Do you have a busy schedule and wonder how to quickly gain muscle? Although it takes time and work to gain muscle, there are techniques to speed up the process that don't need spending all of your time at the gym.
You will need a nutrition plan and a training routine that are supported by science if you want to gain muscle quickly. If you want to quickly increase muscle while also burning off some of the fat that can conceal those lean gains, strength training is essential.
Resistance training can, according to a meta-analysis, "decrease body fat percentage, body fat mass, and visceral fat in healthy individuals" in addition to helping to build muscle.
The fitness industry can be complex. Everyone has grand claims, and they frequently don't line up. Each argument made in this article is supported by peer-reviewed research.
Let's dive in and learn nine methods for gaining muscle quickly that are supported by science.
1. Complicated lifts
Exercises called compound lifts target numerous muscle groups simultaneously while requiring various joint movements. The bench press, squat, deadlift, overhead press, and pull-up are a few examples of compound movements.
According to research, compound lifts, which engage a mix of muscles instead of just one at a time, can help you gain muscle faster and with less time spent in the gym .[2]
2. Stay in the Game of Building Muscle
An injury is one of the quickest ways to put your muscle-building objectives on hold for weeks, months, or even years. According to research, you may improve your core, which is essential for preventing injuries, by learning the correct form while gaining stronger in the major five compound lifts .[3]
Preventing injuries in the gym and throughout daily activities will be made easier by learning the correct technique for these compound exercises .[4]
For instance, mastering the deadlift will assist avoid accidents that might occur when moving larger objects like a couch or bed. Pushing a car out of the snow can be made easier by learning how to bench press.
Working with a personal trainer or physiotherapist is one approach to learn how to perform these exercises. Others might be able to learn good form by following exercise instructions and working with a partner.
Going straight into hard weightlifting after skipping this stage can result in muscular imbalances or injury.
Learn to "move well, then move often," as physiotherapist and inventor of Functional Movement Systems Gray Cook advises.[5]
3. Lay a Firm Foundation
For novices and those who haven't worked out in a while, taking the time to learn the key lifts with lighter weight and more repetitions is a crucial step.
Before attempting to lift bigger weights, this is an essential initial step. Throughout your muscle-building journey, this will assist you in creating a foundation of core strength, muscular endurance, and stability needed to support the joints and maintain appropriate posture. [6]
Impressive muscle can also be developed by increasing muscular endurance while using lighter weights and fewer repetitions. For instance, Hershel Walker, a multi-sport professional athlete, bench pressed 375 pounds without using weights. Instead, he concentrated on performing bodyweight exercises for extremely high reps. [7]
If it has been a while since you worked out at the gym, you might undertake the following exercises three times per week for the first two to six weeks:
Three foundational drills[8]
exercise bench
Deadlift Squat
Pull-ups with an overhead press
The National Academy of Sports Medicine recommends performing one to three sets of the aforementioned exercises for 12 to 20 reps with light or no weight.
[9] Begin with a weight at which you can do 12 repetitions without difficulty.
4. Strengthen Your Body With Progressive Overload
According to research, you need to develop stronger using a concept known as progressive overload if you want to quickly gain muscle.
[10] By gradually increasing the weight, the amount of reps, the frequency, and/or the sets you can accomplish, you can consistently build muscle mass. [11]
A suitable objective for each session could be to accomplish one or two extra reps or lift roughly 10% more weight than you did previously.
5. How to Gain Muscle Fast Without Spending All Your Time in the Gym
According to research, exercising simply two to three times per week may be sufficient to quickly increase lean muscle mass. According to one study, doing out once per week was almost as beneficial as working out three times per week for gaining muscle .[12]
According to a different study, the key to quickly gaining muscle mass is the quantity of sets you execute each week. According to a meta-analysis, working out each muscle group for more than 6–10 sets per muscle, each week, resulted in larger gains in muscle mass than working out at lower volumes .[13]
Workout Plan Model
Monday: flat bench press, chest flies, elevated pushups, incline bench press, and chin-ups
Wednesday: glute bridge, leg press, dumbbell lunges, squats, and deadlift
Friday: Dumbbell rows, pull-ups, face pulls, overhead presses, and lateral raises
The best way to gain muscle quickly is to execute three to six sets of six to twelve repetitions, according to a systematic evaluation of the bodybuilding literature.
[14] When you can complete 12 repetitions of the exercise, raise the weight by 10% and try to complete at least six repetitions. Repeat after finishing each workout.
Don't take too much time off between sets if you want to keep each workout under an hour. According to research, shorter rest periods of 60 seconds were ideal for quickly gaining muscle. [15]
6. Having patience is a virtue.
A major error made by people who want to gain muscle quickly is consuming too many calories, which causes the muscle to be covered by fat.
For example, when filming Father Stu, Mark Wahlberg gained 30 pounds of fat in just six weeks while working out hard and consuming largely healthy foods .[16]
If this procedure seems excessively slow, keep in mind that developing lean muscle mass requires time. According to research, it may take six weeks of regular exercising to see any increases in muscle growth. Even then, it could be challenging to find .[17]
The secret is to be patient. When it comes to continuously gaining muscle, slow and steady is the way to go.
7. Four Crucial Elements for Maintaining Focus
Many people who want to quickly gain muscle want to make sure the weight they gain is muscle, not fat, so they will seem lean and muscular rather than big.
As discussed before, it is a typical mistake to overeat, exercise, and believe the weight increase is muscle when it is mostly fat. According to research, it is possible for people to lose fat and gain muscle at the same time. Body composition is the term for this. [18]
But how can you tell if the extra weight you gain is made up of muscle?
Now let's discuss the instruments you can use to monitor your progress in gaining muscle:
Exercise Journal (for tracking your reps, sets, rest, and weights lifted)
the circumference of your belly button (first thing in the morning)
Utilize a scale to determine your weight (weigh yourself first thing in the morning)
Take pictures
Tracking your development might help you stay motivated as you build muscle. You will have a better understanding of your outcomes if you use these four techniques to monitor your progress.
By keeping track of your workouts, you may recognize your advancements in terms of the amount of weight, repetitions, and sets you can complete. You can document your development in terms of how your body looks by taking pictures of your body both flexed and unflexed.
8. Don't Miss This Nutrient for Building Muscle
You should make sure you are consuming adequate protein if you want to continuously gain muscle without gaining too much fat. According to the researchers, roughly "70 percent of participants improved[ed] their total body composition while applying high-protein diets,"[19] after analyzing the results of one study.
When is enough protein enough?
Those who routinely exercise may wish to strive for 0.7 to 0.8 grams of protein per pound of body weight[20]. According to other study, increasing your protein intake may help you observe improvements in your body composition.
One study, for instance, discovered that individuals who consumed 1.5g of protein per pound of bodyweight while strength training were more likely to lose fat while gaining muscle. [21]
Because our bodies need four to ten times more energy to break down proteins than carbohydrates or fats, eating extra protein can also help us lose weight. Additionally, compared to fats or carbohydrates, protein frequently makes a lot of people feel fuller for longer, which can aid people avoid overeating. [22]
9. Watch Your Calorie Intake!
It's crucial to consume adequate calories if you want to quickly gain muscle. How many calories should you eat daily to quickly gain muscle?
You might want to start by ingesting no more than 500 more calories per day to prevent excessive fat accumulation. This may result in gaining one to two pounds more of muscle each month.
According to one study, even bodybuilders who trained six days a week gained more weight when they consumed more calories.[23]
If you choose to consume more calories, you need also make sure that you are monitoring your progress with the methods already described. This will give you a better idea of whether the extra calories are leading to muscle growth or fat storage.
Adding additional protein to your diet could be a smart move if you want to enhance your calorie intake. According to one researcher:[24]
A Conclusion
It's difficult to gain muscle, especially if your genes aren't necessarily best for it. Yet nothing is insurmountable. These nine methods, which are supported by science, can help you get started on your path.
You might also want to look into some of the finest bodyweight exercises to get stronger without going to the gym now that you are aware of nine scientifically supported methods for gaining muscle quickly.
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