It’s completely fine to make mistakes, we’re all humans after all.
What’s not OK, is to make the same mistakes over and over again.
Based on my own experience and experience from other people I’ve helped gain muscle mass, I came up with the following top 7 mistakes.
Avoid these mistakes and you’ll be experiencing amazing muscle gains.
Mistake #1: Not tracking the food intake
You can’t manage what you don’t measure. ~Peter Drucker
In my opinion, this is the most important thing you need to do when you’re trying to gain muscle mass, lose body fat or simply maintain your current levels. Ironically this aspect of fitness rarely gets any attention.
It’s true that calories in calories out model of thinking has it’s flaws, but if you want to gain muscle mass then it’s important that you take in more (quality) calories than you consume.
When eating clean food it’s pretty damn hard to eat enough food for a caloric surplus since clean foods make you feel full quicker. If, for example, you’re supposed to eat 250 grams of protein per day and you’re improvising your every meal for the sake of variety, then there’s a big chance that you won’t even come near the required 250 grams of protein. At least that was my experience.
When you’re past the beginner stage, you have to be increasingly more methodical in order to gain additional muscle mass.
The best way to track the amounts of food you eat is to use a tracking journal (physical or electronic). By using a simple online food diary like FitDay, it’s really easy to keep track of the amounts of food you eat. It takes me less than two minutes every day to log everything in.
With over countless foods already available, you can rest assured that no matter what you eat will already be in the database with all of the nutritional data. In case you can’t find a specific food item, FitDay allows you to add a custom food item.
At first it’ll seem a bit overwhelming to keep track of all the foods you eat but if you’re disciplined enough, and you’re eating the same foods every day then keeping track of the food intake will take you just a couple of seconds.
Mistake #2: Not eating enough food
This one is closely related to the first mistake and I’d say that this is the biggest sticking point for most people.
As mentioned before, if you’re not tracking the foods you eat there’s a big chance that you’re not going to eat enough food. If you’re undereating then you can forget about strength and brawn (unless you’re a beginner).
When you’re starting out you’re going to see progress no matter what. You can gain muscle mass by undereating and eating shit as long as you train with intensity.
Unfortunately for everybody, the beginner phase is over quickly. The body is fast to adapt to new stimuli and after a couple of weeks and maybe months of beginners gains, the progress in the gym suddenly comes to a halt.
Your ability to gain muscle mass from this moment on is greatly diminished, where every additional pound of muscle requires more and more effort.
The biggest reason why most people are not eating enough food is because they’re trying to eat different things every day. Their main concern is that if you eat the same stuff every day you’re going to be sick or something.
This is complete and utter bullshit if you ask me because when you think about it, the average western man or women predominantly eats the same stuff every day. If you’re eating six clean meals a day (every meal different) then you probably have more variety in your diet than the average Joe and Jane have in a week.
Eating the same foods every day will save you hours upon hours of food preparation and nerves. Eating the same foods doesn’t mean that your meals have to be boring, but quite the contrary. You’ll still be able to make delicious meals but they will take much less to prepare since you’ve streamlined the whole cooking process by cooking the same stuff every day.
This is what kills the enthusiasm for most people … food preparation. Nobody wants to spend their whole day in the kitchen cooking and thinking about what they’re going to eat tomorrow. Life is already complicated as it is, so why make it even more complicated?
Just eat the same meals every day. Easier to track and easier to stick with.
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Mistake #3: Not getting enough sleep
You gain muscle mass when you’re outside the gym.
Going to bed early is the biggest sticking point for me. Ironically it’s also the easiest one to address, but somehow I never get to sleep early.
Your body needs quality rest, especially if you’re involved in some sort of strenuous physical activity like weight training.
When you’re lifting heavy weights you make micro tears on your muscle fibers. If you ain’t getting enough sleep then your body is unable to repair these micro lesions and this in turn can lead to overtraining and serious injuries.
It’s all about the hormones.
Our sleep is divided into cycles which consist of non-REM and REM phases. It’s during our non-REM deep sleep phase that we get our biggest growth hormone spike. In short, HGH (human growth hormone) is an anabolic agent that promotes muscle recovery and muscle growth among other things.
So in order to gain muscle mass you want to make sure that you get the biggest possible release of growth hormone, every night. But how exactly can you do that?
Since our growth hormone is released during the deep sleep phase and the deepest sleep occurs around 2 am you want to make sure that you go to sleep in the early hours of the night. There is a greater amount of deep sleep earlier in the sleep cycle, while the proportion of REM sleep increases later in the sleep cycle and just before natural awakening.
During our restorative deep sleep phase, our blood pressure drops and our breathing becomes deeper and slower. With our brain taking a much needed time out from our daily preoccupations, there’s more blood available to flow into our muscles.
Increased nutrient-rich blood flow (if you have your diet in check) combined with high levels of growth hormone, will drastically improve your ability to gain muscle mass.
Lack of sleep and erratic sleeping schedule, on the other hand, can quickly decrease the amount of growth hormone that your pituitary gland secrets during your deep sleep. Growth hormone deficiency is associated with increased obesity, loss of muscle mass and reduced exercise capacity.
The biggest reason why I’m not going to sleep early is because I keep my laptop on after 8pm. In order to go to bed early (approx 10 pm) you want to make sure to turn off all of your electronic appliances like tv, laptops, smartphones, etc. a few hours before sleep time. In my case, I try to turn off my gadgets at around 8 pm and every time I do this, I go to sleep early with no problems.
It’s recommended that you get at least 8 to 9 hours of quality sleep per night. Sleep less than this and you’re compromising your progress in the gym. It’s possible to decrease the time you need to sleep in order to get fully rested by developing and sticking to a consistent sleeping schedule, but if gaining muscle mass is your goal, err on the side of 8 to 9 hours.
Here are some quick tips for getting a good night’s sleep:
- go to sleep early (10 pm is ideal)
- make sure your bedroom is completely dark
- use foam earplugs to eliminate the surrounding noise
- try to keep the room temperature at about 70°F
- read a boring book before bed time (fiction preferably)
Mistake #4: Not training hard enough
If you’re not scared of the weights you’re lifting then you’re not lifting heavy enough.
A lot of people think that in order to gain muscle mass, squatting or deadlifting 60 kg (135 lbs) for a few repetitions is enough. Boy are they wrong!I’ve spent months, lifting puny weights on all of of the major compound movements, and then was left wondering why I didn’t make any progress.
You should definitely use light weights when starting out so you can master the correct form of any given exercise, but once your form is good enough all of your efforts should be focused on lifting heavier and heavier weights.
Size follows strength.
So what exactly does hard training mean? Well, it’s simply training almost or to muscular failure by focusing on major compound movements like deadlift, squat, overhead press, weighted chins, etc. When you finish your last rep and you know that another rep isn’t possible to be executed with good form, then you’re training with the right intensity.
Especially in the beginning (beyond beginner’s stage) if you have all of the variables dialed in, your deadlift and squats should quickly surpass the 100 kg (220 lbs) mark.
Mistake #5: Spending too much time in the gym too often
This one relates to doing too many exercises in a single workout and repeating the same workout almost every day of the week.
There’s actually nothing wrong with spending a lot of time in the gym if you’re trying to make new friends or even meet a girlfriend who’s into healthy living but when you’re trying to gain muscle mass, try to make your training sessions as short as possible.
This means doing a routine that focuses on intensity and not on volume.
Remember that muscle grows when you’re resting, not when you’re training.
When trying to gain muscle mass, routines that emphasize on compound movements like deadlift, squat, overhead press, etc. are the way to go. Don’t be doing endless sets of preacher curls and triceps extensions since you’re not going to get big with complementary exercises.
Under no circumstance try to do routines you read in bodybuilding magazines since they are written for steroid gobbling genetic freaks.
Compound is the way to go.
By focusing on compound movements you’ll be able to finish your workouts in less than an hour and you’ll also save some money since you’ll be visiting the gym less frequently. A simple Push/Pull routine will do wonders for your size and strength if you’re training with intensity.
Remember, when trying to gain muscle mass, less is more.
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Mistake #6: Lifting with poor form
This is a killer, literally.
Doing compound movements like deadlifts or squats with improper form is a one way ticket to the hospital.
Sure there’s lots of wiggle room when you’re lifting light weights but as soon as you start lifting heavy, there’s absolutely no room for error.
In order to gain muscle mass your primary focus should be to increase the weight on the compound movements. Good technique will allow you to lift more weight and as you may probably know by now heavier weights = more muscle.
Focus on strength and the physique will follow.
In my specific case, I was able to quickly increase my deadlift poundage by 45 lbs after being stuck for months on the same weight. The only change I made to my deadlifting technique was to incorporate a more narrow stance, that’s it. Sometimes small changes can really make a big difference.
It’s really important that you have your lifting technique dialed in perfectly.
The video camera is your friend here. Try to record as much of your workout as you can in order to see your lifting form on all of the big exercises. Compare your videos to other instructional videos on YouTube and you’ll quickly see if your lifting technique needs more work before you move on to heavier weights.
Mistake #7: Stressing about non important stuff
Stress can play a major role in your ability to gain muscle mass. Making sure you deal with stress is not only good for your progress in the gym but also for your overall health.
As far as weightlifting stress is related, I’ve managed to identify two major sources, and these are:
- Improper goal setting and
- stressing over about other people’s physiques.
It’s really common for people who are starting out, to set their fitness goals really high and there’s certainly nothing wrong with that. The problem comes when people want to look like Arnold Schwarzenegger, but they are knowingly or unknowingly not willing to put in an ounce of effort required to reach their goals.
Their idea is that “If I go to the gym 5 times a week and lift weights for 3 hours, then I’ll look like a bodybuilder in a matter of weeks. Forget about nutrition!”. This kind of thinking is the reason why most people get frustrated and quit after a month or two of training.
In order to avoid this kind of stress, the thing is to set smart goals so you’re comfortable with the amount of effort you’ll have to put in. If you’re not willing to put the required amount of effort to reach your goals, then you’re not going to gain muscle mass.
The other big source of stress for those involved in weightlifting, is comparing their physiques to other’s more developed physiques.
This was my problem for a very long time.
We humans are 99.9% genetically the same. It’s those .1% percent that separates us from everybody else. This .1% also determines how much muscle we’ll carry in our lives and how quickly we can add it.
Since our ability to gain muscle mass is largely determined by our genes, which we don’t get to choose, obsessing about why other people are more developed than us is useless and highly counterproductive.
What helped me the most was to simply compare myself, to myself. Whenever I catch myself comparing my physique to other guys, I just remember how much I’ve improved over the last year (size and strength gains). This is usually enough to eliminate the stress. I might not be quite developed as some other guys yet, but the fact that I’m slowly reaching my fitness goals does the trick.
If this kind of thinking doesn’t help you either, then try to think that you’re the only natural guy on the planet and everybody else is on steroids. This will help you achieve peace of mind, guaranteed :)
There are many more mistakes people make while trying to gain muscle mass, but if you make sure you avoid the ones described above, you’ll be well on your way to amazing results.
Do you have another common mistake to share in case I forgot to mention it? If so, please tell me more about it in the comments section below.
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Hi, my name is Dejan Antic and I’m responsible for the stuff you see on this website. No Brainer Muscle exists for a simple reason – to serve as a resource of practical and easy to use information, for people that are struggling to reach their fitness goals.
{ 63 comments… read them below or add one }
Thank you! Loved it.
One thing though, it’s “lose body fat” not “loose body fat”
Well, I guess you could go with “lose loose body fat” :P
Doesn’t take much away from the article, but for the grammar nazis as myself it would be strikingly great if you could edit that.
Only in internet does someone whine about something like that!
Going to sleep ->
Hey Riki, thank you for the grammar feedback!
When you write stuff, sometimes you get so close to your articles that it’s impossible to spot these little mistakes :)
I’d like to know if the supplment mauscletech (ceell tech) helps in thin people to gain mass?
The only thing that helps thin people build mass is smart training, a good diet and plentifull sleep.
Don’t waste your money on supplements until you get those three main pillars of awesome physique handeled.
Great article, thanks.
You’re welcome Gavin :)
Some of the things that you are saying are not right. Humans are not 99 % same of that was tha case we would all roughly look like zyzz . In other words we would all look the same. That not true at all. Genetics is a big role in the body transformation as well as what u said with which I agree with. One more thing. Compound excersises alone might get u bigger but u want be ripped and have the body u have always dreamed off. U need to combine compound movements with isolation excersises in order to hit every spot of the body creating a Greek god like body.
It’s a well known fact (showed by the Human Genome Project) that humans, regardless of race and sex, are 99% identical. And you must also realize that genes also determine how our eyes are made, how our endocrine system works, the insertion points of our muscles, etc.
From Wikipedia – “Genes hold the information to build and maintain an organism’s cells and pass genetic traits to offspring.”
If our genes were ONLY responsible for our looks and the the growth potential of our muscles then yes, I guess we’d all look like Zyzz. But as you can see, genes are responsible for much more than just our looks and muscle building potential.
Cheers,
Dejan
Hey, great read. I am just curious, and this might be a stupid question, but, when lifting heavy is it all right to do cardio the same day? I am currently working out three days one off, with weights in the am and cardio in the pm. Good or bad?
Hey Darryl,
This really depends on how you feel. Most people would say never to do cardio (especially after your weight training session), but if you like running and you’re not “overdoing” it then I say by all means do it.
Just make sure to keep an eye out on your energy levels. If after a few weeks you feel really exausted despite eating and sleeping well, then I’d suggest you cut down on your cardio.
Cheers,
Dejan
Awesome article! A lot of good tips! Thank you!
Hey David,
Glad you enjoyed the article :)
Hey I have been working out like crazy and my body fat % is very low and i have always worked on being as fit as possible. I’m now trying to gain muscle, but after years of training and reaserching body fat burning workouts, that’s all I know. Any tips on the food i should eat (i know you say good nutrition and i do that but certain foods would be grand!) or workouts I should do to reach my goals? Thank you!
Hey Tanner,
Building muscle mass is simple, but not easy :) The main thing about building muscle mass is that you need to eat more calories than you consume. As far as food choiches go (for building muscles) your staples should be lean meats, white rice for post workout carbs and quality saturated and un-saturated fats (coconut oil, olive oil, organic animal fats, etc.).
A good muscle building routine is a Upper/Lower body split with focus on compound exercises. On lower days, your focus should be on the squat, upper days should be more focused on pullups. Every workout should be more intensive than the previous one (either by decreasing the pauses between the sets, adding weight to the bar, adding more reps, etc.).
Hello friend,
Is it OK to do a superset of biceps with triceps (bent over rows with bench presses)? Is it harmful?
I don’t see any problems with this superset, as long as you’re keeping good form (correct exercise technique, good posture, no jerking of the weights, etc.).
Hey what would you recommend for a 17 year old that could be considered scrawny, to do to try and bulk up as quick as possible(like month and a half). Any diet tips?
Ryan, not even Rome was built in a day :)
Muscle building is a long-term process, therefore I’d suggest that you take things slowly, otherwise you might just end up fat and dissapointed. These intense bulks can only be handled by people who are already lifting a lot of weights, are genetically gifted or people who are on steroids.
Considering you’re in neither of those three categories, I’d suggest you to build a solid strength foundation first. Make sure to eat plenty of protein (at least 80 grams per day) and a lot of quality fats (especially quality saturated fats).
Once you get the basics dialed in, only then can we talk about advanced methods.
Hope I helped :)
Hey man, great article.
I am currently slowly bulking as I lift. I preform compound movements, and i am seeing tons of strength gains. I am just starting to workout again and I am 2 months in, so I am not stressing about my size at the moment, but i know it comes in time. I supplement with ‘True Mass – BSN’ it is a weight gainer, roughly 800 calories with milk, 70g carbs, 48g of protiens, tons of BCAA’s and great aminos. The great part is, there is close to no simple sugars.
Sorry this is long, but I just wanted to know your opinion on weight gaining supplements. Haha thanks again for the article.
Hey Anthony!
Glad to hear you’re putting good focus on compound movements. By building a solid base first, you’re setting yourself up for massive success.
In my opinion, mass gainers are a waste of your money.
Even though the nutrition label says that it doesn’t have any simple sugars, the sad truth is that those “complex” carbs are actually the same as simple sugars (they’re just called with a different name). Think of mass gainers as overpriced whey protein, mixed with simple sugars.
You’re better off spending that money on some free range eggs :)
I’m glad you responded in such a short period of time! And thanks for the advice, I have searched the True Mass and it seems to be a top leading brand in its category. I basically take it after workouts. But thanks for your opinion, as it is what I asked for :)
Also as I said, my strength gains were crazy as is everyones for the first few months, but how long do you think until size really kicks in?
And I usually do declined after flat bench to get my undercut, my undercut is coming, and the split right under between each pec is nice from dips. But should I do higher reps with declined for the cut, or keep my range of 6-8reps?
Anthony, you’re welcome :)
How long it takes for the size to follow up your strength gains? This depends from person to person so I can’t give you a definitive answer. But a safe bet would be I’d say a couple of months. And even if after a couple of months, you don’t see any progress in size, then just keep on pushing forward because size WILL eventually follow. Once you’re able to bench 225 lbs for reps, you can be sure that you’re going to have pecs that reflect that :)
As far as the declined bench press goes, keep your range of 6 to 8 reps and just focus on moving more weight with correct form.
Hi Dejan, great article.
I’m at an early phase of weight training and I’m doing 5×5 stronglifts. When I did my last body fat measurement, I realized I gained around 1 kg muscle but also a lot of fat. Is this normal?
All of the measurement results tell me that I’m overweight while before my weight was normal (was 77.4 kg now 79.6 kg my height is 176 cm and it’s been a month since I started weight training). My diet is not perfect and I tend to eat a lot after working out, but if I’m dieting I’m affraid I will lose muscle mass.
Most beginners don’t really need to eat a lot of food, when they start to lift weights. The main reason for this is that their workouts are not intensive enough to justify all of those extra calories – no need for you to slam down 500 grams of white rice every day, if you’re barely able to deadlift 170 lbs.
My recommendation (for the diet) is to start small. At first, keep your diet unchanged, but make sure to focus on eating more protein with every meal. Once your workouts get more intense though, start adding in extra calories to support muscle growth.
And yes, it’s normal to add some fat mass when you’re trying to gain muscle mass.
Hey Dejan great article,
I was just wondering if it’s a bad idea to strength train in the morning and at night? Will that actually decrease muscle mass because the lack of recovery/sleep? I have to wake up at five thirty if I want to strength train and I go go to bed around 11-ish.
I actually doesn’t matter when you strength train. The most important thing is that you’re actually training (training at 11pm or 530am is better than not training at all).
Just make sure you get more sleep, because if you’re working out your need for sleep also increases. 6 and a half hours think won’t cut it for most people.
Learn to listen to your body and go from there. If you feel really tired and crave more sleep, try doing less (fewer workouts per week, lighter workouts, etc.). But if you feel buzzing and energized after 6 hours of sleep, then by all means “lift them weights” like a champ.
Last week I binged and ate tons of cookies, then lifted and the next week I didn’t binge and I couldn’t lift the same weight I did last week. Does this mean I should add a pre workout meal? And if so what should I have? I’m 15, 5.5 and weigh 130.
Hey Ray,
You not binging has probably little or nothing to do with the fact that you lifted less the following workout. There was probably some other factor at play here (probably lack of sleep/recovery).
I work really hard on making sure that when I step into the gym, my stomach is as empty as possible. I found out that for me, working out on an empty stomach is the best thing in the world because it allows me to be focused (due to the sympathetic nervous system). Every time I eat before a workout (2 to 3 hours beforehand) I get drowzy and I’m not able to switch into beast mode :)
All of my PRs were done with an empty stomach.
Great article. Like the part about measurable goals as I made the same mistake. Performance based goals are better than vanity based goals because you can measure your performance, meet your expectations and the looks follow. Vanity based goals always leave one despondent as the magazine cover body takes much time and effort.
Joe, nicely said. Couldn’t have said it better myself :)
You can’t manage what you don’t measure. And if you’re not progressing strength wise there’s little chance that you’ll get big. Focus on building a solid foundation first since size follows strength.
Hey hi there, i have read all your tips and i have to tell you it is quite impressive.
I have a question noboby have trustly asnswered yet. I got a hernia surgery three days ago. I really need to know how long should i wait until go back to the gym? Sure I want to start as soon as possible. However, I don’t want to go through the awful experience I just had at the hospital.
Hey Daniel,
I’m not a medical professional so I can’t give you any advice relating to your specific situation. The best thing you can do is to have a talk with your doc and ask him, when would it be a good time to start training again. Follow his instructions.
Take your time, there’s no need for you to be rushing back into strength training since that could potentially make your condition worse. Make health your number one priority, the gym can wait :)
Hey there,
I’m getting married next year (july 5th 2014) and want to be in the best shape of my life (personal goal). I have a gut right now with a little muscle…just wondering if I should be cutting or continue bulking if I want to be able to fit snug in a nice fitted suit (skinny tux) for next year. I’m 5 foot 10.5 and weigh 186 pds. Should I focus on cardio – or do you think if I just eat super clean..continue training with heavy wieghts..I will have my six pack back that I havent seen in about 15 years lol. Thanks for the info….and tips would be great!!!
Hey Jeff,
Your best bet, if you want to fit snugly in your wedding tuxedo, is to focus on lifting heavy weights AND clean eating. By eating clean foods, you’ll be able to lose fat and gain muscle at the same time. Do cardio if you really like it, but it’s not necessary for success.
Hello : )
I have had problems with my overall health lately(Virus) been sick for about 4 weeks and meanwhile I was sick I lost 5 kg in bodyweight, and can’t think about all the lifting weight I lost, was on good way with the summer body, but now I feel like shit, my motivation is down and all that.
I have been training weights for about 2 years now, im currently weighing 80 kg. And I want to increase my size a little, do you have any good tips for me on how to do this? I struggle to find a diet, and as I said my motivation is crap atm. This has happend 2 times the last year, first time I lost 10 kg in body weight and now 5.. Would appreciate your help! : D
Hey There!
Sorry to hear about your illness. I know when I get sick, I’m really anxious to get back into my training. Just don’t rush into your training if you’re not 100% recovered because otherwise, you’re going to prolong the illness.
With that said, work on your compound movements (bench, chinup, squat, deadlift, etc.) and focus on eating wholesome foods. Without complicating too much, try to eat at least 80 grams of protein per day, with every meal have some vegetables and for your post workout meal, cook yourself 100 grams of white rice (best source of clean carbs).
Sir, my diet is full of nutrients. But I’m not gaining appropriate weight. I lift heavy weights in the gym.
Hey Akki, if you say that your diet is full of nutrients and your lifting heavy weights, there are probably two things that you’re doing wrong.
First, you may not be eating enough food to support muscle growth. Second, you are not sleeping enough.
To solve the first problem, try counting calories. I have an article coming up on this topic that makes counting calories easy as pie, so be on the lookout.
To solve the second problem, start writing down what time you go to bed and what time you wake up. By doing this you’ll be able to see exactly how many hours of sleep you get every day. To boost the quality of your sleep you can check out this article I wrote over @DumbLittleMan.
I am two months in and I eat about 12 eggs aday bout 6meals a day (small) and I already see major changes in appearance and strengh. I-m deadlifting 100kgs now and squading 100kgs too and my bench went from 30kgs to 60kgs. I’m starting to train twice a day now but different bodyparts and have set up my program that I get a full day rest between a certain body part. In the mornings I’ll focus on excesises requiring a multi gym machine and many dumbell excesises, then in the afternoon I go to the gym and use barbells and dumbells strickly. I saw great results in so little time so I’ll up the intensity. I managed to build lean muscle and burn fat. I personaly believe if you workout smart you can go to the gym a lot and not overtrain.
Hey Wanda, great to hear that you managed to find a routine that fits you like a glove. As long as you’re seeing progress with what you’re doing, keep doing that stuff until you milk the gains dry! :)
You’re the perfect example of what’s possible to achieve if you really apply yourself both in the gym and in the kitchen. Nice stats mate, keep us posted on your progress!
PS: Remember to take photos of your progress! You’ll regret not taking before pics once you gain 20 pounds of muscles :)
Hi Dejan,
I used to be able to bench 140 lbs but then I stopped working out for 4 months. I’ve been back again for few weeks but somehow I can’t lift more than 120. I may have lost 2/3 lbs and stopped taking Pre-workout supplements (diet is same). What do you think happened?
Jon
Hey Jon, thanks for stopping by :)
There are probably two things holding you back.
First, your nutrition may not be good enough to support muscle and strength gains. Since you mention that you’ve lost 2 to 3 pounds I assume that you’re not eating enough. Once you’re past the very beginner stage, you need to eat more calories than you consume in order to build more muscles. Focus on eating at least 80 grams of protein per day and have a meal rich in carbohydrates after your every workout (keep white rice as your main source of post-workout carbs).
The other thing that is probably holding you back is lack of recovery, namely you’re not sleeping enough. A lot of people (including me!) don’t sleep enough. This is a health hazzard, but also a big muscle building barrier. To get this part of your life handeled, try going to sleep before midnight and get at least 8 hours of quality sleep every night.
By just working on those two factors, I’m really confident to say that you’re going to bring your bench poundage back to where it was. And dare I say it, you’ll even hit new PRs :)
Awasome dude! You reply to all comments … rarely seen any dude like you.
Anyway I want to ask something too. I’m a begginer in building muscles and my town doesn’t have any Gym, aminos, nor do I have a friend who has intrest in bodybuilding. If I’m just doing basic stuff like push ups, chin-ups, bodyweight squats or any basic bodyweight exercise with no tool, will this be enough to build muscle mass?
That’s what NoBrainerMuscle.com is all about … helping you guys gain as much muscle mass as possible! And I believe that answering each and every question I get (via emails, comments, etc.) is the least I can do to help you out :)
Anyway to get to your question … bodyweight exercises can be great for starting out. Here are some strength goals you should strive to get to:
This is a nice starting point that will give you a solid foundation.
Now if you really want to make serious gains, then you’ll need to either join a gym or, since you can’t do that, build your own home gym. Luckily for you, I’ve written an article on how to build the perfect home gym for less than $500. A must-read if you don’t have an access to a commercial gym.
Hope I answered you question :)
Hiya mate, nice article.
I have a massive problem. I’ve been in a plateau for about 6 months and its awful. My weights have barley increased in this time and I’ve tried so many things.
I tried loading 4000 cals a day….didn’t work just gained excess fat
I tried drop sets…didn’t work I just spent longer in the gym
I tried increasing the weight every session…didn’t work I just decreased in reps
Please help, I’ve been lifting for 2 years and I’ve never had anything like this before, it seems impossible to gain muscle, and even worse it seems like in the past month I have actually lost muscle and strength!
Thanks,
Liam
Hey Liam, I know how you feel mate. This happened to me also.
I tackled the problem by switching things up. After doing the same routine for more than 9 months, I got fed up doing the same stuff over and over again. The workouts were a drag and I didn’t feel motivated to really push myself anymore. The end result was that I lifted the same weights each workout and my progress came to a screeching halt.
By switching to a completely different routine (higher reps, higher volume) I managed to bust through my plateau.
Hey loved the article!
So im 16, 6,1 and 208lbs I’ve been playing football for pretty much my whole life and never really got into lifting very much and im a sophomore, I was on JV this last year and the coaches were basically saying JV is the last year you can get away without lifting. So im going to start eating healthy, working out every day, in hope to be a lot stronger by August. Any tips on what kind of lifts to do? Supplements, how many times per week to go to the gym? Pretty much anything that will help me get as strong as possible by August! Thanks a lot!
Hey Dylan, glad to hear that you’re eager to work with weights in order to level up your game :)
First of all, you need to train your body as a unit. For this reason, your main focus should be on compound lifts like deadlifts, squats, chinups, and bench press. A push/pull split once a week should be more than enough to get you started.
You could do your Push training (squat + bench press) one day, then 3 days later you could do the Pull training (deadlifts + chinups). This should give you plenty of recovery time and should not interfere with your football training.
No need for any supplements. Just focus on eating quality foods as much as you can and put a lot of emphasis on your protein intake. For more simple diet tweaks, read this article.
Hey Dejan,
You wrote an awesome artice and I love it! So, here’s my question…
I am 19years old, height 5.10 and weight around 74 kg. I don’t get time to go to the gym as i am studying a lot, but what I is I workout at home. I have two dumbells of 7 kg and here’s my workout:
Sunday – (back and biceps)
3 sets of around 8 reps = pullups (different grips)
3 sets of around 7 reps = chinups (different grips)
3 sets of 15 reps = dumbell curls (I do my all workout very slowly as it gives more intense)
Monday – rest
Tuesday – different types of leg exercises
Wednesday – (chest and triceps)
3 set of around 12reps = pushups (different grips)
3 sets of around 8 reps = standing dips
2 sets of around 6 reps = triceps extension
Thursday – rest
Friday – different abs workout (seat up etc.)
Saturday – rest
My diet = 4 eggs(1 whole and 3 white), 1 glass milk, 2 glass bornvita, 3 times white rice(in a day), 6-7 litres boil water ,green vegetables, 2 pieces of fish and 15-20 pieces of meat (2-3 days in a week)
I am doing this workout since 1 and half month and I have already seen some big diffrence. My weight increased from 66kg to 75kg, arms increased from 12.5 inch to 14.5 inch with less than 15% body fat. Can I carry on this routine for 5-6 months? After that I have decided to join a gym. Can you give me some forearms workout? And is this routine good for me and for my strength?
Hey Pranab, thanks for the detailed comment :)
All I can say is this … good jon! If you find that your routine is giving you results then by all means keep on doing what you’re doing. No need for changes.
Just don’t throw away the yolks because egg yolks contain the most part of the nutrients. Eat whole eggs, they’re good for you.
No need for a forearm routine because with all of those dips and chinups, your forearms are getting a hell of a workout.
Milk this routine dry of it’s gains and only then should you consider moving onto a different routine. How long will this take? I don’t know. Keep track of your lifts and physique and you’ll see when the progress will stop.
Hope I helped :)
Okay thanks a lot! That really helps
Hey Dejan,
I like your article. I have a question, as I’m not sure where to start. I’ve let myself go over the years. Currently 32 yrs. old. I’m 6’0″ and topped out at 250 lbs. I’ve lost nearly 40 lbs. over the last 2-3 months by changing my diet. I went head long into a fresh, whole-foods diet (lifestyle change) and it paid off, but I have a long way to go. Now, at 210 lbs., I want to hit the gym, which I haven’t done in years. I hate cardio, and even though I need to lose more fat weight, I’m not doing it that way. I want to get big and ripped honestly (currently big and fat, lol), and from what I understand, you can burn tons of fat by lifting heavy (for bulking muscles).
I figured I’d start with what you recommended, with the push/pull split. I can’t do chin-ups though… yet. Can you give me an alternate exercise for that portion of the “pull” exercise?
I also have a nutrition question. For example, I ate a TON of food yesterday, but it only netted me less than 1500 calories. Here’s my stats after I punched in the info on myfitnesspal.com … 1445 Calories, 123 Carbs, 76g of fat (good fat from avocados, nuts, etc.), and 91g of protien. After doing the math, I need 2,552 calories to maintain what I’m at right now, with no exercise at all. That’s just for me to stay my fat self. But with my diet change, I’m eating tons of food and getting very few calories, like mentioned above. That’s fine if I’m not doing anything, and probably why I’ve lost so much, so quick. But if I want to start lifting, it probably isn’t enough. I’m happy with the amount of protein/carbs/good fat, just worried about caloric intake. What do you think?
Hey Nick!
Loved your story man! Kudos to you for pushing hard at the start … amazing results. Most people stop living this lifestyle after a week or two – consider the 40lbs you lost a big freaking success.
With that said, let’s get to the nitty-gritty.
1. Try to see whether your gym has a machine that can assist you in your chinups. Most gym have them, so there’s no need for you to change the exercise. If they don’t have such a machine, then a good substitute is an exercise called lateral pulldown.
2. Don’t obsess to much about calories, focus on nutrients. Nutrients should be your main focus, but overall caloric levels are also an important factor to consider when trying to lose weight.
Let’s make a quick calculation, on how much calories you really need.
Your weight is 210 lbs and your body fat level is probably +20%. We’re going to deduct 20% from your weight (210 lbs – 20%) in order to get your approximate lean body mass (LBM), which in this case is 168 lbs.
Once we have your LBM, we’re going to multiply it by 14 to get your approximate caloric needs. So 168×14 equals 2352 calories per day. Rounded down, that gives us 2300 kcals/day. This is going to be your caloric intake on your training days.
On your rest days, you’re going to eat 20% less calories – 1800 kcals.
Your protein and fat intake is always going to stay the same – protein 120 grams/day, fat 150 grams/day.
On your training days, just add up the difference of 500 calories/125 grams (2300 kcals – 1800 kcals) in the form of carbohydrates. Starchy carbohydrates from whole foods are preffered (white rice, potatoes, yams, etc.), but frutis are also fair game.
So, to sum it up …
Training days – 2300 kcals, 120 grams of protein, 150 grams of fat and 125 grams of carbs.
Non-training days – 1800 kcals, 120 grams of protein, 150 grams of fat.
Make sure you join a gym asap and eat your carbohydrates AFTER your workouts.
I know you probably have more questions, so fire away here in the comments :)
Hope I helped!
This does help Dejan, thank you, and I do have some more questions.
I’m glad to hear that my caloric intake doesn’t have to be too astronomical. My situation is kind of “different” I guess, since most people trying to bulk up and gain muscle size usually aren’t fat blobs to begin with. That’s what has thrown me off course a bit. You read from most lifters that you need to eat a TON to get those muscles big(3000 cal/day, or more!). Well, I’ve ate a ton, but minus the lifting lol. So, my gains came in the way of fat cells. Plus, it wasn’t good, clean food.
I feel like I get a lot of nutrition now, even though I’m not getting a lot of calories. For example: My breakfast and lunch is a “green drink” that I divide in half. It’s a total of 24oz, in which I put 2 cups of spinach, a 7-8″ banana, a medium naval orange, a couple 5″ carrots, 2tbsp of flax seed, and 4tbsp of rolled oats. Half of that is breakfast. Then I eat an apple and about a 1/4 cup of almonds for a snack, and the other half of that shake plus a can of tuna or chicken for lunch. For another snack, I eat some peanut butter and a fruit of some kind. Then, whatever my wife makes for dinner(which is usually some kind of pasta or meat with steamed veggies). I get a lot of nutrients from the drink. It’s basically being flooded right into my blood stream, since there’s very little for my body to have to digest.
I’ve changed my sleeping habits lately also. Before I was going to be around 2am and getting up around 7am, terrible I know. The past week or so, I’ve adjusted that a lot. I’m going to bed around 10pm, and trying to get up around 5am. This is when I plan to get my workout in. Get up at 5, head to the gym, workout, hit the showers, and head on into work. I noticed another article you wrote about not eating before you work out. Do you feel you have plenty of energy for your workout when you do that? I’m one who can’t eat when I wake up, so I will probably be working out on an empty stomach also. It makes me nauseous if I don’t wait a couple hours to eat. At the same time, I don’t want to fizzle out during the workout, or miss out on any gains.
Do you still do the intermittent fasting? I’ve been contemplating on that as well. Also, there’s a book by Mark Rippetoe called “Starting Strength.” Have you heard of it? I haven’t read it, but he suggests drinking a gallon of milk every day as part of your daily intake… wtf? That’s insane! Any idea why anyone would recommend that? From what I’ve read, people have insane results with his program. There’s just so many different opinions on what to eat, when to eat, how much to eat… it’s pretty overwhelming.
The advice that you must stuff yourself with ginormous amounts of food only applies to genetic freaks. For most people this kind of advice is terrible since it usually leads to you getting fat like Jabba the Hutt. And that’s not good :)
A good rule to follow (if you want to get a more athletic physique) is to limit your intake of refined carbs as much as possible. I’m talking about pasta, white bread and any other processed crap. Put your focus on eating as much protein with every meal (meats, eggs, fish, nuts, etc.).
As far as intermittent fasting goes (a.k.a. skipping breakfast), I still do it. All of my personal records in all of the lifts have been achieved on an empty stomach. The thing with training on an empty stomach is that you have to get used to it. It’s not that hard, especially since you’ve mentioned that you don’t like to eat upon waking up. But once you do get used to it, believe me when I say, that you’re going to feel awesome! So much more clarity, mental focus … your lifts are going to improve for sure. And don’t worry, your muscle mass is going to stay intact :)
As far as different diets n’ stuff goes, everyone has to find out what works best for him. What works great for me, might not work the same for you. And the only way to find that out is through self-experimentation. Sure, finding what works best for you will take time, but that’s a time well spent. It’s like having some kind of superpower, where you know exactly how different kinds of foods affect you physical and psychological state.
And don’t drink a gallon of milk a day … you’ll probably just end up being a fat ass.
Hey Dejan,
I’m trying to figure up my food intake based on the numbers you suggested in your first reply. I’m hitting a wall. I’m getting about 130g of protein, but only about 55g of fat, and only 1500 calories throughout the day. I was initially going to try intermittent fasting, running 8hrs on and 16hrs off. However, the 8 hour window would be starting around 6am, after my workout. For that first meal, I was planning to do a green smoothie and a protein shake(953 cal/46g fat/49g protein). Then another protein shake for a “snack” and a chicken breast/1cup broccoli/1cup corn for “lunch.” That’s where I’m getting the numbers first mentioned. If I beef that up to get the 2300 calories and another 95g of fat, it would probably come during my evening meal with the family, which would be outside of my 8 hour window. What do you think, given that information?
Thank you so much for the information :D
Just have a few questions:
1. I do a tough physical sport which requires strength, explosiveness and speed. what would be the best workout for me and how would i do it.
2. I have no weights or anything at my house so what can i do according to the things i listed above?
3. My right side is slightly more muscular (legs, torso, arms, lats etc.), how can i even it out?
4. How can i get big lats and neck muscles and leg muscles?
Thank you so much !!
Hey Oliver,
1. A whole body workout should be a good addition to your sport. Chinups, pushups, dips, air squats (once you get stronger legs you could do pistol squats). For bodyweight exercises there’s no routine. Just do those exercises as much as you’d like but keep on doing more every workout.
2. Read the point #1.
3. Just keep on doing the above exercises since I doubt that the right side is much more imbalanced than the left.
4. If you want to get big, fix your diet. Start by adding to your daily diet 1 lbs of meat (go with the cuts that are well within your budget) and 3 eggs. With that workout and the improved diet, you’ll finally start to grow more muscles on your targeted areas.
Hope I helped :)
Hi Dejan,
Your article is very helpful. I have recently started taking personal training sessions to get back into shape and build stamina. I am 5’7, and weigh about 130lbs. I am taking strength training classes as my primary goal is to get toned and not lose any weight. I have started monitoring my food intake (myfitnesspal) daily. My trainer had mentioned that their nutrient values are incorrect, and had suggested I should take around 130gm of protein, 190gm of carb, and 2000calories a day. He also had mentioned that I should not eat brown rice or pasta if I want to get rid of my belly fat (that’s my biggest concern). However, I am having hard time with my food intake, while trying to meet the calorie count. I eat wheat bread with peanut butter, almonds, chicken, protein shake, brown rice with veggies or fish. But is it true the fastest way to get rid of belly fat is to cut down on carbs and eat clean carbs? what are clean carbs? can I have green smoothies all day long and protein drinks (I have started drinking syntha6 isolate) as a substitute for the carbs I am taking now? I am lost. I would appreciate if you could suggest any website that lists what foods to take and what amounts. Thank you.
Hey Leah!
Glad to hear you’re using a calorie tracking app to keep track of how much food you eat :) That’s really cool!
I like to keep things simple. I think that your trainer gave you good starting numbers, except for carbs. I think that might be too big of a number for you.
Here’s what I want you to try.
On non-training days, you’d want to eat only protein and fats (1800 calories total). Carbs are allowed, but only from veggies. So you’d eat 130 grams of protein (520 calories) and the rest of the calories (1800 – 520 = 1280 calories) should come from good, quality fats – 142 grams (1280/9).
On non-training days eat fattier cuts of meat, eggs (don’t throw the yolk away!), nuts (like almonds), full fat cottage cheese (if you can tolerate dairy products), oils (olive, fish, coconut oil, etc.).
Eat as much veggies as you can.
On training days, just add 2 or 3 big bananas after your workouts. Other than that, eat the same foods as on your non training days.
Once you get leaner and your workouts start to get more and more intense, you should slowly cut back on the calories from fat and substitute them with carbs.
Hope I helped :) In case you have any other questions, feel free to ask!
Cheers,
Dejan
Thank you, Dejan. That was very helpful. I will start doing so from now on. One last question, what about greens and fruits? You have suggested to eat as much veggies as I can, does that mean I can have green smoothies (with a scoop of syntha6) as a snack or meal? Also, I was suggested not to take sugars in order to get abs toned. Are sugars from fruits bad for abs? Please suggest. Thanks.
You’re welcome Leah! :)
A vegetable smoothie is a nice snack. Plus points for smoothies that are made from organic, localy grown veggies.
Sugar from fruits is still sugar. While fruits also contain important enzymes, vitamins and minerals that help your body digest it’s sugar content (fructose), try to keep your fruit intake limited just to your post-workout meals.
Or as I like to say … consider fruit as a healthy piece of candy. It’s good to have them once in a while, but not every day.
That’s if you’re going after that mythical six-pack :)
As for protein powders, get one that doesn’t have any carbs in it. To me 15 grams of carbs per serving is a bit too much (Syntha-6). You should try getting this one instead http://bit.ly/ZOd9IQ
No need to fast every day if you’re having a tough time getting your macros. Maybe a 24-hour fast once a week is more ideal for your situation. You eat your lunch and then you don’t eat anything until your next lunch (the following day).
Eat as many meals as you want, just make sure you’re getting your nutrients from whole foods.