If you were inspired by the muscle-bound action stars of the '80s and '90s like Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stallone, you likely spent your younger years lifting heavy at the gym. But with age, muscle loss is common, and regaining it can be challenging. To help streamline your muscle-building efforts, here are five exercises to avoid if your goal is to regain muscle effectively.
Maintaining muscle strength is not just about looking good; it enhances your physical performance, supports joint health, and improves balance. However, muscle loss is an inevitable part of aging, starting around age 30, with an average loss of 3% to 8% per decade. This decline in muscle can impact health, increasing your vulnerability to falls and fractures. Fortunately, you can rebuild lost muscle mass—especially if you steer clear of exercises that are less effective at stimulating muscle growth. We spoke with TJ Mentus, CPT, a certified personal trainer at Garage Gym Reviews, who highlighted five exercises that may hinder your gains.
1. excessive cardioWhile cardio is crucial for heart health and longevity, overdoing it can work against your muscle-building goals. Excessive cardio puts your body into a catabolic state, where it starts breaking down fat and muscle for energy. “Cardio is beneficial for overall health but can be counterproductive when the goal is muscle gain,” explains Mentus. “Building muscle requires a calorie surplus, and cardio sessions burn through those calories without the same muscle-building benefits of resistance training. For men focused on muscle growth, it’s best to keep cardio limited or incorporate HIIT workouts, which offer some muscle-strengthening benefits.”
2. Isolation exercises Isolation exercisestarget a single muscle group or joint at a time, but they’re not the most efficient choice when it comes to rebuilding muscle across your entire body. Instead, opt for compound movements like squats, deadlifts, and bench presses that engage multiple muscle groups simultaneously. “If you’re aiming for total muscle gain, isolation exercises don’t provide the best use of your time,” says Mentus. “Compound exercises activate multiple muscle groups per rep, resulting in overall muscle development. Consider moves like squats, presses, and rows instead of single-joint moves like bicep curls and tricep extensions.”
3. Hot YogaHot yoga offers a challenging workout with numerous health benefits, but it’s also a calorie burner, which can interfere with muscle growth goals. Hot yoga elevates your metabolic rate and promotes sweating, which can reduce the calories available for muscle-building. “While yoga has benefits, it doesn’t support muscle building directly and can actually compete with your muscle growth efforts,” says Mentus. “Hot yoga, in particular, accelerates calorie burn, potentially depriving muscles of the resources they need for growth. If you enjoy yoga, choose a low-intensity version at room temperature.”
4. One-Rep Max LiftingWhile testing your one-rep max may boost your ego and showcase your strength, it doesn’t contribute as much to muscle growth. Muscles require prolonged time under tension to stimulate growth, and a single rep simply doesn’t provide enough of this strain. “One-rep max lifts aren’t enough to spark muscle growth,” Mentus explains. “Muscles need sustained tension, and one rep doesn’t provide that. Instead, consider building up to a heavy lift and then incorporating drop sets with additional reps to get both strength and muscle-building benefits.”
5. High-Rep, Low-Weight LiftingWhile high-rep, low-weight lifting (hypertrophy training) is useful for muscle endurance, it won’t always yield optimal results for muscle gain. Over time, lifting light weights for too many reps results in diminishing returns for muscle growth. “If you’re able to complete 20 or more reps with a given weight, it’s unlikely to be effective for muscle growth,” says Mentus. “Stay within the eight to 15-rep range, with the final reps of each set pushing you close to failure. Muscles grow in response to challenging resistance, so aim for a weight that tests your limits within that range.”
blogpay
Total Comments: 0