Muscle Mistakes

Arnold

Mike Metzer


Here is some good info from Joe Hashey CSCS at Synergy Athletics.

6 Muscle Killing Mistakes

1. TOO MUCH VOLUME. I’ve said it 1,000 times (read “

Turn Down The Volume“). More time in the gym DOES NOT equal more results. After your 5-15 minute warm up, mobility, soft tissue, etc – your actually training time should be 45-50 minutes of well planned out lifts.

2. LIVING BY 23/1 RULE. Spend an hour in the gym and then ignore your health for the other 23 hours in the day murders your muscles. Ever justify a huge meal of pizza, wings (insert any crappy food), because you “had a good workout today.” Probably not good enough if you are eating that….

3. DEATH BY ISOLATION. I remember a quote from another strength and conditioning specialist, Allen Hendricks, “Your body reacts to all that stress by having the anterior pituitary gland issue more growth hormone to compensate for the extra effort.”

So, if you are spending all day on the pec deck or performing concentration curls, your muscle growth will suffer! I prefer to have 50-60 percent of my lifts in a program at Synergy be compound movements. With the exception of addressing weaknesses, we occasionally have up to 90% of our movements fit into the compound category.

4. SACRIFICING MUSCLE TO CARDIO. Are your excess calories going towards cardio or rebuilding muscle? This muscle killer relates more to your personal goals – but if we are looking for overall muscle growth, excess cardio may be sucking up your calories and fatiguing your muscles before your next lift.

I still recommend performing regular conditioning, but cut it to 10-20 minutes, 2-3 times a week and use multiple muscle groups to help avoid over-fatigue. A lot of people don’t understand how to balance their fatigue/energy levels in a workout program!

5. STARVING YOUR MUSCLES. When you are done with a proper workout routine, your body needs glycogen to repair and grow muscles. If you don’t eat, don’t expect any growth!
Fix it by consuming a meal of both carbs and protein as soon as possible (I recommend within 30 minutes of completing workouts).

6. SUGARY DEATH. One of my favorite comedians, Jim Gaffigan, says he hates it when people claim it is a sweet tooth: ”I have a bit of a sweet tooth” – “Oh, so you’re ordering it for your tooth, I see. Cuz it’s going straight to your ass. I think your tooth owes your ass an explanation.”

If you are spending your time eating sugary processed foods, then you are wasting calories that could be spent on nutrient dense foods.

There you have it! Usually I talk about muscle and strength building, but today are 6 ways to destroy what you you have worked so hard for in the gym – muscle growth.