Wonder why your muscles are not showing? Here are 5 common mistakes you might be making that are inhibiting your muscle growth!
1. DO NOT avoid eating carbs and fats
The common myth about consuming carbs or fats is that it will lead to weight gain (1). However, studies have shown that carbs and fats are both essential nutrients for muscle growth (2). Carbs aid in the muscle building as they are partially converted to glycogen, which is stored in the muscles to fuel your workouts. During a workout, our body's glycogen stores will be depleted, and hence, we need to consume carbs after exercising to enable replenish the glycogen lost. Besides, carbs prevent muscle degradation and it is no less important as compared to protein. Consuming insufficient carbs will lead to protein loss, which ultimately inhibits muscle growth (3).
Similarly, fats provide energy for muscles to perform. It is even recommended to consume approximately 30% of your total daily calorie intake as a healthy fat in order for your body to have sufficient energy to exercise (4). Hence, the importance of carbs and fats should not be neglected as our bodies cannot function at optimal levels without these nutrients. Highly intensive workouts should be complemented with eating proper nutrients to maximize the potential for muscle growth.
2. DO NOT consume alcohol
It is definitely not advised to consume alcohol right after your workout as alcohol hampers the protein synthesis process (5) and this led to the shift of the net balance in favor of muscle protein breakdown (in other words, rate of muscle protein breakdown > rate of muscle protein synthesis). Since the protein synthesis process occurs for 24-48 hours post-workout, consuming alcohol will put all your hard work invested during the workout to waste. Not to mention, the negative effects alcohol bring to our body are proven to exceed its benefits (6).
Well, you may ask: Will infusing alcohol into a protein shake to fully counterbalance the muscle protein synthesis? The answer is no. Consuming alcohol will result in irreversible damage to our bodies and studies (7) have shown that the mixture is insufficient to override the detrimental effects of alcohol and thus, it is not recommended to do so.
3. DO NOT change your workout too frequently
Irregular workout patterns will "confuse" the muscle groups as a workout routine takes time to work. Our bodies need time and repeated exposure to adapt to the stimulus given. It is recommended to stick to a workout routine for at least four weeks for your muscles to experience strength gain and muscle growth. That said, if you feel that your body is starting to adapt to your current workout routine, you could alternate the order of the exercises, intensity, and duration of your workout (8). Check out @fusefitnessco on Instagram to try out the workout routines we suggest.
4. DO NOT rest too much between sets
It is normal to catch a breath between sets, however, resting too much may disrupt your gains as it will lower your heart rate and stop your body from refueling your muscles. Limit your rest time to 30 to 90 seconds in between the sets (9). But, if you are focusing on one muscle at a time, further cut the rest time to no more than 30 seconds to get into a better shape. Work more and give yourself less rest to maximize the calories you are burning and boost muscle protein synthesis.
5. DO NOT push yourself too hard
You need to get sufficient rest to keep your physical and mental stamina in check. If you work out too much, you may risk getting injured as your body has not adapted to the intensity and lacks ample recovery time. Symptoms of overtraining include lack of appetite, insomnia, and chronic fatigue (10,11). As such, you may not be consuming enough macronutrients needed to replenish the glycogen stones lost, resulting in slower muscle growth. When we don't get quality sleep, our body produces less growth hormone that is an essential factor that leads to muscle gains. Hence, it is important to get sufficient rest for proper recovery in order for our bodies to function at its optimal each time we exercise.
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