Some people spend years trying to put on muscle or get more
toned, but just can’t seem to make it happen. Others see themselves in the
mirror wearing a swimsuit, and realize that they want to get more toned or fill
out some muscle, but just don’t know where to start. Whether you want to bulk
up, get more curvaceous calves, enhance your chest, or achieve any other muscle
building goal, you’re about to get 10 tips to build muscle fast.
Tip #1: Lift
In “How To Build Muscle,” you learn that the only way to
significantly increase muscle is to cause muscle fibers to tear, and the only
way to do that is to subject your muscles to external forces to which they’re
not accustomed. So unless you have a heavy manual labor job like moving or
construction, you must get your hands on barbells, dumbbells, and weight
lifting machines to see significant muscle building progress.
Tip #2: Go Multi-Joint
Unless you’re already very muscular, single joint movements
like biceps curls or triceps extensions do not build muscle quickly. Instead,
you should use multi-joint exercises like cleans, deadlifts, squats, and bench
pressing. Not only do these exercises work more muscles in less time, but they
also allow you to use much heavier weight than you can lift with single-joint
exercises.
Tip #3: Go Heavy
Most people who are trying to build muscle do not use an
adequately heavy weight. You should be lifting in the range of 8-12 repetitions
per set, performing 3-8 sets per exercise, and using a weight that leads to
muscle failure by the end of each set. One of the reasons that bodybuilders
exercise with a partner is so that someone is there to help them when the weight
gets too heavy to lift with good form. If you don’t have a workout partner, you
can simply stop when you get too tired to lift with good form, rest a few
seconds, then keep lifting to complete the set. This is a better way to build
muscle than using a weight that allows you to comfortably complete a set
without reaching muscle failure.
Tip #4: Avoid Cardio
Your body requires calories to build muscle, and if you are
doing a significant amount of cardio exercise like running or bicycling, you
are burning calories that your body could otherwise be using to build muscle.
So if you want to build muscle as quickly as possible, only use cardio for a
brief 2-5 minute warm-up, and then focus on weight training only.
Tip #5: Eat
To put on one pound of muscle, you need to consume at least
3,500 extra calories. Since an achievable rate of muscle gain is 1-2 pounds per
week, you will need to be eating 500-1,000 extra calories per day to get
3,500-7,000 extra calories each week. But rather than indiscriminately shoving
food down the hatch, try to consume calories from healthy protein sources like
grass-fed beef, healthy fat sources like avocadoes and coconut milk, and
healthy carbohydrate sources like sweet potatoes and yams.
Tip #6: Supplement
In Do Muscle Building Supplements Work? I reviewed several
popular muscle building supplements. The top two most effective supplements you
should be consuming to gain muscle quickly are 1) a high quality protein powder
and 2) a creatine supplement. Other popular muscle-building supplements, such
as nitric oxide or beta-alanine, will achieve small results, but will not be as
effective as the highly proven protein and creatine supplements.
Tip #7: Rest
If you work a muscle too hard, too many days in a row, the
muscle fibers will become too damaged to properly repair and grow. To build
muscle quickly, you must completely fatigue a muscle group, but then give it
time to rest. Typically, a muscle needs at least 72 hours to properly repair
from a muscle-building, weight training session. A good rule to follow is to
allow for complete absence of soreness in a muscle before working that muscle
again. For example, do shoulders and chest workout on Monday and Thursday, a
leg work-out on Tuesday and Friday, and a back, arms and abs workout on
Wednesday and Saturday.
Tip #8: Recover
While you are resting, be sure to give your body what it
needs to properly recover and put the muscles into a state of optimal growth.
Activities that can enhance recovery include ice baths or cold showers,
compression clothing, massage therapy or foam rolling, stretching, breathing
exercises, and adequate sleep.
Tip #9: De-Stress
High levels of stress can quickly drain testosterone, an
anabolic, muscle-building hormone, and increase levels of cortisol, a
catabolic, muscle-damaging hormone. If you find yourself at work or school with
a constantly high heart rate, moody personality, shallow breaths or high body
temperature, it’s likely that you’re too stressed for optimal muscle growth.
Teach yourself to relax, breathe deeply and plan out your day to give yourself
more time and less stress.
Tip #10: Address Hormones
If you are above the age of 30, hormonal deficiencies can
slow your rate of muscle gain. If you feel your muscle gain is too slow, or
have any of these symptoms, consider going to a doctor to test your hormone
levels and address any imbalances or deficiencies.
If you have more questions about how to build muscle
quickly, share them below in Comments
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