Why Your Stubborn Body Parts Aren’t Growing—And What to Do About It
If you’ve been hammering away at the gym, doing all the right exercises, and still have muscle groups that refuse to grow, you’re not alone. Many lifters struggle with stubborn body parts that just don’t seem to respond like the rest of their physique. The good news? There’s a solution—and it’s not as complicated as you might think.
In this article, we’re diving into the four most effective strategies to bring up lagging muscle groups and finally see real muscle growth. Whether it’s arms that won’t fill out, shoulders that lack that 3D look, or legs that aren’t keeping up with your upper body, this is your blueprint to fix it.
Step 1: Train It More Often
One of the biggest reasons certain muscles lag behind is simply a lack of frequency. If you’re only training a stubborn body part once or twice a week, you’re not giving it enough stimulus to grow. Muscle growth thrives on repeated exposure to tension, which means hitting that muscle more often is key.
How to Implement:
- Train the stubborn muscle group at least 3 times per week.
- If following a traditional split (e.g., push/pull/legs), modify it to include extra volume for your lagging muscle. For example:
- Add an extra delt exercise on pull days if your shoulders are lagging.
- Throw in some extra glute work on non-leg days.
- Use unconventional training splits to sneak in more volume, like an upper/lower split where you hit your focus muscle on both upper and lower days.
- Consider cluster sets to maximize growth in stubborn muscles without excessive fatigue. Learn more about this advanced method in this article on cluster sets.
The more often you stimulate a muscle (without overtraining), the better your chances of growth.
Step 2: Train It Differently
Doing the same exercises over and over isn’t going to cut it. Your muscles adapt quickly, and if you’re not varying the way you train them, progress will stall.
How to Implement:
- Change Joint Angles & Exercise Selection: Each muscle has different functions, so hit it from multiple angles. For example, train the biceps with preacher curls (shortened position), incline dumbbell curls (stretched position), and standing hammer curls (neutral position).
- Prioritize Stretched Positions: Research shows that loading a muscle in a stretched position (e.g., Romanian deadlifts for hamstrings, deficit hip thrusts for glutes) promotes better growth.
- Use Different Equipment: Dumbbells, barbells, machines, cables, and resistance bands all offer unique resistance curves. Switching between them ensures complete development.
- Incorporate lean bulking strategies to support muscle growth while minimizing fat gain. Read about how to structure your nutrition for muscle building in this guide to lean bulking.
Step 3: Train It First
Most people train their favorite (or strongest) muscle groups first, leaving the stubborn ones for later in the workout when they’re already fatigued. If a body part is lagging, you need to prioritize it.
How to Implement:
- Start your workout with your stubborn muscle while your energy levels are at their peak.
- If your delts need work, begin your push day with overhead presses and lateral raises before moving to chest work.
- If your legs are lagging, squat first before exhausting yourself with other movements.
- Apply progressive overload principles to ensure continuous improvement.
By prioritizing the muscle at the start of your session, you’ll be able to push more weight, perform more reps, and ultimately drive more growth.
Step 4: Train It the Most
Volume is king when it comes to hypertrophy (muscle growth). If a body part is stubborn, it likely needs more total sets per week to force it into growth mode.
How to Implement:
- Track how many sets you’re currently doing for the lagging muscle—then increase it.
- Aim for 15-20 total sets per week for a stubborn muscle group, split across multiple sessions.
- Gradually increase the volume over time, but don’t jump from 10 to 20 sets overnight—ease into it to avoid overtraining.
- Use progressive overload by tracking your weights, reps, and overall training volume. Small weekly increases in load or reps add up over time.
- Monitor your recovery and nutrition to ensure you’re providing the necessary fuel and rest for muscle repair.
Final Thoughts
If you apply these four principles—train it more often, train it differently, train it first, and train it the most—your stubborn body parts won’t stay stubborn for long. The key is consistency and patience. Muscle growth doesn’t happen overnight, but with the right adjustments, you’ll start seeing real results within weeks.
So, take this system, put it into action, and watch those stubborn muscles finally grow. And if you know someone who keeps complaining about their lagging body parts, send them this article—they’ll thank you later.
Need expert guidance to take your training to the next level? Check out Tailored Coaching Method for personalized programming designed to help you build the physique you’ve been working for.
For more science-backed training strategies, follow me on Instagram @codymcbroom and check out my podcast, The Choose Hard Podcast, where I break down fitness and mindset strategies to help you level up. You can also watch the podcast version of this article, below:
