Top 10 reasons why YOU aren't gaining MUSCLE!

If you aren't getting the results that you want, chances are that it's somewhere in this video. Building muscle takes time, and isn't easy. However, if you optimize all of these factors, I can guarantee that you'll make progress faster than you are making right now.

**Thumbnail has a frequency twice...it's meant to say exercise selection :)
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1. Get Stronger
Progressive overload is your friend. Add weight at any opportunity you can, assuming you have good form. The primary stimulus for muscle growth is TENSION...more tension=more muscle.

2. Protein
I suggest 1.6g/kg, or .75g/lb. Why?

Because that's what the literature suggests. 1g/lb is a nice round number but isn't needed. That 1.6g/kg or .75g/lb is plenty to maximize muscle protein synthesis, provided it's spread throughout the day and is from quality sources.
3. Volume
When it comes to sets for muscle growth, don't expect the "one and done" method to work for very long. Beginners can get away with 1-3 sets per muscle group per workout, but past a year or two of training, you'll have to do more. How much more? Well, I suggest 5-10 working sets per muscle group per workout. Start on the low side of things, and increase over time. Getting stronger is more important, but for most people, the volume is still crucial.

4. Calories
Getting protein isn't enough. Synthesizing protein is hard work, and requires energy! That means fat and carbs! You CAN build muscle in a caloric deficit, but if you aren't making gains, you'll ideally want to be in at least a small surplus. That "recomping" can't go on forever. It's a nice trick, but you might be able to do better by upping your calories and focusing on fat loss...later.
5. Frequency
Once per week per muscle group isn't enough. Before the bros get mad at me, I'm not saying that you can't make ANY progress once per week. I'm just saying that it'll be better and faster progress if you are hitting muscles twice or three times per week. When you workout your chest, for instance, you are only really stimulating things for 2-3 days, and maybe even less. The answer is simple: higher frequency of training. This might mean full body workouts, or getting in the gym more often. Pick your poison.
6. Exercise Selection
This is critical! You can't just work out, you need to pick the RIGHT movements. If you have my book, luckily you have a hundred or more of the BEST exercises at your disposal. If you don't have my book...well, at least you are subscribed to my YouTube channel so you'll get plenty of juicy videos about the best exercises. Focus on the basics. The compound movements. Squats, deadlifts, presses, pulls, bench pressing, rows and their variations. If it doesn't use 2+ joints, it doesn't sound like a good time.

7. Intensity
This is the percentage of one-rep max. Don't go too heavy or too light. The 60-80% of 1 rep max range is ideal. You can sometimes go into the 50-60% or 80-90%, but the "bang for your buck" of those sets goes down, as explained in the video.

8. RPE
This is rating of percieved exertion. This is how close you are pushing to failure. I recommend 1-3 reps away from failure for most sets. 4-5 reps away has value as well. More than 5 reps away from failure is a warmup. Going to failure is OK on some movements, but research shows that it is less and less useful for hypertrophy. In most cases, it's not particularly useful, and can be dangerous. Failing a squat sucks. Ditto on bench.

9. Technique
Whether it is compound or isolation, your technique is crucial for two reasons. First, you'll eventually get injured with poor technique. IT WILL HAPPEN. Getting injured isn't really great for hypertrophy. Duh. Second, with poor technique you are often just using the wrong muscles. A biceps curl is a biceps curl. It's not a lower back curl. So don't use your lower back.

10. Sleep
Seldom talked about, but very important. Seven hours minimum. Eight is better. It's not that you are gaining muscles when you are sleeping, it's that it's critical for proper hormonal balance. With a substantial lack of sleep (sleep debt), you will pay for it with ZERO MUSCLE GROWTH. I'm not being dramatic, you can do everything else right, but if you just mess this last one up, game over. No gainz for you.



If you read all that, or watched the entire video, I applaud your attention span. It's rare in this day and age, and a very useful attribute. If you like the video, consider liking it in the YouTube system. It helps with the algorithm or something. And if you aren't SUBSCRIBED...what are you doing with your life?! If you are, appreciate you!


If you liked this content, I have a feeling that you'll like my book, too.






Drop questions in the comments or DM me on Insta if you want...peace!

MUSCLE!