When people workout, they often want to lose weight and build muscle. But there are common mistakes people make that will actually prevent them from building muscle. Avoid these mistakes so you can start building the muscle you want!
1) Doing the same workout every day. If you do the same workout every day, your body gets used to the motion and weight. You should be changing your routine to target a different part of the body and always work up to something. If you’re doing 3 sets of 10 curls with 5-pound weights, you should try to increase the weight the next week or 2nd week. Challenging your muscles will help them tone and grow.
2) Failing to Modify Your Diet. Just as it’s true with weight loss, it’s true with toning/building muscle, diet and exercise go hand and hand! Make a few small changes and build on these modifications as time goes on. Start by cutting down on your processed sugar intake. Use flavored creamer with coffee? Try to drink it with almond milk or a sugar free option. Lastly, start increasing your protein! Want muscle, increase your protein and not to mention a little of your carbs too. You’ll need to eat to build.
3) Not focusing on form. It’s easy to focus on the numbers and many people think “if I’m lifting the same weight as last week, I must not be building muscle.” This often leads to people doing sloppy workouts to lift a large amount of weight. Like I mentioned before, stick to slowly increasing your weight. Focus on your form and how you’re lifting, not what you’re lifting. The better your form, the better your workout!
4) Relying on Workout Supplements. Workout supplements can help you build muscle, BUT not all supplements are the same and they should be used how they’re intended. If you’re taking supplements, make sure you’re following the directions and you understand enough to know what you’re putting into your body. Supplements are just that, they help supplement but they won’t build the muscle for you.
Make sure you’re working out correctly in order to tone up or build muscle and be sure to avoid these mistakes! I know it’s easy to think there’s a shortcut to getting the body you want, but it does take hard work and patience. Trust me, you’ll get there!