5 Reasons You Aren't Growing
A while back, I went off to college in my early twenties and eventually moved back in with my parents. When it came time to get into the local gym I saw a lot of familiar faces. The last time I saw them I had 15 lbs less muscle mass, but they... looked exactly the same. How was that possible, in four years no one grew?
There are a lot of reasons that we will get into, but probably the most pertinent is consistency.
1. Consistency
Consistency is number one for good reason. A lot of people think they're being consistent.
"I've been lifting for 10 years bro, it's just not happening for me"
Upon closer examination, those 10 years had lots of fairly big gaps. What you think may be an average of 4 times per week may be closer to 2 or 1 across the entire year. Training conistently for 10 years means, 4-5 days per week, dialed in, for 10 years straight.
"Well yeah, I typically take it easy during the summer. Plus I travel for work every other week and don't really lift during those trips. Also on the weekends I visit the in-laws with my wife, so if I dont make it in before work M-F I basically don't go..." Look, life is complex and thing are tough, that's nothing to be ashamed of. This isn't meant to shame anyone -- only to point out what real consistency means in order to diagnose slow or zero gains over the years.
2. Aimless Diet & Nutrition
At a certain point, long after the newbie gains, we need to be in a caloric surplus to put on new muscle. This is just the way it goes folks. Same with losing fat, but the reverse (caloric deficit).
Here are some common mistakes people make with their diet and nutrition:
You're Not Tracking Your MealsYou need to be tracking your meals. Sorry, but if you're serious about putting on muscle and progressing at a respectable rate, you need to know what's going into your system every day. FAR too many people think they're taking in enough calories & protein and are no where NEAR where they need to be.
Dirty Bulking To Fat-Boy Town It happens all the time. A person goes on a "bulk" for a month, eating whatever garbage they want, put on too much fat, and reverse course because "oh crap, I'm fat." Or, they don't reverse course and end up 30% bodyfat and have a LOT of work ahead of them... People who "dirty bulk" load up on high fat meals like cheese burgers, fries, and pizza 🤤 all day and call it a "bulk". A good bulk should consist of the same foods you eat during you're cut, just more of it.
Cutting A Growth Phase Too Short Putting on muscle takes time. A proper bulk should take somewhere up to 4 months before a maintenance phase, followed by a cut (usually). A huge reason why people start and stop bulks and cuts so often is because they aren't eating healthy foods in a surplus. They get too fat after one month of eating like crap and reverse course one month in -- A fantastic way to spin your wheels. Sometimes people are eating the right foods and tracking just fine, but the moment they start to see noticeable fat gains, they panic and cut the bulk short. It's okay to put on some fat, it's part of the process. It's only when it gets out of hand where maybe you should be going into a cut.
Bulking When You Should Be Cutting Far too many people start a bulk with a high body-fat percentage (>15%). You need to be honest with yourself and look in the mirror before you say "BULK SEASON YOU GUYS!!" The chart below will tell you roughly where you stand. Your goal should be to cut down to 7-10% BF and bulk until you hit ~15%.
3. Alcohol
I've gone to the gym with people who show up 5 days per week and seemingly bust their asses and never lose their gut. I became curious as to why these people never seemed to change either, they're always at the gym when I'm there. Then I saw their instagrams. Every weekend... drinks. They were at this club and that club and had wine with friends, etc. etc.
Now it may be that there are other issues but this is definitely a big one. I hear it allt he time. "I only drink 2 beers per night." or "I only drink on the weekends." Here's the facts, alcohol is a gains killer.
Some facts about the effects of alcohol on muscle growth and recovery:
The Basics: - Alcohol is devoid of any macronutrients - Alcohol has calories, sometimes a lot
Muscle Growth The more you drink, the less likely you'll experience any significant muscle growth. Alcohol consumption can also lead to muscle loss during hyper-caloric phases (a caloric deficit).
Fat Loss/Fat Gain Alcohol has a blunting effect on fat burning as our bodies prioritizes the burning of alcohol over macronutrients that may more easily be stored as fat. You're more likely to snack and break diet when inebriated.
Recovery Due to it's toxicity, alcohol inhibits the bodies ability to recover from our training.Alcohol disrupts sleep.
Hydration Alcohol negatively effects hydration.
4. Sleep
There are people who will spend hundreds of dollars a week on supplements who, if they only got proper sleep at night, would do WAY more towards their goals of building muscle.
Stages 3 and 4: Deep sleep, crucial for physical restoration and recovery. Human Growth Hormone (HGH) Secreted predominantly during deep sleep (Stages 3 and 4 of non-REM sleep) and the first cycle of REM sleep.
Crucial for growth, cell repair, and overall recovery.
During deep sleep, the body engages in repair and growth processes, and HGH plays a key role in facilitating these functions.
Testosterone is secreted during all sleep stages, with the highest levels during the early morning.
Important for vital for muscle development, bone density, and overall male health.
Insufficient sleep, particularly a lack of REM sleep, can contribute to reduced testosterone levels.
Some Tips:
Suggest 7-9 hours of sleep per night to ensure adequate time for multiple sleep cycles.
Regular sleep patterns promote efficient cycling through the stages, maximizing the benefits of each.
Dark, quiet, and cool environments enhance the likelihood of deeper sleep and increased REM cycles
Some people need slightly more, while others can get away with less. This is determined by genetics. If you aren't sleeping, and aren't growing, you know what you need to work on.
5. The Hybrid Athelte Problem
"I WANT IT ALL, I WANT IT ALL, AND I WANT IT NOW" - Queen.
Hey awesome you're a hybrid athlete and it feels great to be in killer shape. That's fantastic but just do me a favor. Never ask me why you're not growing muscle.
When it comes to building new muscle, we really need all hands on deck. Everything needs to be in order to make noticeable gains. Diet & nutrition need to be dialed in, consistency in the gym, training hard with perfect technique, sleeping 8 hours per night.
What happens when you add long-distance running into the equation. What happens is that the adaptations required for growing muscle are now competition with endurance training. The end result is very little, if any gains in the gym -- bummer.
Below are a list from least-to-most compatible with hypertrophy training:
Concluding Thoughts
Growth in the gym boils down to a few critical elements: real consistency, smart nutrition, less booze, quality sleep, and focused goals. Many of us aren't growing because we're missing the mark on these fundamentals. Whether it's half-hearted gym sessions, a chaotic diet, weekend binges, sleepless nights, or trying to be a jack-of-all-trades in fitness, these slip-ups keep us stuck. So, let's cut the fluff and get down to brass tacks: nail these basics and watch yourself grow. It’s that simple, and it’s about time we all got on board.
Very helpful, Michael. Thank you.