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Every guy has this including the genetically gifted ones. A stubborn body part that lags in progress no matter how hard you train it. It could be the calves or chest or abs. For some guys, every body part may be like this. They are called hardgainers and it’s not really their fault. Their genetics are to blame too.
Why some muscle groups fall behind?
It is difficult to say why certain muscles lag. Some muscles are more stubborn than others, but usually, these vary depending on the person. For example, some people might have a harder time building their chest muscles or their calves. This is because everyone’s body is different and responds differently to training.
Another reason could be because they are “foundation” muscles. For example, your forearms and calves. You use these muscles daily for a thousand different things without realizing it. The forearms are worked when you are holding a bag or even clinging on to a bar in the train. The calves are worked daily when you walk.
For muscles like these that are used to a lot of work, you will really need to hit them hard in your workouts. When you do wrist curls to work your forearms, you will have to work them till they burn and are hot. The same with calf raises.
It will hurt. It will be uncomfortable. But it’s the only way. To train them till they are exhausted and the overload forces them to grow.
It may be more difficult to work out certain body parts when there are other ones you want to focus on, such as your back or arms even though your calves may need more attention so it’s important you choose a workout routine that targets all of these areas in order for them not to fall behind and get lagging in terms of size and strength.
Concentrate on Your Specific Muscle Group
Workouts are not about duration, sets, and reps. All these while helpful is just a guideline. They are about intensity, overload, and efficiency. No matter what muscle group you’re training, you have to work the target muscle with the best possible movement pattern for gains in both size and strength.
That might not be as intuitive or easy as it seems! What really matters is that you activate as many muscle fibers as you can during your workouts. You must concentrate on the muscle that you are working on so that you don’t unconsciously recruit other muscles to help out and make your job easier.
Your body is highly efficient. For example, if you are doing a bicep curl with a heavy weight, the body will automatically try to get the shoulder, back and chest muscles to assist to make the job easier. It is important to supinate your wrist so that it looks like your pinky finger is about to touch your bicep. If you do this, your bicep workout will be far more effective. You will really need to focus to make sure that the bicep is doing all the work. The same applies to stubborn body parts.
Make sure when you target your calves or chest or whatever lagging muscle you may have, over 95% of the effort is exerted by your chosen muscle group. Each exercise has subtleties and variations.
Just like the above example, different exercises will have different things you may need to do. A wrist curl may be better if your thumb is not around the bar. A triceps workout may be more effective if you’re using rope pulldowns. It all depends on your body and the only person who can find out is you.
Go to YouTube and look for all the different exercises that work your stubborn body part. Make a list and try out these exercises in the gym. Did you find any that are difficult to execute? Guess what? These may be the most effective ones you will need to do.
There are also a lot of different techniques that you can implement in order to get out of sticking points for any given muscle part like Pre-exhaustion, Giant sets, Super sets you’ll also have to consider some other factors like Diet, Training frequency and even your lifestyle which may have an impact on your muscle gains believe it or not.
Find Out Why You’re Not Seeing Results
If you’re not seeing any results with a particular exercise, then find out why. Start off by eliminating variables. Do you think that this exercise is too difficult? Are the reps too high or the weight too light? If it’s something simple like this then you can give it a try. However, if you don’t get better results with a particular exercise in a given workout then don’t include it in your routine.
After finding out what exercises work best for your stubborn body parts, then focus on the form of each of these exercises. Make sure that you’re doing each exercise correctly. Once again, if you have to try it out a few times before you can get the hang of it then don’t worry about it. The best way to figure this out is with a little trial and error. This could take a while depending on your body type.
Setting Your Goals and Workout Schedule
Having a pre-designed workout schedule is essential if you are going to get the most out of it. Is your training aimed at gaining mass, or do you just want to look more muscular? A workout routine that is tailored to your goals is the key to success. Before any weights and resistance training session, the first step you need to take is determining the purpose.
Add Variety To Your Training
The human body is a complex machine capable of learning to adapt to its environment. During bodybuilding training, muscle adaptation to a specific exercise results in a plateau in muscle growth, since your body begins to alter its response to the exercise as soon as it gets used to it.
You must switch up your exercise routine periodically to keep your body growing. It takes a while to reach the point where your training has to change. The key is knowing your body and being attentive until your body stops responding most effectively to the workout.
Changing up your routine can be tricky since your body and mind get used to it. It’s not enough to just rely on a routine where you know exactly how and how long to do each exercise. Once you become accustomed to it, your muscles will follow suit.
Progressive Overload
To maximize fitness gains, increasing load and adding variation are important progression strategies. This is known as Progressive overload that involves a gradual increase in workloads that occur frequently but in a small amount. There is always the possibility of injury that can happen if you increase the load too quickly or without sufficient rest.
Nevertheless, every guy can get more muscular and bigger if they stick with their workouts constantly, consistently,and conscientiously. Progressive overload will force even the most stubborn muscles to grow because of the increased demands placed upon them.
Yes, it will take time. Bodybuilding takes time. It is a journey of self-discovery and determination. Patience and persistence are key. Rest assured that all body parts can be trained to get bigger if you persist. That’s the most important thing. Stick to the plan and don’t give up.
