Most people don’t fail at building muscle because of one catastrophic mistake — they fall short in multiple small but critical areas. In this no-nonsense guide, Dr. Mike lays out the ten most common reasons your muscles aren’t growing, and how to fix them with evidence-based, practical training adjustments.
TL;DR
- Eat enough calories and protein to support growth.
- Train hard with proper form and effort close to failure.
- Hit each muscle 2+ times per week with 5–8 challenging sets per session.
- Stay consistent, don’t overtrain, and update your plan as your body changes.
1. You’re Not Eating Enough
Muscle requires fuel. If you’re not gaining weight, you’re not in a calorie surplus — period. Aim for about one gram of protein per pound of bodyweight and enough total calories to gain roughly 0.5–1lb per week.
2. Your Technique is Holding You Back
It’s not just the exercise you choose — it’s how you do it. Momentum, short range of motion, and ego lifting all reduce muscle tension. Focus on control, full range, and standardized reps week to week.
3. You're Not Training Close Enough to Failure
If your sets don’t feel challenging or you’re ending with multiple reps still in the tank, you’re leaving gains behind. Train within 1–3 reps of technical failure on most sets to maximize hypertrophy.
4. You're Not Doing Enough Hard Sets
To grow, most muscles need about 5–8 quality working sets per session. One to two half-effort sets won’t cut it, especially for more stubborn muscle groups.
5. You're Not Training Muscles Frequently Enough
Training each muscle group once per week is the bare minimum. Twice weekly is more effective for growth, as it increases quality volume and motor learning without increasing fatigue too much.
6. You're Not Training Often Enough
Training two or three days a week may be fine for beginners, but intermediate and advanced lifters need more sessions to spread out volume and target lagging areas. Four to six sessions a week is a realistic sweet spot.
7. You're Not Consistent
If you keep taking random weeks off for holidays, stress, or work, your progress resets. Muscle growth is cumulative. You don’t need perfection, but you do need consistency — especially across months, not just days.
8. You're Overtraining
If your strength is dropping, motivation is low, and soreness never ends, you're likely exceeding your recovery capacity. Scale back sets, take a deload, or reduce training frequency to give your body a chance to rebound.
9. You're Not Varying Your Exercises
If a movement doesn’t feel effective for the target muscle, it probably isn’t. Swap in new variations that let you feel the muscle working, and monitor performance over time. Good form isn’t enough — you also need good stimulus.
10. You're Not Adapting As You Grow
The strategies that worked as a beginner won’t always work as an intermediate. You’ll need to gradually ramp up volume, refine technique, and rotate new exercises as your muscles and recovery capacity evolve.
Final Thoughts
Building muscle isn’t magic — it’s management. Manage your nutrition, your effort, your structure, and your recovery. These ten levers are the keys to long-term growth, and if you’re stuck, odds are you need to adjust more than one of them. Start with the basics and keep refining — progress follows consistency and precision.
