Problems when building muscle: The 7 worst mistakes you should avoid

Do you want to build muscle faster? Finally no longer stuck on annoying plateaus without training progress? Then read this article carefully. By the end, you'll know the seven worst and most common mistakes that prevent your muscles from building successfully. We'll also give you tips on how to avoid these mistakes.

Mistake 1: You choose the wrong exercises or one-sided training.

Athletes who want to build muscle in order to look better usually make a serious mistake: they train the muscles that make training fun too often and with ineffective exercises. When it comes to building muscle, most fitness athletes focus on their chest, biceps and abs. Because you can see these muscles in the mirror. The thighs and back, on the other hand, are often neglected, as are the calves. If you then train your favorite muscles with the wrong exercises or the wrong technique, performance stagnation is inevitable. Instead of bicep curls, crunches and butterflies, you should incorporate bench presses, chin-ups and squats into your training. These exercises will help you build your muscles faster - and with the right training control and a variety of exercises, they will also make you significantly stronger.

Mistake 2: You're doing too much cardio training.

Cardio training is important. And healthy because it keeps your cardiovascular system fit. There's no question about that. And we also recommend training your endurance regularly. However, too much cardio training can inhibit muscle growth. This is also known as concurrent training. This refers to the competing effects of endurance and strength training - in other words, training where the effects cancel each other out. In other words, too much endurance training reduces the adaptation processes in our body that are responsible and important for building muscle. So if your training is aimed primarily at building muscle mass and only secondarily at getting as fit as possible, you should reduce your endurance training to a maximum of two to three hours per week and stagger it with your strength training. For example, plan a relaxed round of cardio in the morning and then do your strength training in the afternoon or evening.

Mistake 3: Your ego is more important to you than your progress.

What are you bench pressing? Do you know this question? You probably do. Do you know the answer? It doesn't matter at all. Because success in muscle building involves far more than just pure strength and lifting the heaviest weights possible. A typical mistake, especially when trying to reach your maximum, is to load up more than you can actually manage. In order to prove something to others in the gym or to themselves, many people rely on hard training with lots of repetitions. However, technique is often neglected. Exercises are performed with a lot of momentum and therefore incorrectly. The range of motion is not fully utilized. However, if you really want to make your muscles grow, you should lift weights instead of swinging or slinging them. So leave your ego at the bar. This will also minimize the risk of injury to your body - and with the right technique, you'll save valuable energy. A win-win situation: effective muscle building training and less pain from sore muscles.

Mistake 4: You train the heavy guys' plans.

The training plans - and the big muscles - of well-known bodybuilders or even famous fitness stars may look tempting. But you should stay away from them. This is because these plans are usually not feasible in the long term for people with a normal build. Apart from the fact that you train yourself tired and have a brutal muscle ache after every session, you won't get much out of it. What's more, you're not at the same level as a top athlete whose body is their job. You wouldn't think of taking part in a Formula 1 race just because you have a driver's license, would you? It's just as wrong to believe that you could train according to the training plans of muscle greats and have the same success. You'll end up overtraining faster than you think. The solution? Avoid mistake 5.

Mistake 5: You are your own personal trainer.

What if we put a new colleague in front of you who is competing with you for your job and whose qualifications consist of having read a few online articles about your job requirements? Would you take this colleague seriously? Wouldn't you? But maybe that colleague is you? Unlike well-educated fitness trainers, you may have gained your training knowledge from internet portals and are now writing your own training programs. That's not a good idea. And certainly not if you're not making optimal progress. Let a professional take on this task. Our tip: Go to your fitness trainer at the gym, tell them about your goals and have a professional plan drawn up for you with exercises for effective training that neither under- nor overtaxes your body.

Mistake 6: Training plan hopping.

Muscle building is an adaptation process. You set a training stimulus and the body adapts accordingly by building muscle - if you've done everything right. And if you have avoided mistakes 4 and 5, the chances of this happening are high. However, you may also be making a completely different mistake: you are not consistent enough in your approach and jump from one training plan to the next. This is dangerous. Because you never give your body the chance to adapt properly. And before you've reached the effective phase of a training plan, you've already moved on to the next one. Because you couldn't wait or are always looking for more ways to improve. But it's important not to fix what isn't broken. This means: keep a training plan for at least eight weeks before you draw a first conclusion or change your exercises.

Mistake 7: You don't eat enough.

A six-pack is great. No question about it. But to get a six-pack, you have to reduce your body fat percentage. To do this, you need to eat less. Because you will only be able to lose fat if you burn more calories than you eat. However, building muscle requires energy. If you eat too little or lack important nutrients due to a poor diet, you are not getting enough energy or building materials to build muscle properly. So you are making it difficult for yourself. So think about what your primary goal is at the moment. Would you rather burn a lot of fat quickly or build muscle? If your primary goal is to build muscle, then don't forget to eat enough.