Resistance training is the best way to build muscle mass. In theory, if you go to the gym regularly and train with enough resistance, you’ll start seeing muscle growth. It’s something everyone strives to achieve as seeing more muscle definition on your body makes you feel confident.
Additionally, muscle growth makes you stronger and can protect your joints, leading to a decreased risk of injuries. You probably knew this already, which is why you started a resistance training routine. The problem is that you’re not seeing the results you expected. You’re following a plan, yet you aren’t gaining muscle. You even waited 6 weeks to see the results but your progress photos barely look any different.
Why is this happening - why are you struggling to build muscle in the gym?
Each person may face different issues affecting their ability to build muscle, but based on experience and looking at most people with this problem, it’s normally caused by at least one of these reasons:
Not Enough Resistance
Resistance training is pointless if you’re not using enough resistance.
How much is “enough”?
It depends on each person, but a good guideline is to perform exercises until you either fail or start severely struggling by the 10th to 12th rep.
Your problem might be that you’re taking it too easy. Muscles require progressive overload to grow, meaning they have to constantly be pushed to the limit and beyond in each workout. If you’re easily getting 12 reps on an exercise without feeling fatigued, it’s far too easy. Your muscles aren’t being worked - and then you use the same level of resistance next time.
Progressive overload means you keep adding resistance to your workouts. If you’re getting 12 reps of an exercise for at least 3 sets in a row, you need to up the resistance. Choose a heavier weight and see what you achieve.
Then, get into the habit of aiming for 10-12 reps with that weight for all of your sets. Once you’ve achieved this, up the weight again and repeat. Progressive overload forces you to maintain a high enough level of resistance to encourage muscle growth. In short, stop taking it easy!
Low Testosterone Levels
Sometimes, your muscle growth issues are intrinsic. You’re trying progressive overload and you feel like you’re pushing yourself every session. You’re failing when you get to 10 reps and you’re seeing your strength improve incrementally.
So, why aren’t you noticing much muscle growth?
More regularly than not, the problem is related to hormones - specifically, testosterone. Men with low testosterone levels will struggle to develop muscle mass. What can you do about this? The simple answer is to increase your T levels, though this is easier said than done. Thousands of men choose to trust Male Excel for help with this as clinics like it offer TRT treatments. In a nutshell, TRT replaces your testosterone and helps you produce more. This can bring it back to the necessary levels for muscle growth - possibly even helping you build more than expected.
Even if this isn’t your problem, it’s well worth learning how to prevent low testosterone so it doesn’t become an issue in the future.
Poor Form
“Form” refers to the way you carry out exercises. When you use “proper form” you’re doing the exercise as intended, taking it through the correct range of motion.
As a simple example, if you’re using a bench press, the proper form is to bring the bar to your chest and push it back up until your arms are straight.
“Poor form” is when you’re not doing the exercises properly. In the above example, you might only bring the bar down halfway before thrusting it up. You can find countless examples of poor form across all exercises, but the most common issue is only doing partial reps.
Partial reps mean you are not taking the movement through its complete range of motion, which then means your muscles aren’t being stimulated properly. They’re not being stretched and contracted correctly, so they will struggle to grow. Always maintain proper form for muscle growth - find tutorials online or ask a personal trainer in the gym for assistance.
We could pinpoint any number of additional reasons you’re struggling to build muscle in the gym. However, this article is written under the assumption that you’re following a workout plan, exercising consistently, and eating a good diet to build muscle. You’d normally expect to see results if those three boxes are ticked, so the issues in this post represent some unknown factors that are likely getting in your way.
