Are you looking to build muscle fast? We get asked daily about how you can build muscle quickly and healthily.
In this post, we’re going to give you 5 proven ways to build muscle.
Building muscle does not need to be over complicated. I see it time and time again where someone will begin their fitness journey, not get the results they want RIGHT AWAY and just quit.
Beginning your fitness journey is not something you begin and then end within a month. Its a lifestyle change.
It requires patience, time, HARD WORK, listening to your body, and learning. If you are new and are wanting to build muscle, here are 5 Simple rules I use and have been using for years.
#1: Lift to build muscle
The only way to increase muscle is to cause the muscle fibers to tear, and the best way to do this is by getting your hands on dumbbells, barbells, weight lifting machines to really see significant muscle-building progress.
If you are new to lifting weights, ensure you are focusing on form, do not go super heavy, grab a smaller weight, learn how to do the movement, and really focus on getting the form correct and then focusing on the muscle. (Mind Muscle Connection).
If you do not have proper form, you are at risk of injury.
#2: Go Multi-Joint
So what do I mean by this?
If you are looking to build muscle quickly you should focus on multi-joint exercises. Just picking up a dumbbell to do a bicep curl or tricep extensions only focuses on one muscle group (All though highly effective)
Doing multi-joint exercises works more muscles in less time, allows you to use much heavier weights than you can lift with single-joint exercises.
Some exercises you can do are: Cleans, Deadlifts, Squats, bench pressing (Compound movements).
#3: Avoid Cardio
WHATT?? Avoid cardio? Anyone that dislikes cardio, you will love this.
Your body requires calories to build muscle and if you are doing significant amounts of cardio like running, bicycling etc., you are burning calories that your body could otherwise be used to build muscle.
If you are looking to build muscle, do a warm-up of 2-5 minutes to begin your workout then focus on weight training only.
#4: Rest
YES Rest..
So many people that begin working out believe you have to work out every single day to get results.
But rest is just as important.
If you work a muscle too hard too many days in a row, your muscle fibers will become too damaged to properly repair and grow.
To build muscle quickly, you must fatigue that muscle group and then give it time to rest (Typically a muscle needs 48-72 hours to repair) So ensure you are allowing your muscles to properly rest.
#5: Supplements to Build Muscle
Although lifting is a huge part in building muscle, taking supplements can help.
2 supplements I would suggest taking to help build muscle is A high-quality protein powder and Creatine.
When it comes to protein powder Whey protein is the number one, although a lot of people cannot have whey, so you may need to find a substitute.
If you can handle whey, I suggest having this over any other protein.
Creatine is the most research supplement on the market and is shown to increase muscle mass but the secret to creatine is only taking 2.4 grams as that is the most the body can digest (Most scoops are 5grams).
Bonus Tip
Why is it so important to build muscle?
Look at muscle as the biggest organ in your body, it is the biggest glucose disposal you have, which allows you to handle larger spikes of sugar and glucose.
Muscle also causes a higher thermo effect in the body which raises your basal metabolic rate allowing you to run more efficiently as muscle is the most expensive tissue to have on your body.
Having muscle also raises your metabolism, thus helping you lose weight and improves your insulin sensitivity.
These are 5 tips I have used for many years. Be patient, and enjoy the process.
