Gain muscle fast by training like an athlete here…
When it comes to gaining muscle, it’s not just about the workouts and exercises that you do but how you do them. In this video, I cover this and many other muscle gaining mistakes that could be holding you back from building the mass you should be from your workouts. You don’t even have to be a beginner to benefit from this video, as many advanced lifters can still be making many of these mistakes.
The first big workout or muscle gaining mistake is to overtrain. Now despite what you may have been told, overtraining is a very real thing that befalls many lifters during their attempts to build muscle mass fast. They fall for the concept of more is better not realizing that if they are going to attempt to lift without the assistance of ped’s then their capacity to recover will be limited. With a healthy respect for one’s ability to recover from hard workouts, you can carefully walk the line between overtraining and not overtraining and use that to build as much muscle as you can naturally.
That said, the next mistake is even more rampant than the first and that is under training. Simply attending a gym does not grant you the right to build muscle. You actually have to put in the work when you are there if you want to see appreciable muscle gains. Many people will hit the gym and never bring enough intensity to their training to see their muscles grow and grow quickly.
In fact, once you master the balance between over and under training you will see that it is actually not that difficult to tip in your favor. By trading in workout length for intensity you will be able to build muscle mass while working out less. Your increased exercise and workout intensity will lead to faster muscle growth and more time to allow your body to recover and grow back strong.
Speaking of strong, no solid physique is built without becoming strong on your foundation exercises like the bench press, deadlift and squat. That said, many people who struggle to gain muscle are often the same people who skip out on doing these exercises. There is a valid reason for it. These exercises can be intimidating to those who lack the strength and technique to perform them. Opting for easier versions however like concentration curls and pushups is not the answer long term. Start performing these exercises and build your confidence with them and you will see your muscles build and grow as well.
Nutritionally, eating either too few calories or not enough nutrient dense calories will derail your pursuit of more muscle. Nutrition is and always will be a very important part of the equation. If you want to gain muscle you need to have your diet plan and meal plans in place to support your new muscle growth. Stop thinking that just because you are getting in enough calories that you have the goods to grow muscle. You may not. If you don’t have enough quality, nutrient dense calories coming in you will find it almost impossible to gain muscle fast or at all.
For a complete workout and nutrition program that helps you to gain muscle by training like an athlete, head to and get the ATHLEAN-X Training System.
For more videos on how to build muscle fast and how not to be a skinny hardgainer, be sure to subscribe to our channel here on youtube at
50 replies to "6 Muscle Gaining Mistakes (SLOW OR NO GROWTH!!)"
My favourite quote is:
”You don’t have to be great to start…but you have to start, to be great”
“The things that you fear the most are the things that are gonna change you the most” – jeff
Idgaf
How do people dislike these videos? this type of content I would expect to pay for. High quality. Thanks Jeff.
Its from the kids that watch youtube on their parents phone…lol 2,300 dislikes compared to the 154k likes and 6.6 million views.
Same thoughts, this is what gives youtube real value.
@JDBarraza 😑
anyone else love the “muscle pain” you get after a good workout? ✊🏾✊🏾✊🏾
I hate I don’t feel pain
hell yea. The only problem is I think I don’t have enough place for my leg muscles to grow XD
I love it. Its a nice pain weirdly. It lets you know youve done good.
Especially after that leg day…. I don’t walk down the stairs of the gym, I flow down.
I believe that’s called being sore
I don’t know how anyone could give this video a thumbs down. The message is in point. You have inspired me to take my life back and I started going to the gym again and I watch your videos for guidance and inspiration. Taking control of my PTSD and brining down the A1C so I don’t need meds for diabetes. Thank you very much. A true life saver if you have the stones to follow your plan.
When you’re twice as skinny as Jeff when he was “painfully thin”
try 4x
My dream is to become his painfully thin lol
Right? Lol
MilkMilk blue top Milk and more Milkmilkedymilkmilkmilk!!!
Allldayyylonggg!!
You will make bigg gainss, I promise!
Then butter on Toast!! Toast Toast toasttoasttoast!!
You’ll be a good weight in no time!
Yeah he honestly looked pretty good for an average guy in my mind
I’ve been watching you for a few years and have gotten a lot of results, but sometimes you need a reminder to stay on track. Thank you for these Awesome videos 👌
“Stop having a fear of those hard exercises. Those hard exercises are the things you fear the most and the things that will change you the most”. That absolute truth. You are very motivational
Yeah he’s great on exercises. But terrible on nutrition. *Incredibly* carb and glucose tolerant. 99% would get fat eating m&m’s for example, and not just fail to build muscle.
“If you head to a gym and your goal is to count reps, count to 12 over and over and over again, I could save you a trip. You could have stayed at home and counted with Sesame Street.” Jeff’s a savage haha
I don’t inherently disagree… But something is better than NOTHING. Then again, if you’re contemplating doing nothing, you wouldn’t be watching these videos in the first place.
So, I am down to 293 from 347 lbs. I am 6 foot 5 and 36 years old. Just recovered from cancer again. I joined a gym. I’m probably in the over training category ATM but I’m focused on losing fat and gaining muscle. Can anyone please give me an idea on what to eat to lose weight and build muscle at the same time? Thanks in advance
@chris smith i know this is an old comment and i hope youve had success in your journey.
You need to cut your calories down whilst making sure you eat a lot of protein. A man your size needs to be shovelling it down. 2.2 grams perkg of your goal bodyweight.
Then keep in a calorie deficit to lose the fat. Once you lose the weight it gets harder to build mudcle and lean out at the same time
I love Jeff’s energy. It’s not too wild and intense where some of these kids won’t understand and they won’t really listen and it’s also not too quiet where no one will take him seriously
1. Over training 0:43
2. Under training 2:26
3. Balance 1 & 2 3:26
4. Exer-phobia (avoid hard exercises) 4:23
5. Nutrition (empty eating) 7:08
6. Under Eating 9:24
You’re the legend I just looked for in the comment section
7
Thx!
Thank you so much
Fun fact: Jeff was 24 in high school and he is still 24 years old and is expected to be 24 for another 20 years
@mike toneatti he actually looks 40 now imo and he looked 30 in high school
Was he actually 24 in high school?
@Nicholas NRG yeah he was 15 in kindergarten and 17 in first grade
Hey Jeff. I just wanted to sincerely Thank you for all the great content that you make available for free and sharing your years of experience and hard work with everyone. I have been watching your videos and using your valuable tips and have seen real positive gains.
forever great full,
from Kuwait
I’ve been a runner for over a year. I’m now hitting the gym and gains are coming fast. All this I’ve done on a whole food plant based diet. True nutrition really is the key!
My two main mistakes were lack of sleep and not eating enough (not being in a caloric surplus). I always thought I was eating enough and was disappointed because my weight stagnated. Then I got my first diet plan created (I think it was from website called Dietarize). I realised that my previous food intake was way below my needs, although I thought I’m good. At the beginning it was hard to eat 3200 kcal in a day, but I got used to it. I started noticing real gains and it felt amazing. I wish I’d understood the importance of diet earlier.
Did you have any fat you wanted to rid off first?
I have recently started gym where my aim is to build muscle and lose belly fat.. I have about 20% of body fat and 24Bmi
Currently I am on a 700 calorie deficit everyday keeping I’m mind the goal of losing fat.. should I continue with this approach? Or should I take extra calories and fat will go itself? Plz help; thanks in advance ..
@Khurram Rizvi if you wanna gain muscle and are on a calorie deficit, u won’t see much to any muscle growth. I have the same goal as you and so just eating healthy like having a green smoothie, lots of protein, healthy fats and carbs will get you your desired goal (fat loss and muscle gain). It is also recommended to do cardio but do not do it everyday, do it 3 times a week and that should help with the body fat. Just know u cannot spot reduced fat so u may see a loss of fat around your arms, face and potentially legs before your belly bc it takes abt 6 weeks to get rif of bellu fat since it’s very stubborn. But ofc it depends on your fat percentage, if u have little fat it should take u 3 weeks or less but if u have fat that kinda hangs or makes your stomache thick then it would take 6 weeks +. Hope this helps sorry I saw this late, wished I could of helped sooner :)))
@Nathan Keshawn what’s wrong with it
Spam
I am 20 and i have started working on my body for the last 6-7 months. Jeff you have helped me a lot and still help me to this day to understand the basics and approach training in a healthy and smart way. Thanks to you and your team mate. Cheers
Hi Jeff! Is there a certain number of workout variation per day that we need to do to say that you are not overtraining and not undertraining? What’s the average number of workouts do you do per gym session? I go to the gym 5 days a week.
By far the best workout counselor on YouTube. Can’t even say how much this guy has helped me with my gains! 💪🏻🙌🏽
Jeff appreciate your coaching and information, it has changed my workouts so much over the last year. Thanks for continuing to put out such great videos 👍😁
Thanks Jeff! Your message is paramount. I need to make changes in almost every category mentioned in this video. It’s discouraging for me to see no gains after going hard time and time again in the gym. If I don’t have everything else in check I’m just wasting time and energy. I need to stop cutting corners because there is no secret path to an easier way with this life style.
Awesome stuff Jeff! Love your passion and info you share for free without having to get your workout program. Thank you!!