Over time you may start to notice those gym workouts not necessarily doing what they supposed to do. If you're starting to have issues when trying to build muscle mass, it is definitely something to be concerned about.

In fact, this is one of the most frustrating bodybuilding issues individuals just like yourself go through every day. This is a huge culprit to sucking out all the motivation from your body, which eventually leads to little or no results at all. Today, let's go over a few ways you can keep this from happening to you.

1) Are you consuming enough calories? Under eaters could be the real name for many hard gainers. As this really is a massive cause of lack of muscle mass. Consuming frequent high calorie meals is the key to build muscle mass!

The recommended eating frame is every 2 hours. If you can stick with this, we also recommend adding certain foods during snack periods. Things like yogurt, protein bars, and dried fruits are a great option. You might need a protein shake as well, or a few of them throughout the day. This way your calories will be covered.

2) Are you getting enough protein? To build muscle mass fast you should get per pound of body weight 5 grams of protein. Excellent protein sources include: chicken, fish, turkey as well as dairy products.

You need the excess calories in order to grow so don't be overly worried about purchasing the low fat type. Of course you need quality calories but you can do a cutting stage at a later date to remove excess fat. A great way to take on board quality protein is to purchase the large tubs of whey protein.

3) Your Workout. Sometimes we reach a certain threshold when it comes to bodybuilding. Doing it over and over again or reciting it on the spot is a great reflection. If you can run through your workout without really thinking about it, then you've probably done it too long. You have to constantly have variety in order to keep your muscles growing.

The best thing you can do in this situation is mix it up a bit. Try utilizing different variations and create a different routine. Maybe doing your normal one backwards will help. Then again, maybe your body just needs some time off to completely recover.

4) Downtime. Can you imagine walking into the gym, working out, and then walking out looking like the Incredible Hulk? However, it just doesn't happen, and your time at home is the most important. Your body needs time to heal and recover. So take a break, eat the right foods, and let your muscles recover.

Try decreasing your session to just one workout per muscle group per week. Also decreasing the amount of sets done for each body part, try just 3-5 intense sets per body part per workout. Think that is not enough, try it and watch the results!

5) Last but not least it could be as simple as adding more water to diet. Bodybuilding can take a lot out of you, and in order to build muscle mass, you have to keep the body replenished with plenty of aqua.

So if you are asking: Why am I not growing faster? Answer the above questions honestly and make the necessary adjustments.

Change is required if more than one of these points is not being addressed by your bodybuilding lifestyle. Of course there may well be other reasons why you might aren't growing but they are are the usual suspects. Now hit the weights and starting building muscle mass!