10 Tips for Building Muscle Fast

Many people want to lose weight, and they fret over not being able to. However, some people focus instead on getting healthy and gaining muscle. Doing so often helps you focus on an entirely different set of behaviors and perspectives, but the end result is often the same. You lose weight, and you gain muscle.

That said, gaining muscle can be a very ineffective endeavor, causing you to waste time. If you waste too much time and do not see much improvement, you can lose motivation and quit. However, there are several master-class techniques, so to speak, that will help you gain muscle fast much more effectively over other lesser techniques.

Barbells

This is the first entry on the list because many people will think that if they lift weights, they will gain muscle. However, what they do not know is that lifting weights using the best Olympic barbells is much more effective than lifting the same weight via machines. One reason barbells are more effective is that they require more coordination. For instance, they work more muscle area at once. If you lift weights on a machine, you simply have to push or pull the weight. However, barbells require you to balance the weight. Doing so requires much more work from your muscles. Because you get a more effective workout, your muscle growth is accelerated.

Protein

Muscle growth is fueled by protein. However there are a variety of protein types, and some are better for you than others.

Chicken, for instance, is leaner than red meat, and although it is high in cholesterol, it has lower levels of a chemical called trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO). Compared to white meat and vegetable protein, TMAO triples your risk of heart disease. This means eating steak and hamburger and other forms of red meat are actually three times as dangerous. The rule of thumb is to eat chicken and vegetable protein. Unless you want heart disease, do not eat beef.

In terms of vegetable protein, many people think vegetable protein is not a complete protein. However, when it comes to building muscle, vegetable protein is much more effective than meat–especially beef–because it offers all the protein but much less fat. As a result, you burn fat, gain muscle, and end up looking better than other people with higher levels of fat in their diet.

Eat more often

Eating fewer calories more often will maintain your metabolism and blood-sugar levels. Because your metabolism and blood-sugar levels can impact your energy throughout the day, extreme dips and rises in either can throw off your motivation to work out. Instead of eating three large meals per day, eating every two to three hours five to six times per day will level your energy levels and blood sugar, leaving you motivated and ready to work out. As a result, your workouts will be more consistent and thereby more efficient. Finally, eating a small yogurt or casein-rich food before bed helps grow muscle as you sleep. Building muscle does not get more efficient than that.

Creatine monohydrate

Creatine monohydrate is one of the most studied, most effective, and most recommended of supplements. For instance, simply Google “Bodybuilding Supps MuscleU,” and you will discover creatine to be among the most popular. The reason for its popularity is that it makes your muscles more efficient at lifting heavyweights. In fact, using creatine can increase your lifts by up to 14 percent. The reason this helps build muscle is that exercise tears down muscle as you lift. Anything you can do to efficiently increase your workouts creates more micro-tears in your muscles. These micro-tears then heal, creating larger muscle.

Stay on target

In terms of exercise, targeting is a phrase that describes the muscles you want to build. In short, you target them. When it comes to building muscle, targeting larger muscle groups will grow muscles faster than if you target smaller ones. This might sound obvious, but the strange fact remains that new fitness enthusiasts typically work out on their arms. Instead, they should target their thighs, back, and chest. Of course, a whole-body workout is required, but when you want to build muscle efficiently, large muscle groups burn more calories and build more muscle.

Coffee

One of the best pre-workout drinks in existence is coffee. The nutrients in coffee, as well as the caffeine in it, contribute in two ways. First, they help suppress appetite. This, of course, will keep you from getting hungry and snacking. Second, the caffeine builds muscle.

However, caffeine is a tricky supplement. Too much, and you can lose sleep, which absolutely wrecks muscle healing. Additionally, lack of sleep can negatively impact your motivation to workout. Experts recommend just under 10 milligrams of coffee for each kilogram you weigh. Doing so will keep you energized without all the side effects.

Rest

You are working out, but your workouts are not as effective as you think they should be. In fact, your workout morning, noon, and night. What in the world is going wrong?

The truth is, your over-enthusiasm might be working against you. Once your workout on a muscle group, you need to allow 24 to 48 hours for your muscles to heal. It is during this process of healing that your muscles are growing, so if you are constantly tearing them down via too much exercise, they never have a real chance to heal and grow. In terms of working out, a good rule of thumb is to never target any muscle group two days in a row. Instead, workout on your upper body on Monday. For your Tuesday workout, target your lower body. For Wednesday, your upper body will have had plenty of time to heal, so you can return to your arms, shoulders, and chest. This type of schedule allows you to always be active while also giving your body time to rest.

Alcohol

When it comes to alcohol and building muscle, there is one simple rule to remember. Stop drinking it. Alcohol is empty sugar calories that can impact your motivation and wreck your consistency. It is the shortest entry on this list because every professional fitness competitor and bodybuilder knows it. Stop drinking.

Stationary bike

Stationary bikes help improve your cardio health. However, at the right level of resistance, riding a bike also targets your largest muscle group: your thighs. Consequently, biking can be one of the best ways to build leg muscles while also strengthening your heart and increasing your stamina.

Variety

Eventually, even the most stalwart fitness buff will grow bored with his or her routine. That is why varying your exercises is important. Additionally, varying your exercises will impact the same muscle groups but in a slightly different fashion. In doing so, you help build the entire muscle group by targeting the entire area. Used in tandem to barbells, varying your workout is one of the most effective ways to maintain your motivation while also targeting the entire muscle area.