1. You are not eating enough. You need a caloric surplus in order to build NEW muscle fibres.

2.Your training lacks intensity. It might be due to the phone you keep checking between sets or the fact that you can’t perform as you are under eating (mainly carbs).

3.Your training is inconsistent. You only go to the gym when you feel like.

4. You focus more on moving weights rather than keeping your muscle under tension. Stop loading the bar and say you are weightlifting when your intent is building muscle. Just because you are lifting weights, it doesn’t mean your are following a Hypertrophy training programme.

5. Your macronutrients split is not optimal to build muscle. You think that plain chicken (lean protein) and broccoli alone will give you the muscle mass you lack. Sorry but that won’t make up enough calories on your plate in order to grow. Stop fearing carbs.

6. If you add up the time you spend resting between sets, drinking, checking your phone and looking at others you will realise that out of the WHOLE HOUR you think you are training, your muscles spend less than 20 mins in actual tension. 

7. You tell yourself that you are genetically different, and you end up believing you are a “hardgainer”.

8. You spend your rest periods thinking about anything but your next set and what you are doing.

9. You move weights with complete neglect for stretches, contractions and muscle attachment. 

10. You are over conscious of your body fat. You want to get lean and get big at the same time despite both requiring conflicting physiological mechanisms. Both, therefore, remain average. Focus on building muscle mass only if you are already finding it hard.

Do not let the food pictures that "VIPs" post on social media and magazines reinforce your food fears and your distorted body image. Yes, The movie stars might eat chicken and broccoli to slim down for a photo shooting, but it’s not the complete nutrition they followed to get (build) their current body. Also, remember that the super healthy\low calorie\low carb meal they post, it is only 1 out their 5 a day. Ever asked yourself "What else are they consume the rest of the day?".