8 Reasons Why You Aren't Making Those Gains

Lots of people who start a fitness program have the desire to build muscle; however, sometimes even though you’re putting in the hard work at the gym and in the kitchen, you may notice that those gains just aren’t happening. Even worse, you could be losing some of that hard-earned muscle. Instead of getting losing heart and giving up, try identifying the issue so you can correct it and get back on track to reach your goals!
 
Here are few reasons why you might not be making those gains:
 

1. You’re Not Eating Enough: Countless people under-eat out of the fear of gaining weight in the form of fat. But did you know that if you don’t eat enough calories, your body doesn’t have what it needs to build muscle?  In fact, it’s more prone to store calories as body fat.

• This is where FlexPro Meals comes in. We can help you choose the meal plan that will work best for you. If think you’re still not getting enough calories, try upgrading your portion size or adding extra protein shakes into your day.

2. Too Much Cardio: Doing cardio too often or for too long will actually cancel out any muscle gains you’ve made from weight training because your body will start using muscle as a source of energy instead of fat. Try limiting your cardio days to no more than 2-3 days/week and no longer than 45 minutes/workout. Check out our HIIT blog for an awesome form of cardio that will help you burn more body fat!

3. Overtraining: We’ve covered this topic before. Too much training can have the opposite of the desired effect on your body. If you experience any of the common signs of overtraining discussed in previous blogs, try reevaluating your workout program and incorporate more rest in order to allow your body time to recover.

4. Not Sleeping Enough: Sleeping is just as vital as your workout and good nutrition. If your body doesn’t get enough down time to rest and recover, those results you want won’t happen.

5. You’re Only Training Your Favorite Body Parts: Ever see that guy at the gym that has an absolutely massive upper body, but tiny little chicken legs? Lots of people, especially guys, want to quickly build those glamour muscles(chest, biceps, etc.), so they’ll neglect the rest of their body in order to bench press more weight or build bigger biceps. Not only can this lead to overtraining and injury, neglecting to work your whole body will eventually lead to a halt in your results.  Incorporating moves that requires multiple muscle groups to work together is a more effective way to get those gains you seek, plus it will allow your body to move more athletically.  

6. Not Enough Variety in Your Training: Doing the same exact workout week after week, not only gets old fast, but after a while, your muscle gains will stop. Try to switch up your routine every 3-4 weeks to avoid plateau and keep your body guessing.

7. You Wait Too Long Between Meals: If you don’t eat every three hours, your body will resort to starvation mode. This is your body’s primitive way of ensuring survival during lean times by slowing your metabolism down in order to conserve energy. When your body is in this state, it is more likely to store the calories as fat instead of building lean muscle.

8. You Don’t Stretch: Stretching may be super boring, but it’s also super important (Check out our previous blog on stretching for more details). Regularly stretching will aid in faster recovery, prevent injury, and elongate your muscles, allowing for more range of motion and growth.