Here’s some points to be mindful of, don’t make the mistakes I did!
But thinking about that question in more detail I narrowed it down to 4 actionable items that you can implement right away.
Over Eating
Yup! Sounds pretty straight forward but when you’re trying to grow muscle you would think more food = more muscle. That’s not always the case. As a healthy indicator, I aim for 1lb of bodyweight per week in off season! Depending on your body composition! Measure weight and waist each week and take images! If weight stagnates for longer than 2-3 weeks, an extra 350-500 calories should do the trick. Repeat this process if you plateau again.
Not Valuing Rest
If you love the gym, it’s super easy to want to spend your entire week there. Like with your calories, more isn’t always what’s best. Especially if you are training with real intensity, you are going to need time and rest days to recover properly. Remember, we damage our muscles in the gym, but it’s outside the gym they recover and grow!
Listening To Others
Ok, hear me out. All I mean here is sometimes when you find something that works for you. You don’t need to listen to others telling you what worked for them. If you have a coach, listen to them. They’re helping you figure out what you need to do and you’re paying them. Use them. Listen to them. Once you’ve found something that works, try other things if you like, but do so on your behalf. Don’t be influenced because you think the grass is greener. 9/10 it’s not!
Be Patient
Yup, without patience you’re going to do all of the other points (listen to others, no rest, and over eat) because you’re in a rush to achieve the goal. A saying I like to say is be aggressively patient. Do all that you can each day whilst remembering the long term goal. Meaning – learn to enjoy the process than the destination.
So….
What can you do today?
Be patient. Find what works for you and do all that you can each day.
Look at your weight the past few weeks. Is it going up too fast? Too slow?
What changes can you make?
