This short article is designed to teach you how to build muscle fast. As least as fast as reasonably possible, to create the jaw-dropping physique that you have always wanted, but could never attain. You are probably like many frustrated individuals who sincerely seek muscle mass, but inevitably do not understand how to build them properly. Here you will learn the simple, easy to understand, but effective and healthy approach to build muscle fast and thereby achieve the rock-hard body that will be the envy of all who behold you.
Simply put, most people do not understand that getting big goes way beyond how much time you spend in the gym. It has a lot do with what and how you eat, what supplements you use and how you use them. Most people spend too much time in the gym, aren’t focused when they are there, don’t eat enough, and/or don’t take the right supplements. Would you like to know how to focus your efforts to maximize your results? Read on!
The Basics
There are really 3 major parts to healthy bodybuilding:
1. Diet
The raw materials of huge muscles come from the food you eat. Food also provides you with energy to meet your physical goals.
2. Exercise
Strenuous, “to failue” exercise is what “tells” your body to build muscle fast.
3. Supplementation
Supplements help accelerate and improve results but cannot replace diet and hard work.
What to Eat to Build Muscle Fast
Your diet should generally follow my Food Plate I introduced in a previous article, with a few notable exceptions. First, you should eat much more protein than is recommended. Higher protein keeps your body in a more “anabolic” state, meaning muscle building. Muscle is made largely of protein and you must consume enough each day to meet maintenance needs; and only after that will your body add muscle mass. You should eat at least 1.5 gram of protein per day for every pound of body weight. So if you weigh 170lbs., you should eat at least 255 grams of protein per day. That being said, more than this will not hurt you but will probably not provide better results either.
Secondly, you should eat more servings of everything else, including fruits and veggies . Your energy needs are much higher when you exercise regularly, but your body will only add muscle if it has an excess of calories and protein. Your body uses food for maintenance first and only after these needs are met will it add muscle. The body also needs enough food throughout the day to avoid the use of existing muscle as an energy source. Successful bodybuilders typically eat at least 4000 calories per day. Powerlifters eat much more.
I Shouldn’t Have to Say This, But….
Avoid sugar and the “bad” fat. It literally kills people!1 Look to generally eat mostly unsaturated (especially omega 3) fat and low sugar foods. If you follow the basics idea of the Food Plate I introduced in my last article, this shouldn’t be a problem. And one more thing; having said all this, make sure there are still plenty of fruits and vegetables in your diet!
Also, don’t forget to drink! You should be drinking at least a full glass of water with each meal and plenty during exercise. This is a big deal, don’t overlook it!2
When to Eat to Build Muscle Fast
On non-workout days you should eat about every 3-4 hours throughout the day (there should only be one of these each week). Each meal should consist of about 50 grams of protein, on average, if you weigh less than 200lbs, more if you are heavier. You should also consume plenty of carbs (preferably low sugar) and some fruit or vegetables with each meal. This is a lot to eat, I admit, but remember, you are trying to build muscle fast, and doing so requires a lot of food.
On workout days…
you should follow the same pattern with some exceptions around your workout. You should work out about 2-3 hours after a meal so you aren’t bogged down by a full stomach. After your workout, you should start consuming a whey protein shake (in water) consisting of at least 50 grams of protein and 30 grams of carbohydrates, at least half of which should be sugar (this is the one exception to the low sugar rule). More is fine too if you need to get more protein/calories.
You should also repeat this again an hour later without the sugar. Your body is most apt to build muscle fast following a workout; this is therefore when you want to feed it the most. If you don’t, this is also the time you have potential to lose the most muscle mass. This is isn’t to support the idea of a ‘metabolic window’ though. The research shows that eating right after a workout makes virtually no difference for most people. However, professionals do see a little bit of a benefit and you should be working out like a pro, so it applies to you too.
Before bed…
It is also important to eat right before bed, particularly protein. Your body doesn’t store protein like it does carbohydrates, so if your body needs protein it “takes” it from your existing muscles. Some of this WILL happen when you sleep, but you can reduce how much takes place by eating protein before bed. Red meat is best because it takes a long time to digest. Some really hard core dudes will wake up in the middle of the night to drink a protein shake but there isn’t much evidence to suggest this helps.
Bulk Up Fast With the Right Exercises
When you decrease the angle between two bones, you are causing a muscle to work. When you add a weight to that movement, you can stimulate muscle growth. For instance, when you decrease the angle between your arm and forearm, you work your biceps muscle. If you pay attention, you will notice that every exercise decreases the angle between two bones and that is the muscle you are working. The main muscle groups you should be concern with are chest, back, shoulders, biceps, triceps, forearms, abs, quads, hamstrings, and calves.
When you are in the gym, you are there to work your muscles, not your mouth. Hit it hard and don’t think about anything else. Each set should consist of 1 or 2 warm-up sets of at least 20 reps followed by heavy sets of about 6-8 reps to failure and then immediately on to lighter weight to failure. You should also rest about 30 seconds to 2 minutes between sets. You should vary this almost every time you work out. Workouts should last about 1 hour; if you give it your all for EVERY set, this is plenty of time. Also, remember, when I say ‘you should do’ 6-8 reps, its because you can’t do more. No matter how many reps you do, do them to failure. You can always add weight the next time around.
Example Routine to Build Muscle Fast
Bench Press
- 45 lbs. – 100 fairly quick reps (warm-up)
- rest for about a minute
- 150 lbs. – reps to complete failure (we’re shooting for 6-8 reps here. If you can do more, its probably too light)
- Immediately follow this up with 45 lbs. to complete failure again.
- repeat steps 3 and 4 every 30-120 seconds for 10-30 minutes. Some days rest for only 30 seconds, others rest for 60, others for 120. Of course this will affect how much weight you use.
Curls (straight bar)
- 35 lbs. – 50 fairly quick reps (warm-up)
- rest for about a minute
- 65 lbs. – reps to complete failure
- Immediately follow this up with 30 lbs. to complete failure again.
- Repeat steps 3 and 4 every 30-120 seconds for 10-30 minutes total
Also remember this very important concept: muscles adapt.3 That’s a fancy way of saying you should constantly change the lifts you do, the order you do them and the amount of time you give yourself to rest between sets in order to keep your muscles ‘on their toes’. If you do the same thing every time, your body will adjust and pretty soon the gains will stop. Of course you will still be working the same muscles, just with different lifts. For example, you can do curls with dumbbells, barbells, or machines. You could do each one for 10 minutes, just one for 30 minutes and you could change your rest periods.
How to Recover
First off, if you really want results, plan on working out 6 days a week. And as I mentioned earlier, after a workout, you should consume about 50 grams of protein and carbohydrates. Whey protein is best because it is absorbed much faster than other protein sources. Then do it again an hour later. This will ensure your body has more than enough building materials for maintenance, recovery from your workout, and then some to add muscle with.
Lastly, get enough rest. You should go to bed and wake up at the same time EVERY DAY! I know that stinks, especially if you are young, but your body needs rest to recover properly. Your body doesn’t “want” to add muscle in the first place and if you don’t give it the right environment (i.e. high calorie, intense workouts, high protein, and adequate rest) your body won’t build muscle fast at all. That’s just the reality of it.
Supplements: Can They Really Help Me Build Muscle Fast?
Supplements are never a substitute for diet or exercise; but they help a little bit and if you’re “hardcore,” you need every little bit. There are many of them that can improve and accelerate your results (albeit it to a much smaller degree than proper diet, exercise and sleep). There are a million and one different supplements that all claim to help with building muscle, but I will focus on the most important ones. If you aren’t taking these, don’t even bother with others:
Glutamine
Protein is made of amino acids. Glutamine is the most common amino acid in the body.4 Your body can theoretically make all you need, but it cannot make enough to keep up with someone that exercises, especially a weight lifter. Glutamine is to muscle what wood is to a home. You need at least 20 grams of it a day if you want to build muscle fast. There is usually 1 or 2 grams in 20 grams of most animal proteins. You should optimally supplement with about 20 grams per day, with at least 5 grams of which should be right after your workout.
Creatine
This is easily the most misunderstood supplement on the market. It can be very effective and inexpensive. There are no negative side effects associated with normal doses of creatine despite what your ignorant friend or football coach has told you.5 Science has shown over and over that it is completely safe and very effective; look yourself! The only times creatine is shown to be problematic is in huge doses that give the taker diarrhea. The most proven form is is the original creatine monohydrate. You should take 5-10 grams per day after a meal.
Phosphatidylserine (PS)
These are the “bricks” of brain cells. With proper amount of “PS” the brain functions most effectively. It also has the effect of lowering cortisol, the main stress hormone responsible for the destruction of muscle tissue.6 Testosterone tells your body to add muscle, and cortisol tells it to subtract it. High cortisol, build muscle slowly. Low cortisol, build muscle fast. You should take 800 mg with fish oil about 30 minutes before your workout, but I warn you, it isn’t cheap.
Testosterone Boosters
There are a million and one “test” boosters out there. They cause an increase in testosterone, the hormone that makes a man a man. It tells your body to store muscle among other things. Therefore, the higher your level of testosterone, the more mass you pack on. These really shouldn’t be used by anyone under 25. If you choose a test booster, take it as it directs on the bottle. It’s also a good idea to take some milk thistle too because it counters some of the strain a test booster can have on your liver.
Whey Protein
All animal protein (including milk) will help you build muscle fast. However, some absorb faster than others. Following a workout, whey is superior because it absorbs (and then can be used by the body) very quickly compared to other proteins. You should take at least 50 grams of it (in water) right after your workout. You can mix it with glutamine too.
Example Daily Schedule to Build Muscle Fast
Understand that this schedule is ideal. Clearly, not everyone can follow it exactly, but you can still build muscle fast. For instance, if you wake up 2 hours earlier than the schedule suggests, then simply roll back all the times by 2 hours. That being said, best results will be obtained by following the schedule as closely as possible, aside from the time issue.
Also, people tend to ignore the wake up and bed times. I don’t care when you wake up and when you go to bed as long as they remain the same EVERY day and you go to bed at LEAST 8 hours before you must wake up. Do not rationalize altering the sleeping part of things. It’s more important than you think. In fact, you can not effectively build muscle fast without allowing your body to rest and recover adequately, regardless of how well you follow the other “rules.” You have to follow ALL OF THEM if you expect to build muscle fast (eating right, exercising right and sleeping right).
Here’s roughly what your day should look like:
7:00
-1 full glass of water
-Meal 1 (~600+ calories, 50grams protein)
10:00
-1 full glass of water
-Meal 2 (~600+ calories, 50grams protein)
1:00
-1 full glass of water
-Meal 3 (~600+ calories, 50grams protein)
4:00
-1 full glass of water
-Meal 4 (~600+ calories, 50grams protein)
6:00
-1 full glass of water
-2 hour workout
-50 grams protein (whey) , 50 grams carbs
-1 full glass of water
7:00
-1 full glass of water
-50 grams protein, 50 grams carbs
10:00
-1 full glass of water
-Meal 5 (~600+ calories with red meat)
-Bed
*This schedule is obviously for workout days. On non-workout days the same calorie pattern is followed throughout the day.
**Take any and all supplements within the schedule as directed on the bottle
