There are many muscle building myths which have seemed to, unfortunately, stand the test of time. We are here to debunk them for you to maximize your progress!
#1 You should focus on eating as many calories as possible
This is a very foolish, old-school approach which has seen many people fall into a world of unprecedented weight gain.
A moderate surplus of calories will be required if your starting with low levels of body fat. Note moderate surplus – not an endless supply of mass gainer and ice-cream.
If you’d consider yourself as someone who could afford to lose body fat and gain muscle tissue simultaneously – start your journey by losing body fat. It’s more than likely that you’re in a position to chase the two goals at the same time.
#2 You need to train each body part once per week
This is one you should follow if you’d like to limit your potential to grow. Research has shown that stimulating muscle tissue more frequently is conducive to its development.
For example if you’ve been following a weekly programme which looks like this.
Monday: Chest
Tuesday: Back
Wednesday: Legs
Thursday: Rest
Friday: Shoulders
Saturday: Arms
Sunday: Rest
You could change it to this which would allow you to increase the potential frequency of training muscle groups.
Monday: Push – Upper
Tuesday: Lower Body
Wednesday: Pull – Upper
Thursday: Rest
Friday: Anterior Full Body
Saturday: Posterior Full Body
Sunday: Rest
#3 You only need to chase strength
Adding weight and reps to the bar, stack, dumbbells etc is very valuable and it is one of the fundamentals required for muscle growth (Progressive Overload).
However…
If you are focusing on building a physique – (adding muscle to area’s which will compliment your body shape) – You should also be considering whether your execution is complementary to what you are trying to achieve.
Example –
The Deadlift can be a fantastic movement of developing the Hamstrings – but many people struggle to execute it.
You can spend hours upon hours perfecting technique and add in mobility to make it more comfortable -however if your primary goal is to develop hamstrings and NOT build the perfect deadlift – You could be spending more time on adapting the exercise to suit you, rather than you to suit it.
#4 You don’t need to take days off
We’ve all been there. It’s not smart, it’s not clever. Eventually, you will burnout which will require some extended time off due to illness or injury.
Listen to the signs of fatigue and recognize when it’s time to pull back.
The harder you train, the harder you need to recover. This can include making sure you have dedicated days off, ensuring your sleep is adequate, nutrition is suitable in calories/nutritional value for your goals whilst also making sure you’re not overusing stimulants maintain performance
#5 You should change your workout regularly
Your programme should develop as you begin to develop – however – a small amount actually goes a very long way. I’ve regularly used the same programme with clients for 8-12 weeks. I’ve also changed programs for client’s every 2-4 weeks.
How to recognize that your programme should stay the same:
– Your regularly making progress with weight/rep increments
– You enjoy the training sessions
– You’re able to recover from the training sessions
– You can see improvements in your goals
If you want a personalized diet and nutrition programme to help you maximize fat loss and get in the best shape of your life, find out more about our Personal Training.
