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Reasons why you're not building muscle...

darksidefitness · 2025-10-27T11:25:17Z

Reasons why you’re not building muscle: By Damien Mase; owner and CEO of Muscle & Strength 1. You’re not getting enough calories Calorie consumption is the solution to about 90% of the complaints lifters have about not being about to get bigger and/or stronger. Your body requires a certain number of calories to maintain your current weight. This figure is known as basal metabolic rate (BMR), and varies from person to person depending on your weight, muscle mass, activity level, age etc. If your calorie intake is lower than BMR, you will lose weight. This is known as a calorie deficit. If your daily calorie intake is higher than your BMR, you will gain weight. This is known as a calorie surplus. How do you know how many calories your body needs? The easiest way to calculate your BMR is to use our BMR calculator. This calculator uses the Harris Benedict Formula (one of the most accurate methods) to calculate your daily calorie requirements. Go over to the calculator and work out your daily calorie requirements. Most people are surprised at how many calories they need just for maintenance!Let’s focus on your goal. You want to build muscle and gain weight, so your calorie intake needs to be more than your expenditure. Take the figure the calculator gave you and add 500. This is how many calories you should be eating every day to build muscle. Example: Your calculated BMR is 2,760 calories You require 3,260 calories for weight gain You require 2,260 calories for weight loss 2. You’re not eating the right foods Generally speaking, if you’re eating excess calories every day and training with a decent workout you’ll grow. But, if you’re not eating the right foods, the chances are that you’ll be limiting your potential, putting on excess body fat, and not growing enough lean muscle. The best way to plan your muscle building diet is to split it up into protein/carbohydrate/fat (P/C/F) ratios. Arguably the best ratio of muscle growth is 30/50/20. This mean you’re getting 30% of your total calories from protein, 50% from carbohydrates and 20% from fats. So let’s look at our 3,260 calorie diet from above and break it up: 30% of 3,260 is 980 calories from protein. Divide by 4, and that’s 244g protein per day 50% of 3,260 is 1630 calories from carbs. Divide by 4, and that’s 408g carbs per day 20% of 3,260 is 650 calories from fat. Divide by 9, and that’s 72g fat per day Now all you need to do is spread those amounts over 6-7 meals per day. For more detailed information on building a diet see our how to create a bodybuilding diet article. 3. You’re not eating enough meals When you eat is just as important as what you eat. The days of eating “3 square meals” are long gone. Research has shown that eating smaller meals is not only great for promoting a fast metabolism, but helps maintain, lose, and gain weight. Think of your body like a log fire. If you put too much wood on at once, the fire burns slow and sluggish. But if you gradually add more wood as the fire gets bigger, it burns more efficiently and gets bigger. You should be aiming for a minimum for 6 meals spread at even intervals throughout the day. You want to make these meals as even as possible, but it’s OK to eat a bit more at breakfast/lunch/dinner if you don’t have time during the other breaks. So you’re probably thinking, “I don’t have time to eat all those meals”. If I had a dollar for every time I heard that I could retire. The truth is you can, it just requires a bit for forward planning. There are endless ways you can cook and store food for meals throughout the day. Spend a few hours on a Sunday afternoon cooking up your lunches and snacks for the week. Use your imagination. Here are some examples of foods you can cook, then freeze or refrigerate. Chili Stir fry Mexican chicken & potatoes Pasta bowls Potato and chicken salad Beef stew The other option is weight gain shakes. There’s nothing easier than banging some water into a shaker with some powder, having a shake, and drinking. Good meal replacement shakes usually contain around 600 calories with good amounts of protein, BCAAs, glutamine and carbohydrates. It’s literally a meal in a cup. All you need is a few shaker bottles, add the powder before work, then just add water and drink on the job. Simple. 4. You’re not getting enough water Water is nature’s wonder supplement, it’s essential for a whole host of bodily functions. Many lifters underestimate the importance of being hydrated well before they step into the gym. If you feel dehydrated just before you’re about to train, it’s too late, you won’t be able to rehydrate yourself time. Keeping yourself hydrated should be a priority from the moment you get out of bed. Dehydration is a serious problem, and in extreme cases can lead to death. Here are some signs of dehydration you should look out for: Feeling thirsty (obviously) Fatigue. Feeling tired for no apparent reason. Dry mouth and possible sore throat Headache Loss of appetite Dark urine wit...

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Bulking/Gaining Weight

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darksidefitness

(@darksidefitness)

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Topic starter 27/10/2025 7:55 pm

DIN DIN DIN...that sponsor gear is BUNK!!!!

Posted by: @rainier

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17. the gear is bunk

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owwwch

(@owwwch)

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27/10/2025 8:25 pm

thx for the info brotha

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aminoman74

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27/10/2025 8:49 pm

nice find

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custom

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27/10/2025 9:19 pm

Nice post Darkside

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Deja Vu

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27/10/2025 9:44 pm

Posted by: @heavyiron

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16. you are not injecting enough...

moar gear!!!!!

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Deja Vu

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27/10/2025 10:02 pm

Posted by: @rainier

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17. the gear is bunk

At least you can take a good look at a bag of weed and have a pretty good idea. But gear is a different story.....

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THEWIZARDOFKOZ

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28/10/2025 7:13 am

thanks for posting

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