Fastest Way To Increase Muscle Size

Want to build muscle fast? Guess what? It can be done. How? We have all the answers and a plan to get you there. What are you waiting for? Read on to find out how.

If you want big muscles, listen up!

There are a few things you have to get right and it’s not just about lifting weights. There’s a little bit more involved with it. Growing muscle takes time, dedication and a lot of hard work. We all know that. But, there are a few ways to grow your muscles big in less time and we’re going to tell you how.

With all the research and scientific evidence at our fingertips, you can be assured that there’s truth behind the title of this article. It’s been proven and we are going to give you the breakdown so you can speed things up with increasing the size of those guns.

Give Your Nutrition A Second Look

When most people think about increasing muscle size, they may automatically envision large tubs of protein sitting on the counter and plates full of boneless, skinless chicken breast.

Why?

Simple.

We all know that protein is key to muscle growth. But protein isn’t the only thing you need to make muscles happen.

If you’ve been cutting way back on carbs, you may want to reconsider. It may be time to start thinking about bringing them back into your life, especially since you’ll be lifting. You need to load up on some healthy, complex carbs to fuel these strenuous workouts.

Carbs are your first source of energy. If there’s nothing in the tank, your body will be digging into your precious muscle stores to use them as an alternate source of energy. You don’t want that!

Another thing that fuels muscle growth is fat. We’re not talking about deep fried greasy foods either. We’re talking healthy dietary fats found in such foods as avocados, fish, eggs, and nuts.

These fats are much needed. In fact, fat is the delivery system for hormones such as testosterone.

What does testosterone do?

Super neat man stuff like increasing muscle and bone mass and giving you a cool patch of chest hair. (If you don’t think it’s so cool, you can always wax it). So never cut out fat, because fat doesn’t make you fat, it makes you awesome.

If you don’t already take a few supplements, now might be a good time to do so. But, make sure you’re taking stuff that’s actually proven to work like BCAAs, creatine, whey protein and more. Don’t be fooled by labels. Do the research and find what really works. You can always check out some of our other articles and find out what the best supplements are for muscle growth.

Be sure to get plenty of fresh veggies and fruits in your diet. They contain huge amounts of nutrients like vitamins and minerals to keep your health in tip-top shape. If you’re not big on these food items, you can always try juicing or blending. Just be sure to get them in your belly daily!

Increase Your Water Intake Big Time

Skeletal muscle is about 70% water. If you let yourself get dehydrated, then you’ll put yourself at risk not only with your overall health, but the health and size of your muscles will suffer too.

When muscle cells lose water, the production of protein slows down and muscle breakdown will increase. Post exercise protein synthesis may also become compromised to an extent. That’s why water is very important during your muscle-building journey.

People who strength train and sweat regularly should get around 3.5 to 7 liters of water. It sounds like a lot (and it is) but this doesn’t have to come from just chugging on sports bottles all day. Your water intake can also come from fruits. One of the great things about fruits is that around 80% of them are water. Other drinks like milk and sports drinks also offer water. The majority of your water intake, however, should come from plain water.

You Need Sleep, Sleep, and More Sleep

As busy as everyone is these days, it’s hard to get a solid eight hours of sleep. We get it. But, that’s exactly what you need if you want some muscle growth and recovery. Why? The reason is because an abundance of growth hormone is released during these hours. It aids in regeneration.

As we sleep, our energy consumption is at its lowest. This is the time where all that good food we eat during the day has a chance to be used to build muscle more efficiently. So it’s also a good idea to have a protein packed dinner.

Sleep also lowers your cortisol levels. Cortisol is known as the stress hormone. When your cortisol levels are high, this can increase fat accumulation in the body, especially around your midsection. That’s why getting a sufficient amount of sleep and lowering your stress levels when possible can help you with your goals.

Don’t Worry About Going Super Heavy, Just Lift To Failure!

Scientific studies have proven time and time again that you will build the same amount of muscle by lifting to failure using lighter weights as compared to going very heavy.

Lifting to failure means that you can’t perform even one more rep in your set because your muscles literally give out and that’s it. You know when it starts to burn so good and you are almost at your last rep, and you make that grunting sound with the “I just ate something bitter face?” That’s the rep that counts the most!

One study revealed that the same amount of muscle growth and protein synthesis occurred during a three-set session of a 30% maximum load as it did with a three-set session of an 80% load. So, lift it until you can’t lift it  anymore!

Follow This Plan For Fastest Way To Increase Muscle Size

What follows is a split plan. It gives you four days of work and three days to rest to let your muscles grow and recover. Make your commitment and stick with it for the best results.

Note: I’ve placed the reps at 10+. Don’t forget: You should be going to failure. In other words, if you can still do more after 10 reps, then increase.

 

Monday- Chest And Triceps

Chest

Exercise                            Sets                              Reps

Barbell Bench Press          3                                 10

Incline Bench Press           3                                  10

Decline Bench Press          3                                  10

Dumbbell Flye                   3                                 10

Dumbbell Pullover             3                                 10

Triceps                              Sets                               Reps

Triceps Extension             3                                   10

Triceps Dip                        3                                   10

Triceps Push-Up               3                                   10

 

Tuesday- Back and Biceps

Back                                 Sets                               Reps

Pull-Up                             3                                    10

Dumbbell Row                 3                                   10

Seated Row                      3                                    10

Bent Over Barbell Row   3                                    10

Lat Pulldown                  3                                    10

Biceps

Exercise                          Sets                                Reps

Barbell Curl                      3                                  10

Preacher Curl                   3                                  10

Dumbbell Curl                 3                                   10

Concentration Curl           3                                  10

 

Wednesday- Rest Day or Cardio

 

Thursday- Shoulders and Forearms

Exercise                                  Sets                        Reps

Machine Shoulder Press         3                            10

Dumbbell Reverse Flye          3                            10

Military Press                          3                            10

Dumbbell Lateral Raise         3                             10

Dumbbell Shrug                     3                             10

Upright Row                           3                             10

Forearms

Exercise                                  Sets                         Reps

Standing Wrist Curl                3                             10

Barbell Wrist Curl                   3                            10

 

Friday- Legs (Upper/Lower)

Legs

Exercise                                 Sets                             Reps

Barbell Squat                          3                               10

Leg Extension                         3                                10

Leg Curl                                  3                               10

Calves

Exercise                                Sets                              Reps

Standing Calf Raise               3                                 12

Calf Press On Leg Machine   3                                 12

 

Saturday And Sunday Rest or do Cardio

Here’s One Thing You Need To Know About Cardio

I’m not sure I’ve ever met a person that enjoys cardio. I know I hate it with a passion, but we do know it is heart healthy and helps to trim the fat off to reveal muscle.

You don’t have to do long bouts of cardio to see results. In fact, 20 minutes of intense cardio will suffice and prevent your body from digging into your muscle stores like it would if you go for a long time. That’s what you don’t want when you’re trying to build muscle. So keep it short. Keep it intense and try to get two or three days in per week if you can.

HIIT Your Muscles

If you want fast results, maybe you should think about adding some HIIT (high-intensity interval training) to your routine.

HIIT is very effective for building and maintaining lean muscle mass while burning off body fat to give you that cut look. The best thing about HIIT is it only takes up to 20 minutes, three days per week. It’s not recommended to do HIIT more than that. HIIT also gives you that after burn effect where your body will continue to burn fat for up to 24 hours after you’ve completed a session. You’ll notice that your heart rate will be elevated during this time.

HIIT is basically intense bursts of exercise followed by a rest period. For instance, you would do 30 seconds of burpees followed by one minute of rest. You then repeat the pattern for up to 20 minutes with varying exercises. The work periods should be so intense you can hardly catch your breath. Give it everything you have during this time and keep reminding yourself that it’s only for 30 seconds.

The rest periods should be very low impact, slowing your heart rate back down and catching your breath. So either stand completely still or just walk in place during this time.

If you do HIIT the right way, you will feel like you’re going to die around the 20-minute mark. I’ve seen class ads and videos that are one hour of HIIT, but it’s impossible to do a true HIIT session for that long because each exercise is supposed to be so intense that your muscles turn to mush at around the 30-second mark. I’m talking exercises like jump squats, jumping lunges, plank jacks and plenty of other plyometric moves.

It’s important to note that HIIT should not be performed by anyone with medical issues such as heart problems and it isn’t really for the beginner either. Be careful and always consult with your doctor if you’re not sure.

Follow this plan:

• Start with a three to five-minute warm-up. You can jog in place, do jumping jacks or whatever you like. Just get warm and get ready.
• Do 30 seconds of burpees (with push-up)
• 1-minute rest
• 30 seconds box jumps (or squat jumps if you don’t have a box)
• 1-minute rest
• 30 seconds plank jacks
• 1-minute rest
• 30 seconds squat to tuck jumps
• 1-minute rest
• 30 seconds diamond push-ups
• 1-minute rest
• 30 seconds jumping lunges
• 1-minute rest
• 30 seconds lizard hops
• 1-minute rest

 

Complete this routine two times through for a total of 20 minutes then cool down and stretch all major muscle groups. Note: If you can’t quite make it for the full 20 minutes, do what you can and work your way up over time.

If this routine is too intense, you can also do HIIT with more of a cardio style such as on the elliptical machine, treadmill or even running. Just make sure you are keeping it under 20 minutes and during your work periods you are going all out and then walking during the rest periods to catch your breath and bring your heart rate down as much as you can.

Conclusion

These are all the methods you can use to pack on muscle as fast as possible. Be sure to stay on track and dedicate your time. If you have a slip-up, that’s ok! Keep going until you get where you want to be. Eat right. Stay hydrated. And, don’t forget to go kick butt in the gym!

By Heather Neff, CPT