Here are 5 big mistakes guys make when trying to improve. If you can avoid these mistakes, making a profit will be much easier and the results will come much faster.

1. Diet. If you want to grow, you have to eat. Eat protein and lots of it. Guys think they can cut this corner just by eating one or two “big meals” or they will try to get away with drinking a half dozen protein shakes a day thinking this will qualify as an increase in their protein needs. Nothing should replace REAL FOOD as your main source of protein during the day. Yes, you can have some protein shakes instead of some meals. But you should always make it a priority to have as much real food as possible. Eggs, meats, and fish should be your staple for muscle growth to occur.

2. Overtraining. The kids will read the magazines or surf the web to see what the pros are doing to grow. The pros have amazing genetics for the most part and can get away with exercising every day as their resilience is paramount. But for the rest of us, this would constitute a huge overtraining. That is why many types do not get huge. They never allow their body to rest and recover. The period of rest and recovery is the period of muscle growth! 2 +2 = 4! You have to rest to grow. Don’t exercise every day. Take at least 1-2 days off between training days to allow that period of growth to take place uninterrupted.

3. Exercises for girls. There are tried, tested and true hardcore exercises that will make you grow. So why do you always see someone in the gym who is trying to get huge “tricep kicks”? Or do dumbbell rows with 10 pound weights? Guys, these are girl exercises for the most part. You have to work with the weight leaning to the heavy side, and that will be relevant for each individual, but generally if a dumbbell is pink in color, it is probably too light for most men. And, if you want to get huge, or just more muscular, you should do exercises that have a proven track record of building mass. Squats, dips, presses, barbell pushups are an example of some good lifts you should do to build up mass.

4. Lifting log. You won’t read this everywhere, however, it is CRUCIAL to getting big and one of the biggest mistakes men make: they don’t own a lifting journal. In most gyms, if you look around, there will be very few men with lifting diaries. However, those who do, can clearly see that they are the most serious about getting results and achieving their goals. To increase your weights or reps from one workout to the next, you need to be clear about what you did in the previous workout. This is where the magazine comes in. You want to record your reps and set each workout. Then in the next workout, you’ll want to beat those numbers. There are guys who will spend a whole year doing the same weight for the same reps. And they will look exactly the same. If they kept a journal, they could set goals and improve their strength and physique.

5. The routine. Finally, you need to have a good routine. One that has worked for other guys. Normal guys, not the genetically gifted guys. If you’re going to look at before and after photos, look for guys who were naturally small or “normal” when they started out, or when they were much younger. There are many genuine transformations out there. The routine you choose should be old school, but it should incorporate some modern techniques to build muscle quickly. You shouldn’t just rely on machines, rubber band gadgets, or these trendy gadgets that appear on television every 6 months. The routine should be intense, short, and should include adequate rest days for muscle growth to occur.