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These are the 5 most common mistakes when building muscle

June 14, 2022
  • Fitness
  • Nutrition
These are the 5 most common mistakes when building muscle

The reasons for wanting to build muscle are many and varied. For some, a muscular body is considered the ideal of beauty, for others it is primarily about health and a pain-free musculoskeletal system. But no matter what the goals behind it are, the principles of muscle building work the same for everyone. Although the path to a muscular body often sounds simple in theory, many fail to implement it. To avoid frustration and anger, we reveal the most common muscle-building mistakes.

What is important for building muscle?

Before we take a closer look at the most common mistakes in muscle building, let’s briefly review the most important points for more muscles:

Roughly speaking, you need to pay attention to two essential points when building muscle: Training and nutrition. The stimuli you apply during strength training cause minimal damage to your muscles, which your body repairs after training with the help of the nutrients you take in through food, to put it bluntly.

During this repair process, your muscles become thicker than before and grow. Although this may sound simple, there are a few mistakes you should avoid to ensure your training success.

Mistake #1: You train without a plan

A training plan not only helps you to structure your workouts and integrate them into your daily routine, it is also important to keep track of your progress. It’s best to contact a trained trainer who will put together a personal training plan for you. Together with professionals and a structured plan, you will reach your goal much faster and more efficiently. This way you will quickly notice when your muscle growth and strength gain stagnate and you should change your plan.

Mistake #2: You are doing the wrong exercises to build muscle

A training plan is only effective if it contains the right exercises. Many people who are new to training and fitness concentrate heavily on endurance training at first. That’s not bad in principle, but muscles don’t grow from it, because cardio is better for losing weight.

To stimulate muscle growth, you should focus on heavy strength training. It’s best to choose exercises that cover all the major muscle groups in your training plan. Especially at the beginning of your fitness journey, isolation exercises – those that train only one specific muscle – should be the exception rather than the rule.

Frau macht HIIT Training für Muskelaufbau

Mistake #3: Your regeneration breaks are too short

If you train hard, you also have to take breaks. You should give your body enough recovery time between your training sessions as well as between the individual repetition sets. Only during breaks do your muscles have the chance to build up new tissue and grow.

If the recovery periods are too short, your performance and the weight you can move will also decrease. To find out the ideal recovery time for your body, it’s best to work with a trained fitness coach.

Mistake #4: You don’t enjoy training

This muscle-building mistake may sound trivial at first glance, but lack of fun is one of the main reasons why people don’t reach their training goals and stop exercising after a short time. So if you don’t enjoy strength training, it might not be the right sport for you. Fortunately, there are many different sports disciplines, so almost everyone can find the right sport for them.

Mistake #5: You don’t eat right

One point that is often neglected in the desire for more muscles, but is just as important as weight training, is nutrition. For example, if you train hard but eat too few calories, you will not build muscle. Instead, the body’s own reserves are depleted in order to be able to cover the increased energy consumption.

However, it is not only important to eat enough calories, but also which foods you eat.

One nutrient that is particularly important is protein. Protein is the building block of all our cells and since the body has no protein store, it is important to consume it constantly through your diet. The basic rule is to consume 1 gram of protein per kilogram of body weight daily. When exercising, and especially if you want to build up muscles, this amount can increase to 1.5 to 2 grams.

Besides protein, your body also needs enough carbohydrates to give you energy for training.

Frau isst nach dem Sport Proteinmüsli

How to build muscle fast

So to build muscle fast, you need to train hard and eat right. Try heavy weights and push yourself to the limit. But be sure to master the right technique first. It’s best to get help from a fitness and training professional.

When it comes to nutrition, the recommendation for macronutrient distribution is:

  • 1.6 to 1.8 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight if you are an amateur athlete and 1.8 to 2.0 grams for advanced athletes.
  • 1 gram of fat per kilogram of body weight
  • The rest of the daily calorie requirement is filled up with carbohydrates.

To find out how many grams of carbohydrates you should eat each day, you need to do some calculations. The first step is to calculate your daily calorie needs using a calorie calculator. Our sports scientist Nico explains in his guide how to use the calorie calculator for muscle building.

These are the best foods for building muscle

We now know that it takes protein and sufficient calories to support muscle building. Foods that are particularly high in protein are:

  • Meat and fish
  • Eggs
  • Milk and dairy products
  • Pulses
  • Nuts and seeds
  • Whole grains
  • Soya and other vegan protein sources

A common myth that has become entrenched in our minds over the years claims that we absolutely need meat to build muscle. But building muscle on a vegetarian diet is just as easy.

It is best to start the day with a large portion of protein at breakfast. For example, oat flakes, nuts or seeds are good sources of protein. Milk or yoghurt are a good addition. Or you can choose the VERIVAL sports breakfast, which is rich in vegetable proteins and provides you with optimal energy for sports.

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