4 Reasons You're Not Gaining Muscle

IronPlayground

Great article from T-Nation. Pay close attention to points 3 and 4. These two topics are continuously debated on MFP. Point 3 talks about balancing cardio and resistance training. Point 4 talks about caloric intake.

http://www.t-nation.com/free_online_article/most_recent/4_reasons_youre_not_gaining_muscle

tommytorquestick

That's a good article. I've been in a calorie deficit for a while now and it has occured to me that it is going to be impossible for me to really gain muscle while doing so.

IronPlayground

Same with me. At some point, I will need to adjust calories to a surplus. It's an intimidating thought, but will be necessary.

mhotch

bump

Anayalata

Damn it. I've been thinking of adding in some extra Cardio so that I can eat more but it looks like that would be counterproductive.

I guess I'll stick to my 2900 calories.

meshashesha2012

bump

atxdee

so its bad to do cardio and strenght training together?

T34418l3angel

Great article!

Prahasaurus

so its bad to do cardio and strenght training together?

Not according to the article. Did you read it?

--P

classic_1

bump

Silverkittycat

sleepy....thanks Mike, saving to read tomorrow.

kimberlylane16

bump

Sarauk2sf

Tagging to give a better read of tomorrow. Thanks.

painauxraisin

bumping for after work!

_Cheyanne_

so when it says to vary your rep range, how often is it suggested to do so?

miracle4me

Is it possible to gain muscle without any exercise? My health issues do not allow me to exercise,I am on bed rest so i have to depend only on decreasing calories to lose weight. Does this mean if I am losing muscle I will never regain it again? Very sad if this is true.

stupidloser

In order to gain muscle, you have to go hard or go home. You can't lift pink barbells and expect to look ike ronnie coleman. NO PAIN NO GAIN! Tkae it from me, strain till' you **** your pants.

Sarauk2sf

Is it possible to gain muscle without any exercise? My health issues do not allow me to exercise,I am on bed rest so i have to depend only on decreasing calories to lose weight. Does this mean if I am losing muscle I will never regain it again? Very sad if this is true.

It is not possible to gain muscle without exercise. However, you can regain it again assuming that you can exercise when you recover. If you have a permanent disability, you should really talk to a physical therapist about the best things you can do to prevent atrophy as much as possible, plus they may have some suggestions that will help get some exercise based on your physical limitations .

miracle4me

Is it possible to gain muscle without any exercise? My health issues do not allow me to exercise,I am on bed rest so i have to depend only on decreasing calories to lose weight. Does this mean if I am losing muscle I will never regain it again? Very sad if this is true.

It is not possible to gain muscle without exercise. However, you can regain it again assuming that you can exercise when you recover. If you have a permanent disability, you should really talk to a physical therapist about the best things you can do to prevent atrophy as much as possible, plus they may have some suggestions that will help get some exercise based on your physical limitations .

This ^^^^^
Thank You Kindly for answering my question. I am told it is permanent . I eat a high protein diet I thought that helps build muscle is this true? Do you have any suggestion how not to lose the little muscle I have during weight loss?

Eupho

Interesting!.. thanks for that! :drinker:

Aries03

For later

714rah714

That's a good article. I've been in a calorie deficit for a while now and it has occured to me that it is going to be impossible for me to really gain muscle while doing so.

At least you wont be losing, which is a great concern amongst the MFP community.

Cr01502

so when it says to vary your rep range, how often is it suggested to do so?

I usually design myself a program that looks like this:

Week 1: Endurance Training 15- 20 reps 30 seconds rest
Week 2: Endurance Training 13-15 reps 30 seconds rest
Week 3: Hypertrohy Training 10-12 reps 2 minutes rest
Week 4 Hypertrophy Training 9-11 reps 90 seconds rest
Week 5: Hypertrophy Training 8-10 reps 60 seconds rest
Week 6: Hypertrohy Training 6- 8 reps 60 seconds rest
Week 7: Strength Training 3-5 reps 5 minutes rest
Week 8: Strength Training 1-2 reps 3 minutes rest

As the reps decrease the weight increases. At the end of and 8 week cycle I take a week of active recovery (i.e. yoga, hikes, etc)
then record and reassess my goals. This program is a generic program for Hypertrophy however it can be maniputaletd to change your goals. For example if I'm fighting I would do alot less hypertrophy and do more endurance and power training. As far as cardio goes I have heavy cardio in the Endurance phase of lifting and taper it down during the Hypertrohy and Strength phases.

RiverManUK

I eat a high protein diet I thought that helps build muscle is this true? Do you have any suggestion how not to lose the little muscle I have during weight loss?

Only exercise, however mild, helps to maintain or build muscle.

I believe protein is useful as nutrition when exercising as it is easily used by muscles when repairing, instead of getting laid down as fat. Hence the use of protein shakes taken within minutes of finishing exercise.

MMarvelous

Bump

neverstray

In order to gain muscle, you have to go hard or go home. You can't lift pink barbells and expect to look ike ronnie coleman. NO PAIN NO GAIN! Tkae it from me, strain till' you **** your pants.

...and wind up with a bad case of hemroids. Lol. Great advice.

IronPlayground

so its bad to do cardio and strenght training together?

The article talks about the intensity of the cardio. It says cardio paired with strength training has benefits unless the intensity of the cardio is interfering with your strength training.

rachmass1

Bump to read later

nothing1994

Thank u!

Jersey_Devil

the only cardio i do on a bulk is HIIT

2youngatheart

Bump for later...thanks for sharing!