This is Why You Can’t Build Muscle

You make your way to the gym.

Driving down the road you crank up your favorite tunes. You feel the excitement building up. You’re intent to make today the day. The day you finally get the goods. The day you finally start looking like someone who actually lifts.

You’ve been at it for years. Getting your workouts in week after week, month after month. The result? Puny little arms and stubborn body fat that doesn’t seem to be impressed by your efforts in the least. You’re doing everything the magazines tell you to do, but you certainly don’t look like the guys portrayed on those glossy pages. Let’s face it, you hardly look like you ever touched a dumbbell.

Before we tackle the real reason behind your fitness dilemma, let me tell you a little story.

Once upon a time there was this kid. We’ll call him Victor. Victor was a short, pimply faced, skinny-fat teenager with the physical capacity of an office chair. He wasn’t very happy about that so one day he decided to take matters into his own hands. Going through hundreds of magazines, books and supplement bottles he transformed himself from skinny-fat to (*drum roll*) skinny… wait what?

Yeah.

After years of training and fooling around with different protocols, I wasn’t anywhere near where I wanted to be. Come to think of it, I’ve tried every bullshit fitness program under the sun, wasted a painful amount of money on scammy supplements and got caught up in the most irrelevant dieting minutia (“Are carbs at night bad?”).

I did a lot of things wrong, and very few things right. And yet, I still managed to get decent results. Nothing worth talking about, but it was definitely more successful than most fitness ventures. I just wanted it more than the next guy. More than you think. To me, it was almost a matter of life and death.

As obsessed as I was, steroids and other shortcut solutions were never an option. I wanted to master my machine. I wanted to be in complete control of my body and not depend on substances or outside help.

But this isn’t about me or my life-long obsession. This is about you. You came here looking for answers, and while I don’t claim to have all the answers, I know a thing or two about building a body.

So why can’t you put on muscle despite doing everything by the book? The “obvious” recommendation to train more and eat more, doesn’t necessarily solve the underlying issue(s). It’s not your training frequency, your protein intake, or the fact that you can’t afford a personal coach. The culprit lies elsewhere.

You’ve put in the work over the months and years but you still look nothing like an athlete. But we’re going to change that. Right now.

You lookin’ for a program?

Doing this routine one week, trying that other thing the next, and taking up Crossfit the week after that, isn’t going to get you anywhere near your goals. Program hopping is the number 1 reason people fail to get noteworthy results. Pick a solid training routine and stick with it for at least 3-4 months.

The magazines make it sound like a top secret science project, but building muscle is a very simple process. Forget everything you’ve been told and focus on the fundamentals.

Here’s what you need to know about training for muscle:

• Lift progressively heavier weights
• Give your body enough time to recover
• Do it again, and again, and again
• Understand that everything other than the above is negligible

Quit wasting time looking for the perfect program and use the Ultimate Training Routine for the next 6 months. Then come back and tell me how you can’t build muscle.

Eat Up

If muscle growth is your prime objective, make sure to eat sufficient amounts of food.

Eat 3-4 big meals/ day. Don’t overemphasize protein. Get in enough quality nourishment on a daily basis, without going overboard.

If you gain fat easily, follow a cyclical approach to feeding. Also, introduce a workout nutrition protocol to maximize the anabolic response to training.

The Genetic Lottery

Can you look like Arnold if you do everything he did? Most likely not.

Can you put an inch on your biceps if you do everything YOU can do? Most certainly.

You’re not cursed. Your genetics are not as bad as you think. They’re not the reason you look like a stick figure. The truth is, you just haven’t figured this thing out yet, and blaming your parents, your heredity, is the easiest thing to do.

Here’s a little dose of reality for you: You can look, feel and perform better than 99% of the human population despite your piss-poor genetics. You might never be cover model material, but you will be better than most. Stop complaining about your ill fate and get to work.

Why are you here?

So you think you want it bad, huh? How come I don’t see you breaking a sweat during your workouts then? How come you worry more about the flavor of your protein shake than taking your muscle beyond its current capacity? How come you spend more time following fitness models on Instagram than on educating yourself on human fitness?

Ask yourself truthfully: Is this really what YOU want? Or are you just trying to impress someone else? Are you in this for YOURSELF? Or are you simply trying to “fit in”?

You don’t really want it. You think you do, but you don’t. Certainly not bad enough. Look at the picture of Arnold curling. If your face doesn’t look like that during your sets, you’re wasting time.

Look in the Mirror

Let’s take this a step further. Look in the mirror. What do you see?

If you see yourself as this inept, weak loser, who lacks the means to build a standout body, then guess what? That is exactly who you will be for the rest of your life… until you change your self-image.

Here’s what you’ll do for the next 30 days: When lying in bed at night, take yourself for a little ride. Visualize yourself the way you want to be. See yourself as a strong and powerful individual. As a capable athlete. As a capable human being.

Envision yourself dominating your workouts, eating your meals like clockwork and walking down the street dropping jaws with your new physique. Take a long hard look at your new self. Take it in with all your senses. Let this idea of a bigger, leaner, stronger self consume you.

Your days as a miserable, self-conscious loser are numbered. You’re the fuckin lion now. And from this day on average is no longer an option. You spent your entire existence as a painfully average Joe. It’s time you step up and take what is rightfully yours.

Condition your mind to accept this new version of yourself. Carve this new reality into your subconscious, put some goddamn faith into it, and let things take their course. Do this for 10 minutes every night before entering dreamland, every morning after waking, and whenever you have a quiet moment to yourself.

Alright, I’m done for today. Next time we meet I expect to see some results.

 

Thank you for reading

Victor