11 Rules to Build Muscle as Fast as Possible
- Progressive Overload
- The Perfect Amount
- Track Your Progress
- It's Not Magic
- Do Compound Exercises
- Work The Muscle, Not The Weight
- Get Enough Protein
- Don't Get Fat
- You Don't Get Bigger In The Gym
- There Are No Magic Pills!
- Read #1 AGAIN
1. Progressive Overload
Try to get stronger each time you workout by progressively lifting heavier weights, doing more reps and/or sets because A Stronger Muscle is A Bigger Muscle.
You can't get stronger lifting the same amount of weight, doing the same amount of reps and/or sets each time you workout.
Imagine how much bigger your muscles will get adding 50-to-100+ pounds and/or doing twice as many reps with the same weight.
2.The Perfect Amount
The perfect amount of weight, reps and sets you can do is a TINY BIT MORE than your last workout.
Remember → building muscle is all about Progressive Overload. Your muscles get bigger as they progressively get stronger lifting heavier weight, doing more reps and/or sets. For example,
If you did 4 sets of 100 pounds for 5 reps... The perfect amount for your next workout would be doing at least 5 sets, 101 pounds AND/OR 6 reps.
Anything you can do to make your training harder is the step in the right directionMike Mentzer -American IFBB professional bodybuilder
You don't have to wait for the next workout. Try to get stronger during a workout lifting heavier weights AND/OR doing more reps each set of a workout.
3. Track Your Progress
Track your progress so that in your next workout… You'll know the perfect amount of weight, reps, and/or sets you need to do to progressively build more muscle because,
If you keep lifting the same amount of weight, doing the same number of reps and sets every workout… Your muscles WILL NOT get stronger which means Your muscles WILL NOT get bigger.
Tools to track your progress ↓
4. It's Not Magic
Progressive overload doesn't magically happen every time you workout.
You won't always lift heavier, do more reps and/or sets every time you workout because as your muscles get bigger & stronger,
A Stronger Muscle is Harder to Breakdown so,
It's going to take more workouts, different exercises and/or these fast muscle building tricks to OVERLOAD your muscles with enough intensity to make them grow.
5. Do Compound Exercises
Because a stronger muscle is a bigger muscle → The fastest way to get stronger is to do compound exercises because,
- Compound exercises allow you to use heavier weights. Yes,
- You can build muscle doing isolation exercises but not as fast because you're forced to use lighter weights.
Compound Exercises for
Bigger Chest, Shoulders & Triceps
- Any type of Bench Press
- Weighted Dips or Push-ups
Compound Exercises for
Bigger Back & Biceps
Compound Exercises for
Bigger Legs
Do 6-to-12 sets of 6-to-20 reps of 1 Compound Exercise for each muscle group. Do it 1-to-3 days per week. Use progressive overload and Track your progress
6. Work The Muscle, Not The Weight
- In the 1st video below… that guy is working the weight and NOT his muscles. He is using bad form & momentum to lift the weight.
- In the 2nd video below… that guy is working his muscles and NOT the weight. He is using good form and is more likely to build muscle.
You don't have to use perfect form on every rep but the majority of your reps shouldn't be done with bad form.
7. Get Enough Protein
Your muscles are made up of protein and when you eat enough protein… You give your body the materials it needs to build bigger muscles strong enough to progressively lift heavier weights, do more reps and/or sets to build even more muscle.
How much protein do you need?
You need .64-to-.82 grams of protein per pound or 1.4-to-1.8 grams per kilogram to build muscle after working out with progressive overload
Protein supplements are only needed if you're unable to get enough protein from food.
8. Don't Get Fat
- NO! You DO NOT need an 'energy surplus' or eat excess calories to build muscle.
- The ONLY TWO Things needed to build muscle are progressive overload and enough protein
- Eating everything in sight, buying mass gainers or trying to bulk up will only make you fat.
To lose fat & build muscle… See how many total calories you need
9. You Don't Get Bigger In The Gym
You get bigger after you workout when your muscles are resting, recovering, synthesizing or using enough protein to re-build bigger & stronger muscles ready to lift heavier weights, do more reps and/or sets.
Workout (the same muscle) no more than 1-to-3 days a week. Working out too often doesn't give your muscles enough time to Rest, Recover & Re-Build.
10. There Are No Magic Pills!
The guy in the picture above is Herman Goerner and he looked like that in the 1920's way before creatine, fat burners & steroids. Outside of enough protein,
There's nothing you can take that'll magically build muscle without progressive overload
11. Read #1 Again!
Even if you incorrectly follow rules 2-thru-10… You'll still build muscle fast when you're getting stronger using progressive overload because A Bigger Muscle Is a Stronger Muscle.
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- the Top 7 Muscle Building Foods & Supplements
- 16 Fast Muscle Building Tricks
- Make Your Muscles Look Bigger Without Lifting Weights
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