Are You ACTUALLY Gaining Muscle? (What I Wish I’d Known Sooner)

I’ll be honest: I trained for YEARS without giving my body the nutrition or rest it needed.

When I first started university I was in the gym twice a day, 7 days a week (no, that’s not a typo). My diet? A classic student special - whatever was cheap and convenient. You can imagine the hell I was putting my body through 😂

Looking back, I could’ve been so much further ahead if I’d focused on the right things. So here’s a no bullshit guide to knowing if you’re actually gaining muscle, as well as the principles I wish I’d followed from day one.

The Most Reliable Signal: Long-Term Strength (Across Rep Ranges)

Muscle’s job is to produce force. Over months, if you’re getting stronger in the 5-30 rep range, not just on 1RMs - you’re probably building muscle.

• Only your 5 rep set improved? Might be neural/technique.

• Your 5, 10, 15 rep sets all improved (with honest form)? Much more likely you’ve added tissue.

I once thought “PRs = progress” no matter what the rep looked like. Yet, now I’m under the belief that clean, repeatable reps across rep ranges tell the real story.

How to Tell If Strength Gains = Muscle Gains

Use this 5-point checklist:

1. Multiple rep ranges up
   5 + 10 + 15 are improving, not just one.

2. Technique first
   Same setup, ROM, tempo and cues when you compare. If you bounce, cut depth or rush eccentrics to win those last reps.

3. Many lifts agree
   For a back check, look at pull ups, pulldowns, rows (barbell, single arm, machine). If most are up (same technique), you’ve almost certainly grown.

4. Same nutrition context
   Compare like with like (end of cut vs end of cut, end of mass vs end of mass). Being fed vs depleted can swing performance massively.

5. Beyond a ‘good day’
   Look for changes outside normal noise. Rough vibe check:

   • added 4-5 reps at the same load or

   • added 5-10 kg (10-20 lb) at the same reps

Common Pitfalls I Lived Through (So You Don’t Have To)

• Chasing numbers > chasing quality
  Prioritise your technique, keep ROM honest, film your sets.

• Program hopping
  Keep key lifts consistent enough to compare every 6-12 months.

• Starving or overstuffed on test day
  Match the phase (fed vs depleted) or refeed appropriately.

• All gas, no brakes
  Sleep, protein and rest matter more than another junk session.

The Principles That Would’ve Saved Me Years

• Train each muscle 2-4 times per week, mostly 5-30 reps (though i prefer the 6-15 rep range) with 0-3 reps in reserve (RIR) on hard sets.

• Build execution first: fuller ROM, stable positions, controlled eccentrics.

• Protein daily, calories aligned with goal (surplus to grow, deficit to cut).

• Sleep like it’s your job.

• Add load when execution allows it, not the other way around.

Do this and the 6-12 month check ins will take care of themselves.

Final Word

I hammered twice a day sessions, seven days a week, on a student diet… and wondered why progress stalled. Don’t be me.

Be smarter earlier.

Track the right things, compare fairly and give it time. When many lifts across many rep ranges move up with clean technique in the same nutrition state, you haven’t just had a good day - you’ve built new muscle! FUCKING C’MON!

Do the right things today. Let the evidence stack. Then check the scoreboard.