Have you fallen into the trap of one or more of these common muscle-building mistakes?
Are you training consistently and still not seeing the results you want?
Remember, building muscle takes time and generally a lot more than we’d like. However, to ensure the best results, make sure you are avoiding these common muscle-building mistakes.
Muscle-Building Mistake #1
This is a big one. Completely ignoring strength training. Without strength training, it is virtually impossible to build muscle, especially in our 50s and beyond. Strength training is any type of resistance training. It can be done with body weight, resistance bands, free weights, such as kettlebells, dumbbells, and barbells, or strength training machines you’d find in a gym.
According to the National Library of Medicine, we naturally start losing muscle in our 30s at a rate of 3-8% per decade. The rate of muscle loss also picks up speed in our 60s. This decrease in muscle mass is a contributor to disabilities as we age and increases the risk of falls and injury. As we lose muscle, we often see a corresponding increase in body fat.
It isn’t all doom and gloom though. You can slow, stop, and possibly even reverse muscle loss if you start strength training.
Muscle-Building Mistake #2
Mistake #2 is not using heavy enough weights or resistance. The resistance you’re using should be a challenge. While you can start out with body weight-only exercises, over time these may simply become too easy to allow muscle growth.
A good rule of thumb is for the last 2 reps to feel “hard”. When they no longer feel challenging, you’re likely no longer building muscle.
Mistake #3 - Always doing the same workout
I personally like to change my workouts every 8 – 9 weeks. They don’t need to be a complete overhaul. Just a few changes is generally fine.
Those changes could be one or more of the following:
- New exercises
- Different number of sets – more or less
- Different number of reps – more or less
- Heavier weight or resistance
While you can continue to build muscle by doing the same workout for an extended time, most of us will get bored. And, if we are bored, then our training consistency may falter. By changing the workouts periodically, we can keep it fun!
Mistake #4 - Having no plan
Without a plan, you are likely to wander around the gym or your home wasting precious time trying to decide what exercises you’ll do.
How do you know if you’re hitting all your muscle groups, getting enough volume, or incorporating progressive overload to build the muscle you want if you don’t have a plan?
Are you working your back but omitting your chest?
Working your quads and forgetting about your hamstrings?
If so, you could be inadvertently creating muscular imbalances.
Muscle-Building Mistake #5
Are you doing too much cardio?
Cardio has its place so that we maintain a strong cardiovascular system. The muscle-building mistake comes in when you prioritize cardio above strength training.
We need both!
Mistake #6 - Not eating enough protein
Without quality lean protein, you will likely find it very difficult to build muscle.
Most women do not eat enough protein. A general rule of thumb is to eat 1 gram of protein per pound of ideal body weight.
As an example, a woman weighing 175 pounds with a goal weight of 140 pounds, would want to aim for approximately 140 grams of protein.
This is not an exact science and since most women don’t even come close to their protein target, my recommendation is to first aim to get 100 grams of protein.
Not sure how you’re even going to get 100 grams of protein? Watch the below video for ideas.
Muscle-Building Mistake #7
This one may come as a surprise, but not getting enough quality sleep will make building muscle incredibly difficult. Generally, 7 hours is the minimum amount of sleep we need.
Personally, I function better on 8 -9 hours of sleep.
Without enough sleep, you’ll likely be sluggish at the gym, and if you can’t lift heavy because you’re tired? Well, you already know the answer to that. You won’t be building the muscle to meet your goals.
In addition, when we don’t get enough sleep, it is incredibly common to lose all willpower when it comes to food. This is a double whammy as we take two hits – unable to train hard along with eating foods we otherwise would not eat or at least not in the same quantities.
Muscle-Building Mistake #8
Last, but no less important is being impatient and wanting results far more quickly than is possible.
Building muscle takes time and a lot of it. And unfortunately, the older we get the longer it takes.
Remember, this is a life-long journey. Stay the course, avoid these muscle-building mistakes and you will build muscle.
If you’d like a deeper dive into these 8 muscle-building mistakes check out this video.