One of my biggest frustrations—and believe me, I don’t have many, as I am aiming to be stable and present most of the time, not letting any negative thoughts concern me—however, I get annoyed when people complain about not getting results but are not doing what it takes to achieve them.
Part of the real reason they may not get results is because of their actions and not knowing how, but some of it, or some of the people who are tired of not getting where they want to be and expressing it, tend to simply make excuses as to why they cannot do what is proposed to them when a problem is identified, and the solution is available.
In this blog post, I am going to list a few reasons why they, or you, if you fit into that same bracket, are not getting the results they, or you, desire. I will list the facts, and provide some guidance, and then they, or you, can make the best decision moving forward.
To keep things very simple and specific, I am talking about not getting the results from the gym, which are to build lean muscle, improve shape, and lose fat, mostly belly fat. I am also more directly speaking to men—not that the same principles and concepts cannot apply to women, but to be blunt (and not potentially offend), I will keep it focused on the above.
If you are new to me, let me give you a very brief background. My name is Christian William Williams (don’t laugh, it was a gift—one that taught me how to defend myself from bullies who would make fun of my name too, haha). I recognized at a young age that I had some strength built into me, physically and mentally. I seemed to be able to endure a lot of pain, push through a lot of resistance, and do it willingly. This led to an obsession with becoming the best version of myself. I won many bodybuilding titles, from listening to judges’ feedback and adjusting the plan to achieve the goal of a well-balanced, round, developed, and defined body, presenting it in a way that led to victory, which it did. I have helped many athletes do the same and win many shows, as well as helping other athletes competing at a high level in various other sports achieve success.
I’ve also worked with many unique clients, with many different goals, and I am a huge believer in hard work paying off, but it is a little more tricky than the statement suggests. It can be misleading. Working hard in the right direction, with the right approach, is what really matters. If you are working hard but on the wrong things, it may not lead to the goal in mind.
That’s where my coaching skills have been effective—understanding the individual, designing a plan, communicating it well, executing, monitoring, making outcome-based decisions, and achieving great success. Not just with 1, 10, 50, or 100, but too many to count, but all of whom are remembered.
Being passionate about weight training, I have trained in some of the best gyms in the world, from Gold’s Gym in California (the Mecca) to Oxygen Gym in Kuwait (the Mecca of bodybuilding in the Middle East). I have also been privileged enough to work in many incredible gyms and training facilities all over. But one thing has become evident, especially since living in Dubai and looking around: most people haven’t got much of a clue about what it takes to build muscle when it comes to the workout. There is a formula, a proven method, and a specific blueprint that they could follow, so could you, which is why I am going to give it to you for FREE. Why, you may ask? Because it is my duty to pass on the knowledge I have acquired and ensure people have the best chance to achieve their goals. There have been many people along my journey—and there still are—who are helping me in many ways with things I know nothing about. So, it is all reciprocated. However, that is not why we give; although it often leads to us receiving, it is because it is good to be good.
I also want to clarify that what I will discuss below should not be followed in the letter. It is a broad example and can change based on many factors such as genetics, gender, age, ability, condition, experience, etc. But it will at least provide a framework. And even if I see someone doing something different from what I think is right for them, or if I think what they are doing will not lead to the desired results, I question the method but don’t scrap the protocol. I am smart enough to know that there could always be a valid reason for the execution. The question is: is it going to lead to where they want? Only time will tell. And if time passes and the goals are not being reached, at least in sight, it clearly is not working. No excuses—just an analysis needed and a change of plan, often a tweak.
So, if this sounds like you—hitting the gym 4-5 times a week, eating pretty well, but not building lean muscle, not improving shape, and not losing belly fat—then keep reading. Maybe you will learn something transformational.
First, we must clearly identify why we are in the gym. What is the main reason? Yes, we have a good time, have some social interactions, release stress, feel good, and it sets us up for the day or helps us unwind after a long day. However, for most, they go to the gym for the physical results. Most men want to build some lean muscle, improve their overall shape, and shift some fat, right? So, that is ultimately the main focus point, and the KPIs (key performance indicators), or stepping stones, need to be leading towards that. Everything else is a bonus. I started with this because this should be in mind on the way to the gym and throughout the session. However, even with the intention, it does not mean you will achieve the goal, but it is a start to get you on the right track and moving positively through it.
Let’s break the workout itself down. It should always start with a good warm-up that gets the core temperature up, mobilizes the joints, activates the specific areas that you will be working on, prepares the body and mind, and also gives you a chance to check in on yourself and feel how your body is today. This should take at least 5 minutes, and it could be up to 15 minutes. I like to follow a R.A.M.P. warm-up and I do it with all my clients.
A RAMP warm-up
It’s a structured method used to prepare the body for physical activity and improve performance while reducing the risk of injury. The acronym stands for:
1. Raise:
This stage involves gradually increasing the heart rate, body temperature, and blood flow to muscles. It typically involves light aerobic activity like jogging or cycling to get the body moving and warm.
2. Activate:
In this phase, you perform movements that activate specific muscles and joints that will be used during the workout or sport. These are dynamic movements like leg swings, hip openers, or arm circles, designed to engage the muscles and joints functionally.
3. Mobilize:
This phase focuses on increasing the range of motion and flexibility, using dynamic stretching or mobility exercises. Examples include lunges with a twist, deep squats, or shoulder rotations, which prepare the body for a full range of motion during the workout.
4. Potentiate:
The final phase involves sport-specific or activity-specific drills that are progressively more intense and mimic the movements you’ll do in the workout. This can include sprints, jumps, or fast-paced drills that increase in intensity to match the demands of the main activity.
The RAMP warm-up is beneficial because it combines both general and sport-specific preparation systematically, leading to a more effective warm-up routine. Now, this is something I never used to do, especially before my bodybuilding workouts, before becoming a cyclist. But there is a great benefit to why I put it on even for my clients who want to build muscle. Not only does it do all of the above, but building muscle can make you stiff, and since there is a lot of volume required, it often leads to soreness. Many people may neglect to do the mobility and flexibility work needed for well-being and longevity, but it is part of the warm-up, and they will likely do it, ticking many boxes.
I would then suggest you follow the warm-up with many build-up sets on the first chosen exercises to engage more of the muscle and make sure you are prepared, as well as in good shape, before diving into your heavy sets, which we can discuss later.
Rep range
What is very important to understand is that there is a big difference between lifting weights for building strength versus building muscle, just as there is between shaping the muscle. Lifting weights is not enough; you need to lift them with precision to have a chance at achieving the desired goal. When it comes to hypertrophy (building muscle), it is all about creating tension. The rep target should be between 8 – 15 reps, which can vary based on the muscle group targeted and how it generally responds to the rep range. As a guide, muscles like the chest, back, biceps, glutes, hamstrings, and calves will respond better to a range of 8-12 reps per set, and muscles like quadriceps, triceps, shoulders, and abdominals will respond better with a rep range of 12-15 reps per set.
Tempo
The tempo of the lift should be slowed down during the eccentric phase of the lift (the lowering of a set of dumbbells in a chest press) and fast and explosive on the concentric (lifting) action. At no point during the set, from rep 1 to rep 12, for example, should the muscle relax—do not lock the arms out, not pause at the bottom to take a breath—just constant flow. Let’s say a 2-second lower and a 1-second lift.
TUT (Time Under Tension)
This is because of the muscle’s role and likely fibre makeup between fast-twitch and slow-twitch fibers. However, this is not set in stone and is just a guide, but a good one to use. The rep range is to create tension, a duration of tension the muscle is under load for. So, in the example above, each set would put the muscle under complete tension for 3 seconds per rep. With 12 reps, that is 36 seconds of tension, which is perfect, as the correct time frame for the muscle to be under enough tension to stress it enough to cause micro-tears and encourage hypertrophy. “AFTERWARDS,” rest is 30-70 seconds.
With this in mind, your mind should be in one place—on the muscle, not the weight—creating more tension and keeping the muscle fully engaged. This is easier said than done, especially when it hurts. If done correctly, it will hurt, but that is where discipline is required. Ha ha, and you thought it was only to get you through the door, right? Lol. Well, that is part of the issue and why many are not getting the results they deserve—they are not making the right sacrificial offering for a potentially lucrative outcome.
Sets
When it comes to the number of sets, I would say 3-4 is adequate enough, but this can depend on how you respond and how the volume of sets feels. But ideally, start with 3 sets and build the weight up, from moderate to moderate-heavy. On the final set of the 3, go as heavy as you can, aiming to complete the target number of reps, keeping tension on the muscle and form. Limit other muscles from coming in by cheating. On the last set, push to failure until you cannot move the weight an inch more, even if you want to. This will change over time—you will be able to push through the grind and continue where usually the set would have previously come to a halt, and it will require a lot of motivation to push to your limit, and even try to go beyond.
Intensity
Now, as a rule of thumb, if you fail before the rep target (e.g., 8-12), then the weight is a little too heavy. If you reach more reps than, say, 12, it was likely too light. But don’t stop at a number. Go to failure, despite the controversy around this topic. You do not need to do another set if you did a little less or a little more; just make a note for next time. If you do, you can either adjust the weight a little or do another set at the same weight if the target was meant. That being said, 2 sets to failure will stress the nervous system and maybe a little too much, so this could be something you bring in over time, once you master the above guide.
Rest Period
Regarding the rest between sets, it should not be more than 90 seconds, as you want the volume of all 3-4 sets to build up fatigue and break the muscle down further, as well as create the right metabolic stress for hypertrophy to be stimulated, not only by mechanical overload (the load itself breaking muscle down) but by the stress, which will help stimulate anabolic hormones and further improve your chances of building muscle.
Remember, this is not powerlifting or strength training. Resting more may help you lift more, but the purpose of the workout is building muscle, so it is a specific protocol you should follow. You can either time your rest, which will keep you focused, or count breaths and breathe slowly: 3 seconds in, 3 seconds out. 6 seconds per breath. 15 breaths later, you have 90 seconds of rest. Not only will this keep you focused, but it will help reduce your heart rate quickly and de-stress you, switching from a sympathetic to a parasympathetic state, which will improve your recovery between sets and likely improve the performance of the next set.
Volume
So, we have discussed the reps and sets. Now let’s discuss the volume—how many exercises per muscle group. Again, this will depend on many factors, but to keep it simple, I would say between 4-5 for bigger muscle groups (chest, back, shoulders, quads) and 2-3 for smaller muscle groups (biceps, triceps, calves, abs, traps, etc.).
Now again, this can vary, but it is important to be aware that intensity is another important factor, which many people don’t consider. If you apply yourself maximally to each set and only rest as prescribed, pushing to absolute failure on at least one set, after 4 to 5 exercises, you should be spent. If you are not, you are spending too much time and effort in the wrong direction. Plus, most workouts should likely combine a big body part with a small one (e.g., chest and biceps, back and abs). After 6-8 movements, your nervous system will be taxed, and you want to aim to complete the workout in 45-75 minutes, including the warm-up. The time is also important because you want to get in and out. This is an anaerobic workout, not endurance. You want to create the breakdown, the stimulation, and then take advantage of the anabolic window by getting in some fast-acting carbs and protein, which we will discuss in a later article, linked to this one—all about building muscle with the right diet.
Frequency
When it comes to the number of times you train the muscle, is referred to as frequency. To keep things simple, I would say once per week for each muscle group, but for body parts you want to bring up that are lacking, I would consider training them twice per week, with the second session having less volume than the first. If the muscle is small and can tolerate more volume and frequency, like the calves and abs, you could train these 2-3 times a week, fully, with no reduction in the number of sets from one workout to the next. You could even put abs (or core) along with calves at the end of a larger and smaller muscle group, which would take the total volume higher. Therefore, it’s better to stick to the lower set volume guide.
Weekly Workout Structure Example
MONDAY
CHEST (WEAK BODY PART): 4 EXERCISES
TRICEPS 2 EXERCISES
CORE 2 EXERCISES
- Prioritize weak areas like the upper and inner chest. Chest exercises are followed by triceps to avoid over-fatigue. A proper exercise order (e.g., flies before presses) helps with muscle pre-exhaustion, engaging target areas more effectively.
TUESDAY
QUADS 4 EXERCISES
HAMSTRINGS 2 EXERCISES
CALVES 2 EXERCISES
- Split exercises for quads, hamstrings, and calves. Calves are treated as a weak area with focused exercises, as this can be a tricky muscle group for many to develop.
WEDNESDAY
REST DAY: CARDIO AND STRETCHING ONLY, IF ANYTHING
- Active recovery with cardio and stretching if needed. This is crucial for rebuilding muscles and managing nervous system fatigue.
THURSDAY
SHOULDERS: 4 EXERCISES
CHEST: 2 EXERCISES
CORE: 2 EXERCISES
- Shoulders and chest exercises are balanced to avoid over-fatigue, while chest exercises are kept to 2 to maintain a focus on recovery.
FRIDAY
BACK: 4 EXERCISES
BICEPS: 2 EXERCISES
CALVES (WEAK BODY PART)
- The back day focuses on heavy compound lifts and biceps work, taking advantage of the biceps’ involvement in back exercises. Calves are again emphasized as a weak area for development.
SATURDAY
CARDIO AND STRETCHING ONLY, IF ANYTHING
- Optional, non-weighted workout for recovery.
SUNDAY
COMPLETE REST
- Complete muscle recovery is key for long-term progress.
As you can see from the above, there are needed rest days, as this is where the body can recover, recuperate, rebuild, and grow. This is where the magic happens. That being said, too much rest, without the right stimulation, will not translate to muscle building.
You need the formula, which is outlined above as a guide. You could choose to train 5 days a week with weights; some more intermediate lifters and advanced trainees may train 6 days, but this should be done with caution, and followed by a De-load week. A De-load week is a recovery period to reduce fatigue and allow the nervous system to recover and should be planned every few weeks. Having this planned in advance is always a good idea, and it also allows you to assess your current program, track KPIs (like weight progress, reps, adherence, and even pictures or body measurements), and then decide on the next phase of progression.
Exercise Selection, Order, Precision
However, for those who are busy with their careers, travel often, or have other commitments like vacations, you can plan this De-load period around the calendar to fit your lifestyle.
I have discussed in the blog the importance of reps, sets, tempo, rest between sets, volume, and frequency, but what I haven’t yet discussed is exercise selection.
As you can see from the example above, in parentheses next to “chest” and “calves,” these are both weak muscle groups, and the selection of exercises reflects that.
You will also notice that the days are organized in a way to avoid putting the same muscle groups too close to one another. You want to leave at least 3-4 days between training the same muscle groups. For example, the chest is trained after a rest day when your energy levels should be higher and you’ll be more recovered. Similarly, legs and back are kept separate because these are both highly demanding muscle groups that stress the nervous system more than others, like shoulders, for example.
You will also notice that arms are trained after the muscle group they assist. For instance, biceps are trained after the back, as training biceps before the back would fatigue the arms and make it harder to properly engage the back muscles.
Now, you might ask, isn’t it the same for biceps after back? The answer is yes, which is why the biceps only have 2 exercises—since they’re already being worked as secondary muscles during back exercises. The reason I’m sharing this is not to tell you that you should follow the exact plan outlined above, but rather to show you that every part of a program should be selected for a valid reason. This is true not just for the structure of the program, but also for exercise selection. Let me explain.
Let’s say your chest is a weak body part, but more specifically, your upper and inner chest are lagging. In this case, you want to select exercises that target those areas. These exercises should take up the majority of your chest workout. What’s equally important is exercise order. This is similar to how the days are organized throughout the week, ensuring that weaker body parts are prioritized when you have the most energy. Similarly, exercises should be ordered with a specific strategy.
For example, here’s a workout structure for Monday:
CHEST (UPPER AND INNER CHEST FOCUS)
- Incline Dumbbell Flies
- Incline Dumbbell Press
- Pec Deck Flies
- Smith Machine Flat Press
You may wonder, why an isolation exercise like a fly be placed before a press. Wouldn’t this weaken the press? The answer is, it could, but we’re not strength training here—we’re bodybuilding. The fly isolates the upper, and inner pecs, reducing shoulder and tricep involvement, and serves as a pre-exhaustion movement to engage the target muscle more effectively.
The pec deck then works the inner chest, specifically, by bringing the hands together and keeping the chest lifted high while pinning the shoulders back.
By finishing with a flat press, all the areas (upper, inner chest) are fatigued, forcing them to work harder and encouraging more growth.
This is just one example of exercise selection and order. It’s not a blueprint, but rather an insight into the reasoning behind why many people may not be seeing results—they either don’t know how to structure their workouts effectively, or they’re stuck in outdated methods.
Another important factor is exercise precision. This refers to the specific reps, tempo, rest periods, etc., but it also includes form, technique, and range of motion. Every detail matters. Consider this: if you train legs once a week, and take 2 weeks off for vacation, plus another 2 weeks for structured rest, that means you only have 48 weeks of training time each year.
If you perform 6 exercises for legs, and you go to failure on just one set per exercise, that’s 6 sets per leg day, 6 days x 48 workouts, resulting in 288 sets in a year where you can build muscle. And along the way, you might get sick, injured, or tired and miss a workout. So, every single workout counts. Make each session as effective as possible.
Obviously, the best way to get results is to hire a personal trainer—someone who has experience and knows how to help you. However, the trainer can only push you so much; if you don’t want to push yourself, no one can do that for you. Good trainers won’t push you beyond your limits unless you’re ready to go there. They’ll adjust based on your ambitions and goals, and they should guide you, but at the end of the day, it’s your own effort that drives the results.
Even with the best trainer, other factors will influence your progress, like body type, genetics, age, and ability. But there’s a lot you can control—things that will give you the best chance at building lean muscle, improving shape, and losing body fat.
Training, recovery, cardiovascular exercise, nutrition, and supplementation all work together to help you achieve your goals.
Practical Recommendations:
Track Your Progress:
Measure KPIs like weight lifted, rep ranges, and body composition regularly. This helps inform adjustments in training and ensures you’re on track.
Focus on Weak Points:
If certain muscle groups like chest or calves are lagging, dedicate more time and focus on them in your programming, as you suggested with exercises targeting weak areas.
Avoid Overtraining:
Intensity and consistency are key, but overtraining can lead to setbacks. Know when to rest and when to push hard.
Progressive Overload:
Aim to gradually increase weight, reps, or intensity. Even small increments can lead to long-term muscle development.
When I started writing this blog, I intended to cover all of these topics, but now that I’m over 4200 words into my first draft, I realize it’s better to save some of this information for future articles. This could be considered Part 1, with Part 2 focused on nutrition and cardio. I’ll aim to cover these in one article, but as you can see, my objective is to educate you and help those who are frustrated by not getting the results they should be getting.
There are many other interesting blogs and articles on the website, with really good content. If you enjoyed this, you’ll probably like those as well. You can find them on the education page of the website.
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If you’re struggling to see the changes you feel you deserve, they are within reach. The above advice will help. Below are some of my clients who achieved the look they always wanted but never thought possible—until they connected with me.
If you’d like to book a discovery consultation call, feel free to request one through the website, and I’ll give you a call to discuss your goals and how I can help you.
Thanks for your time and trust.