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7 Ways to Build Muscle Faster

Get in the fast lane for muscle growth

By Patrick DuanePublished 2 years ago 6 min read
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7 Ways to Build Muscle Faster
Photo by Andre Taissin on Unsplash

Being blessed with favourable genetics definitely makes it easier to not only build muscle, but to pack on good size relatively fast. Some good news? The vast majority of people will find it difficult to build muscle. That doesn’t mean that you can’t, it just means you have to work that bit harder!

Regardless of elite genetics or not, building muscle as fast as is naturally possible will require you to take some action. Consider implementing the options below to expedite your muscle building process.

Focus on Strength & Hypertrophy

Your main goal should be getting stronger because when you get stronger, you will be able to lift more weight. Most people make the mistake of lifting weights that they can rep out for 8 to 12, and stick to this boring process month after month. No plan to build strength with a programme that focuses on progressive overload.

You will find you plateau quickly when this is the case. As mentioned above, strength gives you the platform to lift more weight, this is critical to increase the size and mass of the muscle fibres.

The main objective with hypertrophy is building muscle size. More volume, less rest, and lighter weight. The goal is to get blood flowing into the muscle, fill up the muscles with essential nutrients that contribute to muscle growth.

The 2 modalities are a perfect marriage for building muscle.

Base your programme around getting stronger. Strength is the platform to lift more weight. Complement the programme with hypertrophy, which is tailored to building muscle size.

More Frequency

It’s difficult to find a sweet spot. Too much? You’ll stress the muscles, tendons and joints, increase cortisol production, which breaks down muscle. Too little? You won't send enough of a muscle building signal. As you can see, it’s a delicate balance!

A good idea is to spread your volume throughout the week. Three times per week is a good target. The goal with higher frequency is to stimulate, and not annihilate, the muscle. Let’s take legs as an example, and you want to implement a leg specialization programme. We’ve established that the foundation of any good muscle building programme is strength.

With this in mind, do a strength workout Monday (Squat variation is the main lift). Wednesday and Friday are lighter workouts with more volume, mix of machine and free weight exercises.

This is a blueprint to increase strength and ensure you get ample volume.

Optimize Hormone Levels

Specifically, anabolic hormones such as human growth hormone and testosterone. Anabolic hormones play an important role in the muscle building process. If you have doubts about the levels of your anabolic hormones, schedule some blood tests to find out where you are at.

Living a healthy and active life are fantastic ways to do your bit in promoting optimal levels organically. Make adjustments to your lifestyle based off the finding of the blood tests.

Anabolic hormones fuel muscle growth.

Get Muscle Fibres Firing in The Warm-up

Loosen up the muscles, get blood flowing around the body. These are critical to not only minimize the risk of injury, but to also prime the muscle fibres for the impending workout.

Very simple test - if you can't feel the targeted muscle during the workout, then you are doing something wrong!

Lack of a proper warm-up or poor technique are 2 main offenders. Ensure that your warm-up is specific to the workout, with emphasis on the muscles that will be targeted in the workout. Keep it brief, 10-minutes is adequate time to invest.

Build up the intensity as the warm-up progresses, start with a few light stretches, move on to mobility drills, then bring it home with a movement that will excite the CNS. Box jumps, med ball throws, sprints are ideal options.

Focus on Effective Exercises

Big compound exercises come to mind, multijoint movements that work multiple muscle groups. Variations of squats, bench press, deadlifts, overhead press are some exercises you should build your strength programme around. Getting stronger on these lifts are clear markers that your strength programme is working.

Along with building strength, they also build muscle in their own right. The nature of the exercises means that multiple muscle groups are utilized, which sends a global muscle building signal throughout the body. Generating muscle building signals of this magnitude is not possible with isolation exercises. However, there is a place for these auxiliary type exercises in successful programmes.

Compound lifts send the loudest muscle building signals!

Load Up on Unrefined Carbs & Protein

Carbs are a super energy source for your body. The stored form of carbs in the muscle cells is called glycogen and is readily available for when you want to get work done.

The stigma associated with carbs, that they make you fat, is overblown. No real context to the statement. Sure, if you’re lazy, don't exercise, and eat a lot of processed foods, then yes. You are more likely to store more carbs as fat.

What about if you are on the other end of the spectrum? You are active, workout regularly, and eat mainly unprocessed carbs, then the only true weight you will gain is muscle! Post workout, refuel with carbs to replenish the lost glycogen. You can never have enough energy supplies when you are a super active person. You will use those energy stores efficiently.

Protein is essential in the muscle building process, as it repairs and builds muscle.

A high protein diet will provide the building blocks for muscle. You should aim to get your protein intake from whole, nutrient dense foods, but shakes are a great option when this is not possible.

Try a shake that combines both when the goal is building large muscle mass. Liquid cals are easier to digest and easier to get into a caloric surplus. When in a surplus, you are ensuring your body has a steady supply of material to build muscle. Do your due diligence on protein powders, more bad than good on the market. The fewer ingredients, the better, is a general rule of thumb.

Don’t Sleep on Sleep!

Your body will do the majority of its recovery while you sleep. So, the better you sleep, the better chance you give your muscle to repair and grow. Human growth hormone is particularly active during sleep, it is released in pulses based off your body's internal clock/circadian rhythm.

Aim for 7 to 9 hours sleep nightly. Follow a routine that gets you into a deep sleep. Whatever gets your mind to relax and unwind, then repeat that. Reading works for me if I’m finding it hard to sleep, but may not work for you.

Get your sleep, let your body recover, be ready for tomorrow.

Closing Thought

For optimal results, utilize all the options together. These are tried and trusted ways to build muscle as quickly as is naturally possible. When implemented correctly, you will maximize the muscle building potential your body and underlying genetics have to offer.

fitness
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About the Creator

Patrick Duane

I mainly write of health, fitness, travel and personal development, but I've been known to throw the odd curveball too! My goal is to provide you with entertaining stories that will be of some use to you.

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