Most frequent mistakes in gaining muscle mass

Muscular hypertrophy (increasing muscle mass) is one of the goals most people who go to the gym have. I would even go as far as to say that, deep down, everyone wants to increase their muscle mass. Whether for aesthetic reasons or for reasons of well-being and health, some want it more than others. 

So if your goal is muscle hypertrophy, are you training in a way that will maximise your gains? Is there anything you can improve to take your gains to the next level? The truth is that, sometimes, small corrections can make a big difference, even more so if you have a considerable number of aspects to correct.

To help you, I will list several the most common mistakes I have observed during my time working in gyms, and some tips on how to correct them.

1. Specificity

Many people train and use methods in their workouts that may not be in line with their own goals.

If you do an influencer, athlete or friend’s workout plan, I’m sorry, but you are compromising your results and that’s not the right path if you want to gain muscle mass. . Training is individual because there aren’t two people alike. We all have different physiognomies, capacities and limitations.

You should: Ensure your training is designed for YOU (not just anyone), according to your goals.

2. Not Planning the Workout/Doing the “BINGO” training

What is a “BINGO” workout? It’s that kind of workout where you arrive at the gym, do whatever you feel like and decide everything on the spot (exercises, series, repetitions). Can you relate? Then change it right away because this is a HUGE mistake that may be compromising your gains.

You should: Plan the training structurally according to your needs (goal) and availability and follow this plan for a minimum of 4 weeks.

3. Not Applying the Principle of Progressive Overload

If you read the article about progressive overload, you know that it is very important for your results. If at the gym you don’t know what weight you did in your last workout, how will you know if you are making progress? You have to analyse the weights, repetitions and series of each training session, otherwise how will you know if your performance has improved? It’s necessary that the muscle stimulus is increased progressively, each training session, so that the workot continues to be challenging and is capable of generating new adaptations in your body. 

You should: record your entire training (sets, reps, loads), repeat the training for 4-6-8 weeks (it depends) and always try to surpass the previous training session. This way you will be sure that you’re progressing and your results will thank you.

4. Low Training Volume or Excessive Training Volume

Training volume is essential for hypertrophy. Your gains may be spoiled by having too little training volume. How do you know that’s your case?

• You hardly even feel that the muscle was worked;
• If you leave the training feeling relaxed and feel you haven’t done enough;
• If the next day you have no discomfort in the trained muscle (not that this aspect is fundamental, it’s just an indicator). 

In the other hand, you can also be harming your results by training too much. If the next day you are very sore, it’s a sign that your tolerable volume has been exceeded which will make your recovery take longer.

You should: Find the ideal training volume for you. Start small – even if it doesn’t feel like it’s enough. Then, over the weeks and taking into consideration your body’s response, adjust the sets and repetitions. You don’t have to feel exhausted but also it’s not ideal that you feel like you haven’t tried hard enough. Note that this is also an individual aspect (the training volume tolerable for you may not be for someone else).

5. Low range of Movement

How often is it possible to watch, in the gym, squats up to 90 degrees, supines until the elbows are at 90 degrees, deadlifts without hitting the bar the floor? If you do this, you need to know you’re decreasing your “gains”. The greater the range of movement (even with less load) the better the stimulus for hypertrophy, compared to partial movements. Working the muscle while stretching benefits muscular hypertrophy.

You should: carry out the movement according to your total available range. Again, this is one more individual aspect, as each person may have different limitations – which is not an excuse to shorten your movement.

6. Poor Movement Control

No eccentric phase of the movement. Which means, letting the weight fall and not offering resistance in the descending phase of a supine press, squat, leg press among other exercises. Another common mistake, since the eccentric phase is super important for hypertrophy..

You should: Perform the movement with cadence. The eccentric phase should be controlled by feeling that the target muscle is the one holding the load.

7. Low Intensity

Intensity in training refers to the load used. If you finish the series calmly and the muscle contraction speed is the same on the first and last repetitions, then you’re probably training with a low load and therefore low intensity. If you were to do 10 repetitions and at the end of 10 you think you’re able to do another 10 then your intensity is very low.

You should: Work with loads that allow you to perform the stipulated repetitions close to failure. If you have heard of RIR (Repetitions in reserve), this is the method you should use.

8. Very short rest times

Do you take short rest times (less than 1 minute) and still can maintain your performance? This is probably because you are doing low intensitiy training and so the body doesn’t need as much time to recover. Despite being a common practice, what happens is that it makes the workout denser in training volume (the workout is done in less time) and increases the perception of effort which doesn’t mean it’s better. 

You can let go of the idea that if you rest too much the muscle cools down. The muscle needs that rest to restore maximum energy for the next set. If you feel you don’t need much rest you can probably increase the loads you are using.

You should: Rest long enough to allow recovering as well as possible for the next set. The better you recover, the better the series will be in terms of load and repetitions, the better the training volume and the better the training. So: don’t be afraid to rest.

9. Excessive Load

Sometimes the only focus is the load used in the exercise, ignoring the rest of important aspects, such as technique, amplitude and cadence. There’s also the risk of injury associated with that. Load is not everything.

You should: Adjust the load to the desired repetitions taking into account all the movement factors (amplitude, control, cadence, etc…).

10. Training until Failure

Many people believe that to obtain results the muscle must be trained constantly until failure. This way they always train looking for pump – advanced techniques like dropsets, superseries, etc… Well, the truth is there is no scientific evidence to support this theory.

You should: Train close to failure. Leave some repetitions in the tank (RIR). You can, sometimes, perform the exercise until muscle failure but it is counterproductive to abuse this method.

11. Lack of Consistency

The hypertrophy process takes time and requires consistency to make it a successful one. This is where many people fail, whether it’s because they see that the process takes time, because it’s uncomfortable, or because they lack motivation.

You should: Be persistent. No matter what adversities you may encounter, go train. It is precisely on those days when you don’t feel like doing anything, that change will happen throughout the process towards your goal. 

Now that you are aware of the most common mistakes, you’ll know how to apply this knowledge to better your workouts and boost your muscle hypertrophy.

Good gains!