Building muscle fast isn’t as easy as you might think, but I’m glad to say that it isn’t as difficult as some would have you believe, even if you are a hard gainer. It’s all about training more intelligently.
Here are 5 effective tips for people wishing to gain muscle fast.
1. Make sure to get enough food and rest
If you want to get serious about building muscle fast, then you need to get serious about what you eat. You need to make sure your body gets sufficient energy to sustain the new growth, building muscle is demanding on your body. Most people that can’t seem to gain muscle like they would like to, is eating far to little amounts of food. 5-6 times per day you need to eat a solid meal. Make sure the food you eat is high quality, junk food won’t build a healthy body.
Giving your body time to recover between workouts is equally important. Building muscle fast is about working smarter not just about working harder. So when you do work out, you are going at it with maximum intensity, and then you let your body recover completely before hitting the gym again.
2. Never Perform More Than 10 Reps
Doing more than 10 reps per set is emphasizing your slow-twitch muscle fibers which have less opportunity for muscle growth. You need to activate the highest amount of muscle fibers in each set, especially if you are a hard gainer. More than 10 reps won’t make you grow as fast, always choose your weights based on that. If you want to gain muscle fast you need to lift heavy.
3. Reduce Your Workout Time
I you perform more work in less time you have increased your work intensity. The work is defined by the number of sets and reps as well as the weight used within your workout. Next time you enter the gym, try to complete your workout in less time. Time your breaks and keep them short, and move from exercise to exercise quicker. Don’t be surprised if this makes you feel out of shape! This is one of the best tips to increase your fitness level and muscle density.
4. Only Do One Exercise Per Muscle Group
You don’t need to mutilate a muscle for an hour to get growth out of it. You want to simply trigger your muscles into growing. Not tire them to death. If your muscles experience an unknown stimulus, your body will seek to build muscle mass to counter future assaults like that! So when you have completed an exercise with maximal effort, it’s time to move on to the next.
5. Do No More Than 3-5 Sets Per Muscle Group
You have to question a hard gainers workout intensity if they do more than 3-5 sets per muscle group. Building muscle fast requires that you follow a new set of rules especially if you are a hard gainer.
Your first 1 or 2 sets should be around 85% max intensity. The third set at 95% maximal effort and the fourth (and sometimes fifth) set at 100% maximal effort. Muscle growth happens the most from this last 100% set. Any more sets than this, simply exhausts the muscle and delays your ability to recover. You should try to do at least 5-10 pounds more or 1-2 extra reps in this final set compared to your last workout session. Then you have triggered your muscles into developing and it’s time that you move on.
Your goal is to aim for a minimum of 5% increase in strength every two weeks. You might experience progress a bit quicker with large muscle groups like back and legs opposed to smaller muscles like biceps and triceps.
You will be building muscle fast if you stick to this progression, and you will be two times as strong in six months!