Six common mistakes that could be hurting your gym gains
We all know that in this sport, details are crucial to the final result, however, that's not what I'm going to talk about in this article.
These errors that I am going to list for you, These are big and serious errors that must be corrected and that could be compromising your goals in this sport.
YOU DON’T HAVE CONCRETE GOALS
In my opinion this is one of the reasons that most contributes to poor results, I myself was a victim.
It doesn't matter if you want to lose or gain weight, having a fixed goal is vital to getting results.
Constantly changing your mind not only hinders your progress, but you also end up becoming stagnant, stuck.
For gains in muscle mass, it is understood that, for those who practice this sport requires 2.5 to 3.0 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight, more carbohydrates and lipids needed.
On the other hand, if you want to lose weight, you need to burn more calories than you eat.
It's normal to gain weight and lose some muscle definition.
To avoid this loss, choose the quality of carbohydrates, lipids and proteins carefully.
Always try to eat as clean as possible and avoid processed foods.
TOO EMPHASIZE PROTEIN
It's no secret that protein is essential for building muscle.
This macronutrient provides the raw material that can be used for muscle growth.
But what about carbohydrates and fats?
The problem is when nutrition revolves 100% around protein and leaves other macronutrients aside.
It must be remembered that carbohydrates are the macronutrient that the body uses as fuel during exercise.
Therefore these are vital in helping with protein synthesis in muscle tissue.
TRAINING WITH THE EGO
This is the biggest mistake anyone can make in a gym.
By “training with your ego”, I mean using too much weight and sacrificing your posture/exercise biomechanics.
The only thing you will achieve this way is an injury and delaying your progress.
The muscle doesn't understand the difference between lifting 5 kilos or 100 kilos, what they recognize is the time under tension.
The longer the muscle is under tension, the better the results.
Don't worry about filling the weight bar or using the heaviest dumbbell, but focus on posture and muscle tension during the exercise.
NOT GETTING ENOUGH SLEEP
You're not reading wrong, for your muscles to develop and grow you need sleep.
If you think your muscles grow when you're in the gym, I'm sorry, but you're wrong.
Hypertrophy training causes microscopic injuries that help form new tissue and muscle fibers, meaning there are more fibers to recover.
In other words, during your time at the gym you are ?destroying? the muscle through micro tears.
With plenty of rest and adequate nutrition (high in protein and carbohydrates) the muscles are slowly rebuilt over the following days.
If you don't sleep at least eight hours, your body won't have enough time to recover and build new muscle tissue.
CHAOS ON THE WEEKENDS
Many of you believe that going to the gym five times a week is more than enough to achieve the results you want.
You have to realize that the hardest work is when you are away.
This is a 24-hour sport about 24 hours.
This is the typical scenario for those who don't take results seriously: when the weekend arrives, diet doesn't matter, rest much less and you don't even think about the substances you take.
Trust me, forgetting your training regime and eating plan over the weekend will take you further and further away from your goals and objectives.
All your effort will be in vain, for a night in which you forget that this sport lasts 24 hours and not an hour and a half.
I'm not saying you shouldn't go out or have fun.
What I'm talking about is self-control and knowing what you really want.
One drink won't do you much harm, but if this drink is added to many others and the scenario is repeated every weekend you can say goodbye to any result.
Alcohol is treated as a toxin, a poison, by the human body.
Therefore, when you drink alcohol, your body will make every effort to expel it from your system as quickly as possible.
This causes important processes such as nutrient digestion and protein synthesis to be delayed or not carried out in full.
DEPEND ON SUPPLEMENTS
Every day I am approached with this question: ?What are you taking????.
From the beginning, there is an error in the correct order of the questions.
I don't blame them, but lately I've seen how people condition their results according to the supplements they take.
When you start replacing your solid meals with supplements, you are making a serious and basic mistake.
Supplements are meant to complement, not replace.
If you use supplements without a good diet and training, I assure you that you are only wasting money in exchange for zero results.
This article was adapted by Nuno Granja, the most recent member of the Ginasio Virtual team, take a look at his presentation here!
If you have any questions about any subject covered in the article, you can contact me via email: nunof.granja@gmail.com or through the comments area.
NOTE: This article was adapted and translated from Revista Muscular Development Latina, however I completely agree with it and I am an advocate that these are the most common and basic mistakes by which the majority of bodybuilding and bodybuilding practitioners do not achieve their goals.
Hello Nuno
In your opinion, which supplements can be considered essential?
Hello March,
There are two supplements that I consider essential and that I use continuously throughout the year, which are Whey Protein and Multivitamin. These never leave the diet.
Then, depending on the phase I'm in – definition, maintenance or increase in muscle mass – I start to include other supplements, let's say, less essential.
I also always have a pre-workout on hand for times of “emergency”.
Hello Nuno! What carbohydrate options can you give as a tip to add to protein after training? hug and good work
Hello Eduardo,
For post-workout I like to use either 1 banana or 50 grams of maltodextrin.
Hug