If you’re looking to gain muscle fast, you’ve come to the right place. Growing muscle is a very slow and complex process that requires both dedication and consistency. You need to pay attention to your training, diet, rest and recovery, and other lifestyle factors. This article aims to inform you of the steps you can take to build muscle effectively and efficiently. Whether you’re a beginner or a seasoned bodybuilder, these tips will help you speed up the process.

How to Train Effectively for Fast Muscle Growth

Variables like training frequency, amount of sets and reps, technique, and load does matter. Optimizing your training routine is crucial to ensure that you’re effectively stimulating muscle growth while avoiding the risks of overtraining.

Design your workouts that align with specific goals by:

• targeting specific muscle groups
• using appropriate weights and repetitions
• incorporating adequate rest periods

By doing so, you can ensure that you’re making the most of your time in the gym. At the same time, you avoid wasting energy on exercises that no longer provide any benefits.

Train The Right Way to Gain Muscle

There are several variables that can be modified to improve muscle growth:

• the number of sets in each training session
• the rest between sets
• the frequency of training
• lifting heavy weight vs. light weight

As with any type of training, each individual is different, and everyone reacts to things in different ways.

The Optimal Training Frequency to Gain Muscle Fast

The metabolic process responsible for muscle growth and repair is muscle protein synthesis. This process is elevated for 24-48 hours for the muscle group stimulated through training. Training a muscle group more than once a week creates another opportunity for muscle protein synthesis to occur. On the other hand, training a muscle group only once limits the occurrence of muscle protein synthesis elevating. At the same time, this limits your potential for building more muscle. To gain muscle fast, you need to train all your muscle groups more than once a week.

A study in 2016 concludes that training a muscle group twice a week is optimal for muscle growth:

“When comparing studies that investigated training muscle groups between 1 to 3 days per week on a volume-equated basis, the current body of evidence indicates that frequencies of training twice a week promote superior hypertrophic outcomes to once a week. It can therefore be inferred that the major muscle groups should be trained at least twice a week to maximize muscle growth; whether training a muscle group three times per week is superior to a twice-per-week protocol remains to be determined.”

Schoenfeld BJ, Ogborn D, Krieger JW. Effects of Resistance Training Frequency on Measures of Muscle Hypertrophy: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Sports Med. 2016 Nov;46(11):1689-1697. doi: 10.1007/s40279-016-0543-8. PMID: 27102172.

A muscle typically recovers within 48-72 hours, depending on the workload and intensity of the workout. You should train a muscle multiple times within a week since they have a limited period of stimulation for growth. However, there is a volume threshold that the muscle can recover from. Exceeding this limit would impede your body’s recovery process significantly.

Training a muscle group frequently can keep muscle protein synthesis elevated. At the same time, working out too frequently can also hinder your progress. In the previous study, there was no evidence stating that training three times a week was superior to two. Overtraining does exist and can slow down your gains if you train too much.

Figure out how often you can train a muscle and how much volume your body can recover from. If you notice a decline in performance, you need to cut back on the amount of work you do.

Moderate Weight vs Heavy Weight and Training to Failure

To achieve the most muscle gains, resistance training guidelines claim that a weight you can perform 6-12 repetitions with is optimal. The theory suggests that to recruit the most muscle fibers and promote muscular adaptations, one needs to lift heavier loads.

Brad J. Schoenfeld’s study has proven that individuals can promote muscle growth with both light and heavy weights, as long as they take their working sets to failure.

“The findings therefore indicate that both heavy and light loads can be equally effective in promoting muscle growth provided training is carried out with a high level of effort.”

Schoenfeld BJ, Grgic J, Ogborn D, Krieger JW. Strength and Hypertrophy Adaptations Between Low- vs. High-Load Resistance Training: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. J Strength Cond Res. 2017 Dec;31(12):3508-3523. doi: 10.1519/JSC.0000000000002200. PMID: 28834797.

Even though light and heavy weights can promote muscle growth, you should train with heavier weights or a weight you can perform 6-12 repetitions with. Heavier weights are more efficient since they promote strength gains while saving you time. On other hand, lighter weights require a lot of reps to achieve muscular failure and can prolong your workouts. This is not ideal for individuals that can’t afford to stay in the gym for longer periods.

The Correct Training Volume: How Many Sets and Reps to Gain Muscle Fast?

It has been proven that training with higher volume provides greater increases in muscle growth. However, simply adding more sets to a workout does not necessarily lead to more gains. Instead, aim for 12-28 sets per muscle group per week.

In terms of the number of sets and reps per workout, recommended guidelines typically suggest performing 3-6 sets for each exercise and aiming for 6-12 reps per set.

“In summary, foundations for individuals seeking to maximize muscle growth should be hypertrophy-oriented RT consisting of multiple sets (3−6) of six to 12 repetitions with short rest intervals (60 s) and moderate intensity of effort (60−80% 1RM) with subsequent increases in training volume (12–28 sets/muscle/week)”

Krzysztofik, M., Wilk, M., Wojdała, G., & Gołaś, A. (2019). Maximizing Muscle Hypertrophy: A Systematic Review of Advanced Resistance Training Techniques and Methods. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 16(24). https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph16244897

Maxing Out is Not Always A Good Idea

It is essential to take your working sets close to failure. However, it is not necessary to take every set to complete failure. Instead, try to keep a few reps in reserve for some of your sets. By doing so, you will likely notice that you are able to perform more reps in subsequent sets compared to if you went to failure every time. This is an effective way to increase your training volume while minimizing excessive fatigue, all while still hitting your target volume for muscle growth.

“Evidence indicates that significant muscle growth occurs when the majority of training sets are performed with ~3–4 repetitions in reserve (with moderate to high-loads)”

Krzysztofik, M., Wilk, M., Wojdała, G., & Gołaś, A. (2019). Maximizing Muscle Hypertrophy: A Systematic Review of Advanced Resistance Training Techniques and Methods. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 16(24). https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph16244897

Form is Everything When it Comes to Building Muscle

Feeling the muscle you’re targeting during your exercises is crucial for maximizing muscle growth. When you perform an exercise, it’s imperative to focus on engaging and feeling the target muscle working throughout the entire movement. If you’re not feeling the muscle you’re trying to target, it’s possible that your form or technique is incorrect. This can lead to less stimulation for the muscle you’re targeting. It can also result in wasted time and effort if you’re not effectively focusing on the muscle you want to grow.

If your form is breaking, the weight you are trying to lift might be too heavy. Switch to a lighter weight that allows you to perform most reps with proper form. Only the last 2-3 reps should be challenging enough to affect your form.

Try to feel the muscle contract with every repetition. This will make sure that you’re effectively stimulating the muscle for growth!

Pre-exhaust Your Target Muscle for Better Contraction

If you’re having difficulty feeling muscle contraction during a specific exercise, such as not feeling your chest working during bench press, you can try using a pre-exhaust technique to enhance the contraction of that target muscle. You pre-exhaust your chest with a pec machine fly or dumbbell pec fly before performing your compound lift for the chest such as the bench press.

While using a pre-exhaust technique, you may not be able to lift as much weight as usual, but you’ll likely feel more fatigue in your target muscle, such as your chest. This increased fatigue can help you better focus on and feel the contraction of the targeted muscle during the exercise.

“pre-exhaustion of the synergist muscles (triceps brachii and anterior deltoid before the bench press) led to their higher activation during the multi-joint movement (bench press) as compared to the baseline”

Krzysztofik, M., Wilk, M., Wojdała, G., & Gołaś, A. (2019). Maximizing Muscle Hypertrophy: A Systematic Review of Advanced Resistance Training Techniques and Methods. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 16(24). https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph16244897

You Gain Muscle Fast By Taking Days Off

Not giving your body enough time to rest can slow down muscle growth and increase the risk of injury. When you exercise a muscle, it experiences microtears that require repair. This is why rest and recovery are important. It is during this downtime that the muscle undergoes the necessary repair processes.

Here are some signs that a muscle did not fully recover:

• you fatigue quicker during an exercise
• the weight feels heavier than usual
• the number of reps you normally perform goes down
• the exercise feels harder
• you break good form a lot sooner

A study on strength performance (below) shows us that 4-24 hours of rest is not enough. The male subjects actually lost strength due to a lack of recovery.

“Among male subjects, decreases in estimated 1-RM were detected at the 4- and 24-h recovery times. “

Judge LW, Burke JR. The effect of recovery time on strength performance following a high-intensity bench press workout in males and females. Int J Sports Physiol Perform. 2010 Jun;5(2):184-96. doi: 10.1123/ijspp.5.2.184. PMID: 20625191.

If your goal is to gain muscle quickly, provide enough rest days for your muscle groups to fully recover. Give each muscle group at least 2 days rest. If you notice the signs that a muscle did not recover, add another day of rest. Figure out how many rest days work best for you and stick with it.

Dream About Your Gains

Getting enough sleep is crucial when it comes to recovery, overall health, and well-being. Sleep affects your brain function, mood, performance in the gym, and how quickly your muscles recover. Aim for 7-9 hours of sleep every night for the best gym performance and muscle growth.

Eat Right to Grow

Exercise and going to the gym are the least challenging parts of muscle building. When it comes to building muscle successfully, another battle you need to win is choosing the right foods to consume and this can be very challenging. It takes a lot of discipline and commitment, but eating properly is essential to fuel muscle growth.

How Much Protein Do You Need to Gain Muscle?

Resistance exercise in combination with the proper amount of protein intake is a very efficient way to build muscle quickly. The amount, type, source of protein, and timing matter. If we optimize these variables, we can create a positive net protein balance for the body to increase muscle mass.

Individuals who are trying to build muscle need a higher daily protein intake compared to individuals who are inactive. Aim for 1.6 grams of protein per kg body weight per day up to 2.2 grams of protein per kg body weight. If you weigh 86 kg, you need 138 to 189 grams of protein per day.

“a daily protein intake of ~1.6 g/kg/day or as high as 2.2 g/kg/day, appears to be the most influential factor to consider when optimizing muscle mass accretion with resistance exercise is the goal.”

Stokes, T., Hector, A. J., Morton, R. W., McGlory, C., & Phillips, S. M. (2018). Recent Perspectives Regarding the Role of Dietary Protein for the Promotion of Muscle Hypertrophy with Resistance Exercise Training. Nutrients, 10(2). https://doi.org/10.3390/nu10020180

Research shows that consuming a higher protein intake (greater than 2.2 grams per kilogram of body weight per day), may not have additional benefits on muscle growth and repair. In fact, there seems to be a plateau or diminishing effect in the rate of muscle protein synthesis beyond a certain threshold.

“In a large meta-analysis, protein intake was shown to promote additional gains in lean body mass beyond those observed with resistance exercise alone; however, beyond a daily intake of 1.6 g/kg body mass per day (up to as high as 2.2 g/kg/day), the additional effects of protein are greatly diminished.“

Carbone, J. W., & Pasiakos, S. M. (2019). Dietary Protein and Muscle Mass: Translating Science to Application and Health Benefit. Nutrients, 11(5). https://doi.org/10.3390/nu11051136

“Exceeding this upper range of protein intake guidelines likely offers no further benefit and simply promotes increased amino acid catabolism and protein oxidation. Even extremely high protein intakes, up to double that advocated, does not further facilitate skeletal muscle hypertrophy or strength gains.”

Slater, G. J., Dieter, B. P., Marsh, D. J., Helms, E. R., Shaw, G., & Iraki, J. (2018). Is an Energy Surplus Required to Maximize Skeletal Muscle Hypertrophy Associated With Resistance Training. Frontiers in Nutrition, 6. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnut.2019.00131

What About The Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) for Protein?

Do not follow the recommended dietary allowance for protein intake if you want to gain muscle. The RDA of 0.8kg of protein per pound of body weight is not enough for individuals trying to build muscle.

“The current Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) for protein is defined as the minimum amount required to prevent lean body mass loss, but is often misrepresented and misinterpreted as a recommended optimal intake.”

Carbone, J. W., & Pasiakos, S. M. (2019). Dietary Protein and Muscle Mass: Translating Science to Application and Health Benefit. Nutrients, 11(5). https://doi.org/10.3390/nu11051136

Ingest Protein Every Few Hours

Rather than ingesting your entire daily protein intake in one meal, spread out your meals throughout the day. It is recommended to eat a meal containing 20-30 grams of protein every 3-5 hours.

“protein meals should be separated by ~3–5 h to maximize MPS over the waking period”

Stokes, T., Hector, A. J., Morton, R. W., McGlory, C., & Phillips, S. M. (2018). Recent Perspectives Regarding the Role of Dietary Protein for the Promotion of Muscle Hypertrophy with Resistance Exercise Training. Nutrients, 10(2), 180. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu10020180

After consuming a meal rich in protein, muscle protein synthesis returns to baseline after 3-5 hours. Therefore, spacing out your protein meals throughout the day can help muscle protein synthesis peak for longer periods of time.

Your Protein Needs to Come From These Sources

Your protein should come from a variety of sources, such as whey protein, and animal-based sources such as milk, eggs, meat, and fish. Although whey protein is a highly digestible and effective protein source, it should not be the sole source of protein in your diet. Animal-based protein sources provide a complete amino acid profile and offer additional nutrients such as iron, vitamin B12, and zinc.

“To date, the only plant-based protein source that has been extensively studied in an in vivo human model is soy protein. In this work, the consumption of soy protein was demonstrated to result in lower MPS rates than the ingestion of whey, milk, or beef protein. In addition, the acute skeletal muscle anabolic response was reduced with wheat protein intake when compared with the consumption of egg or whey protein in a rodent model. “

van Vliet, S., Burd, N. A., & van Loon, L. J. (2015). The Skeletal Muscle Anabolic Response to Plant- versus Animal-Based Protein Consumption. The Journal of Nutrition, 145(9), 1981-1991. https://doi.org/10.3945/jn.114.204305

Is Too Much Protein Bad for The Kidneys?

Research indicates that if you are in good health, a diet that is high in protein does not have an adverse effect on your kidneys.

“current available data suggest higher-protein diets do increase renal workload, but they do not negatively impact kidney health nor increase the risk of developing chronic kidney disease in healthy adults.”

Carbone, J. W., & Pasiakos, S. M. (2019). Dietary Protein and Muscle Mass: Translating Science to Application and Health Benefit. Nutrients, 11(5). https://doi.org/10.3390/nu11051136

If you’re unsure if a high-protein diet is for you, seek advice from your doctor or a registered dietitian. These can help you make an informed decision based on your individual health needs and goals.