Why your not building muscle - and how to fix it

By Adam Freeman August 2025

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Building muscle isn’t just about training harder, it’s about fine-tuning several critical factors: nutrition, training strategy, recovery, and movement quality. When you notice a lack of progression, one or more of these areas often needs looked at.

Understanding Calories and Protein in Nutrition

Muscle growth demands both an energy surplus (more calories eaten than burned) and adequate protein intake. While the precise calorie surplus required is not clearly defined, energy intake supports not only tissue building but also the metabolic processes underlying muscle growth (1). Importantly, total daily protein is more influential than timing around workouts; a meta-analysis conducted in 2013 and published in the journal of international sports nutrition found that when overall protein intake was controlled for around workouts, timing had minimal impact on muscle growth (2).

Training Variables: Volume, Frequency, Load

Resistance training remains the gold standard for stimulating muscle growth. An umbrella review (with data from 4,700+ participants) highlighted several key points: performing at least 10 sets per muscle group per week maximizes growth; extremely slow repetitions (≥10 seconds) should be avoided; and blood‐flow‐restriction training may benefit some individuals (3).

Training frequency also plays a role—but only when volume isn’t equated. When total sets remain constant, increasing weekly sessions doesn’t necessarily boost muscle growth (4). This simply means volume (how many sets per week) plays a more important role than how many times a week we train.

Technique Matters: Tempo, Range of Motion, Control

How you train matters as much as what you do. A recent review from 2024 highlighted the importance of proper lifting technique, recommending a controlled tempo between 2 to 8 seconds per rep, full range of motion emphasizing stretch at longer muscle lengths, and correct body alignment to target the intended muscles and minimize injury risk (5).

Recovery & Hormonal Support

Muscle adaptation happens during recovery, not in the gym. Poor sleep, elevated stress, or insufficient recovery periods stunt muscle growth. Hormones like testosterone, growth hormone, and IGF-1 help drive muscle growth, but are optimally stimulated through adequate rest and nutrition—not just lifting (6) .

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Putting It All Together

When muscle gain stalls, here’s your checklist:

1. Nutrition

   • Ensure a moderate calorie surplus, not extreme but sufficient for repair and growth. - start off at around 300-500 kcals increase per day and see how that goes.

   • Consume adequate protein daily—focus less on timing, more on meeting targets (e.g., 1.6 – 2.2 g/kg/day for many trainees).

     
     

2. Training

   • Hit ≥10 sets per week per muscle group.

   • Use moderate loads, include eccentric/stressful stimuli.

     
     

3. Technique

   • Train with controlled reps: 2–8 seconds each.

   • Use full range of motion.

     
     

4. Recovery

   • Prioritize sleep, stress management, and rest days.

   • Allow for hormonal recovery to optimize growth signals.

     
     

By addressing these key areas mentioned above you’ll significantly improve your chances of breaking through your plateau and building muscle. Let me know if you’d like help crafting meal plans, sample training routines, or recovery strategies!

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References:

1. Slater GJ, Dieter BP, Marsh DJ, Helms ER, Shaw G and Iraki J (2019) Is an Energy Surplus Required to Maximize Skeletal Muscle Hypertrophy Associated With Resistance Training. Front. Nutr. 6:131. doi: 10.3389/fnut.2019.00131

2. Schoenfeld, B.J., Aragon, A.A. & Krieger, J.W. The effect of protein timing on muscle strength and hypertrophy: a meta-analysis. J Int Soc Sports Nutr 10, 53 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1186/1550-2783-10-53

3.  Bernárdez-Vázquez R, Raya-González J, Castillo D and Beato M (2022) Resistance Training Variables for Optimization of Muscle Hypertrophy: An Umbrella Review. Front. Sports Act. Living 4:949021. doi: 10.3389/fspor.2022.949021

4. Bernárdez-Vázquez R, Raya-González J, Castillo D and Beato M (2022) Resistance Training Variables for Optimization of Muscle Hypertrophy: An Umbrella Review. Front. Sports Act. Living 4:949021. doi: 10.3389/fspor.2022.949021

5. Androulakis Korakakis P, Wolf M, Coleman M, Burke R, Piñero A, Nippard J, Schoenfeld BJ. Optimizing Resistance Training Technique to Maximize Muscle Hypertrophy: A Narrative Review. Journal of Functional Morphology and Kinesiology. 2024; 9(1):9. https://doi.org/10.3390/jfmk9010009

6. Jayne Leonard - medical news today - “how to build muscle with exercise” 2025