assure you if you don’t get this concept right from the beginning then it will feel glacially slow in the long run since building muscle will be almost impossible. Forget the S tier exercises and instead focus on how you are peforming all of the exercises you are doing and that is where the real gains will be had. If you’re looking for a complete science based workout plan that programs not only the best exercises but the specific way to do them to maximize their intensity and effectiveness, head to athleanx. com via the link below and get the 90 day plan that best matches your specific goals. For more videos on how to build muscle and the mistakes you want to avoid when trying to gain muscle fast, be sure to subscribe to my channel using the link below and remember to turn on your notifications so you never miss a new video when it’s published. 6 Muscle Building Mistakes - Subscribe to this channel here -
Date: 2024-06-16

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Comments and reviews: 20

user-zt7xs1ws8q
hey jeff,
I've been watching, learning and working out
by your tips a lot and it helped me a lot in my life, I'm currently working in a hard labour job (in a warehouse) that requires me a lot of physical lifting, pulling and squatting and it's becoming harder to keep up with my training (physically and mentally)
can you do a video about this topic or do you have any tips or ideas for a hard physical job people to be in a more balance shape,
or more importantly, how i can be in a balance shape and not making an injury, should i put more emphasis on a completion pushing workouts, or
put an emphasis more on the things i already do in my job as a workout, or only do stretches instead your guidance and information helped me a lot to learn how to keep myself not injured in the job but i would like to be in more balanced shape and love to hear your opinions about it.
much love, and thank you.
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the_eclipze9528
Hey Jeff,
I just turned 25 and I was diagnosed with OsgoodSchlatter from a young age and never grew out of it. Football was my sport, I played a couple seasons at the NAIA level.
My knees have certainly taken a toll and I have been told my a sports medicine doctor locally that I have early cases of arthritis.
My question is, how do you feel about knee sleeves when squatting
I know the compression could benefit my knees since my patellar tendon is always inflamed and I have to take extra care of my knees, BUT I also feel like my knees could weaken stability wise from getting used to always squatting with the sleeves. So I am at a crossroads on whether to be an accessory guy.
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Preston_Smith
My body wants to be pushed to build muscle. I don't know what you're talking about however I guess you're right about the rate of perceived exertion if you're looking at someone's face because I guess there's a lot of people that just go to the gym and just kind of sort of work out and they suck and I seen them at the gym everyday consistently for a year and they don't look any different. However I tend to just lift heavier and do more every time I go and I feel like I'm always putting in maximum effort I attend to take my time sometimes and I see what you're talking about. To get some people just want to kind of go sort of work out and not really do anything
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mattrajotte9980
Jeff I need you to pin this video for all to see. This is the most real and valuable video one could come across. As someone who has trained din the gym for over 6 years now with very little to show for it, I have gotten so buried in the Science of lifting that I have neglected and omitted the most vital aspect of training- Training HARD. It’s such a simple concept but one that is so often overlooked it todays world. I cannot thank you enough for making this video and I cross my fingers that you do pin it for all to see, because I think these upcoming generations (Mine included) really NEED to hear this message
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Sara-su1bi
My Question
My goal is hypertrophy, but doing sets of more than 8 reps to failure is mentally tough for me. For example, in a 12-rep set, the last 5 reps feel like a mental battle. This led me to do many sets far from failure, which I now know isn't great for hypertrophy.
So, I switched to heavier weights, reaching failure within 8 reps. Often, I fail around 6 reps. This way, I can push to failure without the mental strain.
But I wonder, am I missing out by not doing higher reps to failure Is my approach less effective for hypertrophy
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JeremyJSanchez
FAST ACTION Q&A: Hey Jeff, hope all is well. I currently weigh around 150lbs it fluctuates throughout the day, and after every meal I have, I immediately have to go to the bathroom right after. I'm considering having to eat 5, 000 calories a day since my metabolism is so high. What are your thoughts Also, I have both Max Size and Ultimate Arms course. For someone wanting to put on Max Size but also build bigger, more vascular arms, can I implement both programs at once Which one should I prioritize first Thank you sir for your time!
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dano7989
Jeff with effort and putting forth maximum effort where does the concept of junk volume come into play Meaning lots of people such as John Meadows, Brian Renshaw, etc have talked about junk volume. When would someone know that they're putting too much effort forth for a specific muscle group and not allowing that muscle group to rest or not push it so hard that someone is doing too much I hope that's not confusing. But it is something I have given alot of thought to but have not found a satisfactory answer for.
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user-ru5sw3ss2u
Hey Jeff,
Thanks for the video! I just wanted to ask, when I do an exercise such as the lateral raise and I wait 2-3 mins between each set which apparently is the optimal time, I stop feeling a burn in the 3rd/4th set. I do the exercise and don't feel much in the first several reps, and only in the final ones do I actually feel any burn. I do a mix of slow, controlled and explosive movements with ROM so I don't know why this is. Any help would be greatly appreciated and thanks for all your videos!
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aliciaserrano9698
Q&A: my knees hurt anytime I squat, leg press, and leg curl. I have recorded myself to be sure I have proper form, and it is generally satisfactory.
Could you provide any exercises or movements that could help me fix or mitigate the problem of knee pain on leg days I’m only 20 currently, so I’d prefer to not continue worsening any damage to my body. I currently just bike for lower body, and don’t have any issues with that.
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larryjones8928
Why is it when someone has the ability to bypass the brain they can do feats of strength they never dreamed of. I have that ability an it started in the seventies when a power lifter that it’s possible. I could do 240 on the bench forty times without hurting myself. I was almost 80 years old when I was leg pressing 585 pounds two sets of tens with ease normally that would be impossible to do if I didn’t have the ability to do that
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ericteng7125
Question: I am dealing with a muscle imbalance where my left side is stronger than my right. It seems to affect my posture where my left hip is hiked up and my core/back likes turning to the right. I think posture habits and reliance on the left side have made the right side muscles weaker as a result.
Do you have any recommendations for stretching/strengthening exercises to fix this kind of imbalance Thanks!
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richv8124
Question for Jeff - I have a low level rotator cuff injury. PT and accupuncture haven't really helped. I now take ibuprofen about an hour before my upper body workouts. Can you advise if this is really bad and how to know when to give up and go to an orthopedic surgeon or if there is something else to try. Im doing corrective exercises like face pulls and external rotations but nothing is helping.
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athleanx
I have insomnia due to depression and not so good eating habit but since I started in the gym 4 months ago I have been putting maximum effort into 30/40 minute workouts 3 times a week and have been putting on considerable amounts of muscle and have basically doubled the weights on every lift.
Effort counts for a lot, I leave the gym not being able to lift any more let alone do any more sets.
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harepusharepus
Hi Jeff. How can you tell if you are injuring yourself in the gym My physio said that if it doesn't hurt, it's fine to do. But sometimes, a safe exercise will randomly hurt or pain will come soon after. Then weeks later, it no longer causes a problem.
Is this part of normal training I don't know what to rest and what to continue training. Thank you very much
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Shredder-ug1fu
In my opinion, If youre an average Joe, then dont use RIR or RPE just put max effort in every set, less is more - less sets, more intensity. You dont need 6 or 7 exercies for body part. Usually 3 is enough. Just rotate between them, when youre no longer able to progress in them. If something is working, then dont change (training for muscle, not strength)
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athleanx
FAST ACTION Q&A - Leave your most burning question about this video or any other training, PT or nutrition question within the first 2 hours of this video’s release (AS A SEPARATE COMMENT) and I will pick 8 to get a detailed reply from me right here in the comments. Answers will be posted within the first 24-48 hours of you leaving the question. Good luck!
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Useryoutube26813
Fast Action Q N A
Jeff, I hope you are doing fantastic.
I would like to have daily cardio while having legs days per week. But I get sore after leg day workout. What can you advise or recommend
Also, may I know what I can do during off days if my goal is to focus on only legs
Thank you if you do answer both questions or at least 1.
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ericfranklin1802
Completely agree, though would also reiterate that you don’t have to just jack up the weight to reach that level of effort. Gotta go with those 3 things Jeff has mentioned, rep #, weight and time under tension. If you can toss a 2. 5lbs on the bar just stick with the same weight and slow down the reps or pause if that is viable.
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athleanx
FAST ACTION Question: hey Jeff, my wife thinks it's ridiculous that I am using protein powder because she thinks I get enough protein from just eating regular food. I do eat a lot of legumes for natural protein but I do think it's good to add some extra protein via a high quality protein powder. What do you think Am I over doing it
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