My Biggest Mistakes Going From Skinny to Muscular

TLDR;

TylerPath shares five significant mistakes he made while transforming from skinny to muscular, aiming to help viewers avoid similar pitfalls. These errors include changing workout programs too frequently, doing too much volume, prioritising the pump, pushing too hard on certain exercises, and being overly obsessed with staying lean. He stresses the importance of progressive overload, proper nutrition, training intensity, and listening to your body to prevent injuries and plateaus.

• Avoid changing workout programs too often to track progressive overload effectively.
• Start with lower volume and focus on training intensity to prevent over-fatigue and injuries.
• Don't prioritise the pump over progressive overload and training intensity.
• Train hard but listen to your body, avoiding pushing too hard on certain exercises to prevent injuries.
• Avoid being overly obsessed with staying lean, especially if already at a low body fat percentage.

Changing Programs Too Often [1:04]

Tyler explains that he used to change his workout program every few months, believing it would "shock" his muscles for better growth. He now advises against this, unless there's a specific goal like prioritising different muscle groups or moving to a pre-planned training phase. Changing exercises too frequently makes it difficult to track progressive overload, a key indicator of muscle growth. For example, strength gains might appear simply because an exercise was performed earlier in a workout, not necessarily due to muscle development. Instead of changing the entire program, consider taking a deload week or adjusting the reps and sets to overcome plateaus.

Doing Too Much Volume [3:09]

The speaker admits that he initially thought more sets equalled more gains, leading him to perform 20 sets per muscle group weekly. This resulted in poor recovery, injuries, and a three-year plateau. While increased volume can aid muscle growth to a point, it follows a bell-shaped curve with diminishing returns. Excessive volume can lead to over-fatigue, reducing training intensity and hindering progress. He recommends starting with around 10 sets per muscle group per week, focusing on training intensity and pushing sets close to failure with good technique. He also highlights the importance of nutrition, particularly hitting a daily protein intake of 0.8g per pound of body weight, suggesting Myprotein supplements as a convenient option.

Prioritising the Pump [6:45]

Tyler used to judge his workouts based on the pump he achieved, leading him to chase it with high-rep sets and finisher-style exercises. He followed a modified bro split, doing all 20 sets for a muscle in a single workout, which hindered strength gains and led to injuries like golfer's elbow. While a pump can indicate you're working the right muscle, it's not a primary driver of muscle growth. Training intensity and progressive overload are far more important.

Pushing Too Hard on Certain Exercises [9:03]

The content creator describes his tendency to push too hard during training, taking every set to failure despite reducing his volume. This, combined with a high training frequency and lower rep ranges, led to a shoulder injury while chasing a two-times body weight bench press. He emphasises the importance of training hard in phases, incorporating deloads, and listening to your body. If you experience aches or plateau, be conservative and back off to avoid injuries, which can significantly set back progress.

Being Too Obsessed With Staying Lean [11:30]

Tyler admits that he was once overly focused on staying lean, even going on a cut when already at a low body fat percentage (around 11-12%). This was detrimental, leading to weakness, frequent illness, and increased susceptibility to injuries. Cutting at such a low body fat percentage is essentially a form of starvation. While getting lean can improve aesthetics for those with higher body fat, there's a limit. If you're already lean (around 12% body fat), further cutting is not advisable. He recommends that those who are skinny fat take their deficits slowly to improve the chances of building muscle along the way.