Four Tips To Build Muscle Fast

Learning how to build muscle fast is something that new bodybuilders always aspire to do. These days, most people want their results as quickly as possible. Here are four basic steps you can use to build muscle fast and get results as quickly as you can.

Tip 1

One of the biggest mistakes any trainee makes is not keeping a training log to document your workouts. If you want to build muscle fast, then you're going to need to monitor the details of your progress so that you can go back and determine exactly what part(s) of your program have been effective. Part of getting bigger should be getting stronger - meaning adding weight to the bar on a regular basis. Keeping a training log will not only let you ensure that you're doing this, but will let you go back into past segments of your training, and analyze what type of program(s), set/rep combinations, and even exercises produced the most muscle growth (and strength gain) for you.

Tip 2

Don't try to kill yourself in just one set. After going through a few (say 3-5) sets of an exercise, each should be progressively harder - generally with more weight. This protocol - many times called "progressive overload" - is key when stimulating muscle growth. By your last set, the cumulative fatigue from the tonnage (weight x reps x sets) lifted should be sufficient stimulus to trigger growth. You can keep sets constant from workout to workout, just ensure that you're always striving to put more weight on the bar (of course, keeping form on point).

Tip 3

You don't need to perform ultra-long workouts. Too many times people get caught up in the whole idea of "more is better" (and seeing the marathon workouts pro bodybuilders used to do back in the '70s doesn't help). In addition to progressive overload, one thing you should strive to increase is workout density - or, in other words, doing the same amount of work in less time. This will cause you to build muscle fast as your intensity levels increase dramatically. So believe it or not, more productive workouts can actually take you *less* time overall!

Tip 4

Don't do a ton of reps. For muscle growth (whilst still training for strength), a rep count of 6-8 per set works well. Some bodybuiders like to do a lot of 'pumping' to flush the muscle with blood, but this generally doesn't lead to long-term muscular gain (even if the 'pump' is great). Instead, stick to shorter, heavier workouts that tend to build very dense, hard muscle. This muscle is generally much more solid, and even will have a different 'look' to it.

Work these four basic ideas/principles into your overall program, and you will be down the path of building muscle much more quickly and achieving success!