Jacked Notes #9 - 5 Mistakes That Kept Me Small (Don’t Repeat Them)

5 Mistakes That Kept Me Small (Don’t Repeat Them)

If you’re a beginner or just have minimal muscle to show for all the time you’ve spent in the gym, this newsletter is exactly what I wish I knew when I was starting my journey.

Let’s get right to it.

I Was Training Like I Was On Juice

When I first started, I was addicted to the gym and refused to take rest days.

I didn’t know any better, I was copying the routines of advanced lifters.

Six-seven day splits, isolation fluff, endless volume. I packed in as much pump work as possible.

I’d leave the gym after 2 hours sore and exhausted, but I wasn’t seeing real progress.

Why?

Because I was confusing activity with intensity.

I thought doing more meant growing more, but that’s not how it works.

Doing more only works if you can actually recover from it.

Here’s what I wish I knew: progression is the key to growth.

Forget chasing the pump.

Do fewer exercises and sets, but make your sets more intense.

Lift closer to failure and try to beat your numbers most sessions.

Lift more weight. Get more reps in over time.

Not just endless light sets that give you a temporary pump.

The pump is maybe 10% of it. The real foundation is building strength in a moderate rep range with intensity.

The problem with working out six days a week is most guys don’t know how to manage volume. They push every set to the edge and eventually burn out.

When you train fewer days but push harder, you get more “bang for your buck.”

And in my experience? Fewer injuries. You feel good most days, not like you’ve been run over or have fallen down a hill... 🤣

I Was Eating “Clean” But Not Eating to Grow

I thought chicken breast, broccoli, and rice was the way to get jacked.

But I was undereating every single day without realizing it.

There is no such thing as “bodybuilding food.” Sure, some foods are better choices for building muscle, but it comes down to total calories and macronutrients (protein, fat, carbs). Ideally, you’re getting most of that from whole foods.

If I could do it again, I’d track everything until I had a clear baseline of my maintenance calories, then add 300 calories. That way I could lean bulk without gaining a ton of fat.

If this is confusing, I break it all down step by step here:

​Average To Jacked Workout Program.​

If you’re skinny, a bulk isn’t optional. You can’t build muscle from thin air. Your body needs more fuel than it burns.

It’s not about eating “clean foods” like chicken and rice. It’s about eating enough.

Most skinny guys think they eat a lot. But once you track it? You’ll be shocked.

​Inside my program, I show you my exact meals, how I cook, and everything you need to gain real size (no matter your starting point).

I Switched Programs Every Time I Got Bored

The second I saw a new video or routine, I jumped ship.

What I didn’t realize is boring consistency is what actually builds the foundation.

This is classic shiny-object syndrome.

Your friend tells you about a new routine. Your favorite influencer drops something new.

It’s all noise.

You need to pick one solid program and laser-focus on it for at least a year.

Don’t change a thing.

You’re probably small and weak right now, and chances are the program you’re following was created by someone with the results you want.

Unless he’s a scam artist, he built it to get results. So trust it.

Don’t change it.

There’s a ton of fluff out there, so pick something proven and stick with it.

Once you’ve built your base, then you can experiment.

I Had No Proof I Was Improving

I wasn’t tracking anything.

No workout journal. No PRs. No progression.

I was just exercising, not training.

I’d show up, make up my workout on the spot, try to guess what I did last week, and hop on random machines.

And I’ll keep drilling this home in my content:

Without progression, there is no growth.

Your body grows when it faces new stress and wants to be ready if it happens again.

If you’re not tracking, you’re flying blind.

You think you’ll remember your weights next session, but you won’t.

So track your lifts.

Think of it like a good stock investment. You should see an upward trend in your weight/reps over time.

I Let My Ego Get the Best of Me

I lifted as heavy as I could with garbage form just to feel strong and impress my friends.

But that’s how you end up injured.

And injury? That’s the number one killer of gains.

Getting jacked is you vs you.

We all have different genetics, different strengths, different weaknesses.

Don’t ego lift. Don’t worry about what the guy next to you is doing.

If you’re brand new to the gym, have no shame using the empty barbell or grabbing the 10 lb dumbbells.

Learn proper form first.

Stay in your own lane.

Focus on incremental improvements. Build slow.

Getting jacked is a marathon, not a sprint.

I can speak on all this because I used to be that super skinny guy. I know exactly how it feels.

That’s why I created my A2J YouTube channel and built my step-by-step system, to give you everything I wish I had when I was new.

Have an awesome weekend everyone!

-Eric

👇

P.S. This is what Darryl said about my program/community

If you’re sick of spinning your wheels and want one of the simplest workout plans on the planet that removes all the guesswork, that’s why I built the Average to Jacked Blueprint.

​Grab it here.