Getting fitter and stronger is not an easy task. There are many obstacles on the way. Here is a list of 15 muscle building mistakes you could be making and should avoid.
Muscle building mistakes should not be shrouded in a cloud of mystery. If you are an elite athlete, some mistakes are obvious, but there are others you might not even know you are doing. This list should help elite and beginner athletes alike.
Sean Nalewanyj, a fitness coach and author, shared his personal experience about muscle building mistakes that people are probably doing.
Although nutrition plays vital importance in building muscle, he does not address it here. If you are interested in how nutrition can help you build muscle, click here.
15 Muscle Building Mistakes You Could be Making
1. Chasing the pump
Getting a pump is not the issue, but how you get the pump is. Doing hundreds of reps for a specific exercise will get your muscle pumped, but it is not ideal for muscle hypertrophy.
The pump should come as a result of your training, a side effect, not the cause for muscle growth.
2. Chasing fatigue
3. Relying on soreness
At the end of the day, being sore does not mean you are building muscle. On the other side, not being sore does not mean you are not building muscle.
4. Insufficient training effort
According to Sean, this is the top of the muscle building mistakes people can make. “Not going close enough to true muscular failure on your sets,” is a mistake people should try to avoid.
5. Not tracking your workouts
6. Excessive workout variation
7. Choosing the wrong lifts
8. Unequal body part focus
9. Unstable exercises
10. Ego lifting
Do not sacrifice form for numbers.
11. Excessively strict form
However, you do not also need to micromanage every single rep you are doing. Maintain solid technique, but allow room to move naturally.
12. High rep focus
13. Short rest times
14. Cardio before lifting
A warm-up before lifting is fine, such as 5-10 minutes. However, full cardio before working out should not be on your training schedule if you are aiming to build muscle.
15. Copying enhanced lifters
Do not just swallow what the fitness influencers or elite athletes with incredible genetics are releasing on a daily basis. Do your research and find out what is better and what works for you.
Read More: New Research Explains How to Maximise Muscle Growth
