Mistake # 1: too few calories
In most cases, the so-called “hard gainers” – ectomorphs who have problems with weight gain, simply eat little. They can have a hearty lunch, but forget about dinner, because they have no appetite. Of course, eating a lot is not so easy, but this is the most important point of growth.
If someone assures you that they are eating enough, but muscles do not grow in any way, and weight does not increase, then there is only one reason – a lack of calories. Even if muscle mass is not added, with excess calorie intake, weight gain will come at the expense of fat.
Can you gain muscle without fat?
Many are afraid to gain a little fat – it seems to them that observing a reduced calorie intake, and, for example, focusing on protein, the body is able to magically gain muscle. Unfortunately, muscle gain is always accompanied by fat gain.
Yes, there are nutritional techniques that can provide muscle gains with a minimum percentage of fat. But such techniques involve more than just switching to “chicken breast with broccoli” – without counting calories and determining the composition of the diet, you will not succeed.
How fast do muscles grow?
In most cases, the physical weight gain limit for men exercising on the basic weight gain program is 2 kilograms per month. Of this figure, 0.9 kg is for muscle and 1.1 kg for fat. Yes, this figure can be increased, but only with special nutrition and training.
Gaining this weight would require approximately 15,000 calories, or 500 calories per day. In fact, this is where the recommendation to increase the calorie intake by 20% came from. By increasing the calorie intake by a large number, you are likely to simply increase the fat gain.
Mistake # 2: too little protein
If your goal is to gain muscle mass, then you need at least 2.2 grams. protein for every kg. weight. Figures above 3.5 gr. per kg. acceptable, but do not have obvious advantages. With a weight of 72 kg, your minimum is 150 grams. protein per day, the optimal figure is up to 250 grams.
The myth that too much protein is harmful is based on studies that have eliminated fats or carbohydrates from the diet. At the moment, there is no reliable information that large doses of protein in the presence of other nutrients are harmful.
Mistake # 3: Too Much Cardio
On the one hand, cardio on rest days speeds up recovery, but on the other hand, it is very easy to cross the border of the required load. Most exercisers tend to do substantially more cardio than is required for normal recovery.
Remember that despite the fact that cardio has a number of advantages (fat burning phases remain open, metabolism accelerates and appetite increases), excessive love for it carries more harm than good. Maximum – 2-4 sessions per week for 20-30 minutes.
Mistake # 4: training program
FitSeven wrote that the popular Mon-Back, Wed-Chest, Fri-Legs, 12-15 exercises, 3-4 sets per workout, is a steroid-eighties fiction. For most trainees, it doesn’t work.
The most effective are 3-4 workouts per week, working out the upper and lower half of the body twice during this period (“muscle program”), from 4 to 8 total approaches in all exercises for each part of the body, including 40-60 repetitions in total.
Mistake # 5: attention to detail
The last mistake is too much attention to minor details. It is not so important for the body in what sequence you perform the exercises, it is important for it the optimal (namely the optimal, not the maximum) weight, and the total amount of load.
Most trainees overestimate the importance of breathing, bedtime, certain food choices and other things, completely forgetting the basics. Yes, all of the above is important, but not as important as the amount of calories and protein.