If you are trying to gain muscle there are a few things that people do to sabotage themselves. I have done a few of these things in the past and just wanted to drop these here to let you know as I have nowhere else to put it.
Remember before going too far here that the most important things for you is to work hard and efficiently in the gym, Eat very clean, Rest a lot, and take care of your body ALL the time.
Tips to Speed Up Muscle Gains
Don’t drink booze. Alcohol is very bad for your metabolism and it will stop you from making any gains at all in the gym as well as punishing your body with dehydration, one thing you really do not need.
Although I did once write a bit on how great beer was for you, this is one of the worst things for your muscles as that old dehydration and lack of metabolism will really sap your gains.
Don’t smoke. I know this seems to make sense but if you do smoke give your head a shake. I smoked and worked out heavy for years and whined all the time that I was not making good gains.
Well I wonder how my body was supposed to take in more oxygen?
If you do work out and you smoke you likely are feeling guilty for it. Instead of hanging onto that guilt it is much better to kick the habit instead.
I know that in the 10+ years that I have now been a non smoker I have felt better always and my workouts are much better as well. Quit Smoking Today!
Don’t do cardio. If you want to gain muscle you need to stop doing cardio as it will raise your metabolism and force you to take in a lot more calories to keep your mass.
The real problem is that when you are losing you WILL lose some of your hard earned muscle no way around it and you need to maximize your muscle increases to be able to still diet down for summer.
This is of course pretty tough to do. The ultimate beach body is lean and muscular so this may not be the best time to lay off the cardio. You need to eat big and train big to get bigger muscles but remember that it takes about 12 weeks to diet down for a bodybuilder and you may have to sacrifice some of those gains as well to lose the fat and enhance your muscularity.
Know that you will gain some fat. We all hope that our bodies are really good at taking in calories and turning them into muscle. In reality though your body will take in a lot of calories and turn them into fat.
You are forced a little to take in more calories than you need to gain the muscle that you want.
The calories are really key to getting the most our of your body. If your are short any nutrients then just like a dieter you are going to find that your gains are not very good because your body will be working against you.
Coffee is a yes and no answer. Coffee is another diuretic and will force you to lose water. Our muscles are mainly made out of water; do you think this is a good idea?
Staying away from the coffee is a good idea. Sometimes people will take in coffee right before a workout to help with energy for that workout.
I am not sure about this strategy but when you are trying to diet down your extra fat this may be a better time to use this strategy.
Sleep your way to better muscle gains. One of the problems that people working out run into is that they have far too long a workout and they do it late at night. This exercise schedule can really mess with your sleep and sleep is a critical component to recover from your hard workouts.
Top bodybuilders get lots of sleep at night and even have a nap in the afternoon.
I know that you are probably saying “I can’t nap” well, if you are working out hard enough you may need to nap but if not then at least get that great sleep every night instead of trying to burn the candle from both ends.
Have a plan before you enter the gym. To many times people will decide what they are going to do at the gym as they are walking be a machine. You need to have a plan for your sets, reps and exercises and obviously what muscle groups that you are going to be working in that workout. Every time not just most of the time.
Take these ideas to heart and promote your body to making better gains in and out of the gym.