7 REASONS YOU'RE NOT BUILDING MUSCLE
1/ ARE YOUR REST PERIODS TIMED? - Speaking generally, anything more than 90 seconds rest isn't doing you any favours for building muscle.
2/ DO YOU HAVE A PLAN? - If you go into the session without a plan, odds are you'll lean towards the exercises you want to do but chances are there's a lot of gains being left on the table in the stuff you don't like doing!
3/ ARE YOU PROGRESSING? - Aiming to improve your numbers week in week out is vital to laying down new muscle tissue. Be it more reps, more weight, more sets.. there must be a step up in stimulus. We've all seen the guy that trains the same way with the same routine, week in week out. Cool if he's maintaining where he's at, not if he wants to keep progressing.
4/ DO YOU FEEL LIKE AN IPHONE BATTERY? - You want to be coming into the session fully charged but training at an intensity that cuts into your battery pretty damn quick. Don't turn power save mode on when it starts getting tough and pussy out of reps. Don't take extra rest unnecessarily. You should be finishing the session well and truly in the red.
5/ HAVE YOU GOT SOMEONE IN YOUR CORNER? - Be it a coach or a training partner, that person will be the difference in getting the extra 10% out of you. For myself I have just started getting put through my paces by another trainer once a week and train with a partner on average twice a week. It will also allow you to utilise advanced training techniques like negatives, forced reps etc.
6/ CHILL OUT WITH THE FRILLY STUFF - Mobility, warming up, intra-set stretching.. All cool but don't let it take over your session. Yes it should be involved where required but if you spend 5 minutes or 50 minutes on a foam roller, it's not making the world of difference to slapping on another 10lb of muscle.
7/ FOCUS - If you are to attack a session with some serious intensity your focus needs to be on point. Use your phone strictly for timing, music or following a program. Leave the 9 that's squatting alone, if she wants a spot she'll ask. Try to train outside of peak hours, you're far less likely to get caught in convo and have your rhythm disrupted