4 Reasons You're Not Gaining Muscle

erickirb

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

-You can do different exercise at different rep ranges in the same workout
-You can do different rep ranges, same routine within the same week but on different days (i.e. Monday-heavy, wed-moderate, Fri-light .)
-You can do the same workout week to week but vary rep ranges weekly, bi-weekly, monthly etc. or
-you can change up the routine and rep ranges along with it every few months.

Yanicka1

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wendybrat75

Thanks for sharing!

SusanLovesToEat

Great resource!

Crazy4Healthy

Bump to read later

mhoward685

Wow. That was like reading another language. I am completely confused.

tobnrn

Bumping to read the article later.

@yakattack love the profile pic.

WarriorReady

bump to read later :happy:

UsedToBeHusky

Bump for later.

Thanks!

rchupka87

Bump! Thanks!!!

mikewpg1ca

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ilovedeadlifts

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.

Doesn't make a lot of sense to focus on one for 2 weeks then drop it for 4-6.
Your body deconditions quickly.
Why not have a mix throughout the week like most good programs have.
You train a main lift w/ 1-5 reps. Assistance with 6-12, sometimes higher reps to failure. Then you can condition.

firefly171717

THANKS!!!!!!!

FITnFIRM4LIFE

Bump* *
U

Determinednoob

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

As frequently as in the same workout. The best thing to do is follow a properly written routine that matches your training level. Some from any level with have rep range variance built in, and some will not. The ones that do not are usually focused on pure strength while the ones that do focus on strength and size. If you are a beginner the one linked below is a good mix of both that changes rep range every week. People beyond the beginner stange could look into things like PHAT or 5/3/1

http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=147447933

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 .

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?

What mobility do you have? PM me if you are not comfortable discussing specifics on an open forum. Do you have a physiotherapist?

High protein only helps if you can combine resistance training. If you cannot do that, combined with the fact that you are eating at a deficit will not allow yo to build muscle. One thing I would like to point out though is that the heavier you are the more LBM you generally have just by virtue of being heavier. I am not sure whether this will be the same with you as it depends how mobile you have been when heavier. Basically, by losing weight you will automatically lose some muscle. The trick is to maintain as much as possible while losing weight which you do by eating enough protein combined with resistance training.

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.

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

No, I have gained some muscle and have really toned up. I've got a very lean look and I'm happy with that. I did up my calorie intake recently by 500 calories because I felt like I was getting too skinny.

But I've thought for a long time that really gaining muscle and losing fat are kind of hard to do at the same time.

clee369

I'm pretty sure the reason you aren't getting big is because:

1) You aren't squatting deep enough
2) You aren't squatting deep enough
3) You aren't squatting deep enough
4) You aren't eating enough

ChrisGoldn

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mmapags

bump to read later

clee369

bump to read later

Thanks for telling us bruh

sheri02r

Thanks for sharing

MireyGal76

This is a very interesting article.

In my case... I'm eating at a mild caloric deficit... on a weekly average that is... I don't have a lot of opportunity to work out, but I try to run a few times a week (have committed to a half marathon, so that is increasing), and then I do a wild assed boxing class once a week (sometimes I double up).

I think that the boxing has caused me to bulk up a fair bit (in the shoulders, lats, pecs, biceps, and even abs) and the running has leaned me out so that I can now see the muscle definition in the above areas.

If I start eating more calories (cleanly) , am I more likely to bulk more? (Desireable) Or would cutting back on running and keeping cals at a mild deficit do a better job of this?

Either that... or I just keep as is and see what happens.

dosmundos

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