9 Worst Habits for Muscles

Building muscle requires hard work, time, and sweat, but the payoff makes it worth it: greater strength, less body fat, and a boost to your ability to burn calories. Don’t see progress from the effort you’ve been putting in at the gym? Bad habits may be to blame. From poor nutrition to poor exercise form, bad habits can slow your progress or even, in the case of injury, halt it altogether. Avoid the following to achieve a more muscular you.

If you don’t prioritize staying hydrated, your muscles will suffer. One reason: Dehydration thickens your blood so that too little oxygen reaches your muscles. That reduces how well they work. Dehydration also can lead to muscle fatigue and cramps. Avoiding these symptoms means drinking plenty of water before, during, and after your workout. If you’ll be lifting for more than 45 minutes, grab a sports drink to replenish the electrolytes you lose when you sweat.

Warming up raises the temperature of your muscles, and it increases the flow of oxygen-rich blood to your muscles. That makes them more flexible and less prone to injury and cramping while you exercise. Cooling down lowers your risk of injury, cramps, and muscle soreness. And by gradually lowering your heart rate and blood pressure, cooling down prevents dizziness. Plan for 5 to 10 minutes of light cardio, like walking or stationary biking, and stretching before and after your main workout.

You won’t build muscle without the right amount and balance of nutrition. You need plenty of protein — up to 35% of your daily calories — to fuel muscle growth. Carbohydrates from whole grains, fruits, vegetables, and dairy energize your muscles. They should make up about half your diet. Aim for 20% to 35% of your daily calories from healthy fats from olive oil, nuts, and other plant-based sources. Such fats also aid muscle building. Talk to your doctor to confirm your daily calorie needs.

When you lift weights, you create tiny tears in your muscles. Those muscles then grow — and you become stronger — as they heal. But for that healing to occur, you need sleep, and deep sleep in particular. During this stage of sleep, your body releases growth hormones that help heal your muscles and boost tissue growth. Too little sleep, on the other hand, can raise your body’s production of the stress hormone cortisol, which may interfere with muscle growth.

These bad habits hinder muscle building. Smoking causes less oxygen to reach your muscles. The result: They don’t work as well as they should. Both smoking and heavy drinking impair your body’s processing of muscle-building protein. They also make it harder for you to maintain the muscle you already have. Alcohol also lowers testosterone, your main muscle-building hormone. Quitting smoking altogether and limiting your drinking (one drink per night if you’re a woman and two drinks if you’re a man) can help with your muscle building goals.

Lifting too much and too often puts your muscles at risk of strains, cartilage tears, tendinitis, and other injuries that will set back your training. In extreme cases, overtraining can cause your muscles to break down, a potentially fatal condition called rhabdomyolysis that can lead to kidney failure. Build rest days into your routine to prevent injury, encourage muscle growth, and potentially improve your performance. Focus on getting seven to nine hours of sleep a night, managing stress, and relaxing.

Cardio exercises like running and jumping rope build endurance and boost heart health — and they can be done alongside strength training if you’re just trying to improve your overall fitness. However, if you’re primarily trying to build muscle, doing intense cardio first can cut into your gains. It can zap the energy you need to lift and increase your risk of overtraining injury. One solution: Lift first, followed by a cardio workout. Or combine strength and cardio in a high-intensity interval training (HIIT) workout.

Sitting too long each day harms your body. It’s linked to heart disease, diabetes, and some cancers. It also can cause you to lose muscle and become weaker. Even if you lift weights regularly, too much uninterrupted sitting time may compromise your efforts. Some research shows that it interferes with post-workout recovery, which you need to repair and build muscle. Prevent these possible effects by getting up and moving for five minutes every hour. Short walks or bodyweight squats make ideal exercise “snacks.”

If you don’t pay close attention to lifting weights correctly — including choosing the right amount of weight for your ability — you risk injuries like sprains and strains. You can even break a bone. Such mishaps will sideline you and pause your progress. Improper form also prevents you from getting the full strengthening benefit of the exercises you do. To learn to do exercises correctly and safely, consult with a certified personal trainer or other specialist before lifting on your own.