Muscle building programs are mostly created by weight lifters who have discovered “their way” to building big muscles.

Some of you may have tried several programs and found then to not work.

Here are 4 reasons why the programs may not have worked.

#1: Not Using Free Weights

By this, I mean you have to be working many muscles at one time. This will give your body benefits of having stability and coordination between muscles. However, muscle building programs like to incorporate machines into their workouts. Workout machines tend to focus on one muscle. This is bad because it will take forever to work many muscles, and you do not develop any real life application. Free weights can help you to work many muscles at once. Doing compound exercises like Squats and dead lifts can benefit you in saving time, working many muscles at once, and also gaining stability and coordination between muscles.

#2: Keep it short

A program developed by the usual gym rat you would see at the gym working out every time you went there would not be a good fit for someone only having an hour to workout. Your workout does not need to be long and strenuous; rather it should be short and sweet. Using fewer reps and sets with a larger amount of weight can give you the best benefits in a short amount of time.

#3: Lift a Significant Amount

You don’t need to waste time, and you probably don’t want to. So, why not make it worth your time? Make sure you lift a significant amount of weight, around the average of 80-85% of your one rep max. Muscle building programs using less weight, with more reps and sets will be a waste of time as your muscle gaining will plane out, and you could potentially see negative results.

#4: Get Enough Rest

During and after work outs, resting is important for your muscles to build. Instead of rushing to your next workout to get done faster, plan in more time and rest longer between exercises. This will give your muscles time to refresh and prepare for your next work out and put less strain on them.

When you are done at the gym, you should try to plan a nap in to let your body rest. At night, try to sleep as long as you can, obtaining 8 hours or more of sleep. Having this large amount of sleep will better your body for the next day. Make sure to relax during the day to prevent stress from disrupting your muscle growth.

Check out my DoubleYourGains’ 3-5 Beginners Strength Program. Here anyone can learn beneficial ideas for their muscle building programs, whether you are a beginner or not!