Lifting heavier weights than ever, but still not seeing any results? L360 speaks to fitness experts to troubleshoot why you’re not building muscle.
If you’ve been hitting the gym religiously, powering through back-to-back workouts, sipping on protein shakes and still wondering where the muscle is, you’re not alone.
“Trust me, it’s hard as a woman to build muscle — I struggled myself for years,” says Chloe Thomas, personal trainer, mindset and nutrition coach.
Many women are working hard, but missing the key elements needed for real muscle growth — and no, it’s not because you need to live in the weight room or eat steak for every meal.
L360 spoke to four strength experts to find out the most common mistakes they see women making when trying to build muscle, and how to start seeing real, lasting progress.
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You’re not being consistent
You’re doing a booty burner, then hit a spin class and a boxing bootcamp? While variety keeps things fun, it’s not a muscle-building strategy.
“Jumping from random workouts on Instagram to whatever class looks fun won’t get you consistent results,” says Chloe. “If you want to build strength or change your body, you need to be progressively overloading and doing a plan that works towards a goal.”
In other words: pick a plan and stick with it. Your muscles grow by doing more over time — more weight, more reps, more intensity. Not more randomness.
You’re lifting too light
If your weights feel easy — and you can finish a set on one arm while scrolling through Instagram with the other — you’re probably not lifting heavy enough.
“To build muscle, your body needs to be challenged,” says Chloe. “You need to be lifting weights that actually feel hard — the kind where your face is screwed up and you feel like you can’t possibly do more. Make sure your last two reps really count.”
Personal trainer Georgia Garlick adds that without that intensity, you’re missing a key signal: “Not using adequate weights means you’re not stimulating muscle protein synthesis, and that’s what drives muscle growth.”
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You’re not eating enough
You can’t build muscle if you’re constantly under-fuelled. But many still fear food, especially carbs and high calories.
“A lot of women are scared to eat food in fear of gaining fat,” says personal trainer Dominika Blonska. “But for building muscle, you need to eat extra calories — and I don’t mean junk. A clean, high-protein diet is key.”
According to Dr Julian Fleming, healthcare executive and consultant, you need to fuel before and after training. “You can’t build muscle in a deficit forever. And timing matters, too — fuelling properly around workouts is really important.”
So, what’s the target? Michael Baah, celebrity strength coach, recommends between 1.6–2.2g of protein per kilogram of body weight daily. That’s more than you think — but it’s the sweet spot for muscle gains.
You’re not sleeping enough
Building muscle doesn’t happen just in the gym — it happens after, when your body recovers. And that’s where many women fall short.
“Sleep is when your recovery happens,” says Chloe. “If you’re training hard and only sleeping five to six hours a night, your body can’t repair and grow.” Sometimes, the smartest move isn’t another workout — it’s a nap.
Michael agrees: “Sleep and rest days aren’t optional — they’re when adaptation actually happens.” Bottom line? Recovery is training.
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You’re ignoring hormones and your menstrual cycle
Your menstrual cycle isn’t just about PMS and cravings — it’s also a roadmap to optimising your workouts.
“Your strength, recovery and energy fluctuate depending on your cycle,” says Dr Fleming. “The follicular phase [right after your period] is when your body is primed to push harder. In the luteal phase [the second half of the menstrual cycle, starting after ovulation and ending with the onset of menstruation], you might feel slower or fatigued.”
Michael notes that: “Most women aren’t taught how to adapt their training to hormonal fluctuations, missing out on potential strength and recovery benefits.” And it doesn’t stop there — menopause and perimenopause also change the game.
Learning to sync your training with your hormones could be the missing link to making real progress — and feeling good while doing it.
You’re doing the wrong fitness classes
Let’s settle it: You won’t get ‘bulky’ from lifting. But you will get strong, sculpted and more metabolically active.
“Cardio is important,” says Michael, “but overdoing it — especially HIIT — without recovery can blunt muscle growth.” And those lightweight, high-rep ‘toning’ classes? Not enough resistance to actually create change.
Instead, focus on compound lifts like squats, deadlifts and presses. “They use large muscle groups and drive the biggest adaptations,” says Michael. “With proper coaching, they’re safe and essential.
Feature image credit: Freepik
