The fastest way to gain muscle is going to make you want to chuck a dumbbell out the window it’s so simple. And to be perfectly honest with you, I want to throw a dumbbell out the window every time somebody tells me that they don’t want to add some muscle onto their bodies.
I completely agree that the steroid monkey bodybuilder look is not what most people are looking for, but gaining lean muscle has been given a bad rap. Everybody needs muscle in their bodies and some are just going to want more than others.
Females have the hardest time when it comes to gaining muscle because they don’t want to get bulky. And I’m going to say it once and only once, you won’t get bulky oversized muscles unless you’re testosterone levels are high, you’re eating way too much or if you’re lifting way too heavy. Other than that putting on some lean muscle can only help the situation.
Why Women Too Need To Gain Muscle.
Building muscle on the female body is going to quickly help tone and shape those flabby spots. Most people only try to diet to lose fat and it’ll work really well until they’re left with their bodies looking like a deflated Thanksgiving Day parade balloon.
Filling out your body with some lean muscle is going to help increase your attractiveness and it’ll also help you look better on the beach. Because if you don’t gain some muscle you’re going to be skinny fat and still not look your best in a bathing suit.
Okay, now that I’ve gotten that out of the way I’m going to get down to the good stuff.
The Fastest Way To Gain Muscle
The #1 rule to gain muscle fast is eating enough protein. To build muscle you’re going to have to have more of the good calories coming in as opposed to going out. A lot of high school kids make the mistake of just eating everything in site, and they’ll pack on some muscle but they’ll also packing on the fat as well.
I remember when I stupidly would eat a bacon cheeseburger before and after working out when I was trying to put on some muscle. Yeah I gained 29 pounds, but were they all muscle? No chance in hell…
There’s also a huge myth surrounding why you shouldn’t be eating more protein. Your body can absorb more protein than you think and there’s no scientific evidence that it’ll be too hard on your kidneys as long as your not pounding jugs of protein powder a day.
If you’re looking to gain lean muscle fast then I suggest eating 1.0-1.25x your lean body weight. Meaning if you weigh 200 pounds and have a bodyfat percentage of 10%, you should be taking in 180-225g of protein per day.
There are tons of great lean sources of protein out there such as chicken, turkey, salmon, cottage cheese, protein shakes, steak, lamb, beans, etc. but stay away from the Big Macs
The next step is going to be to lift some heavy weights with great form while maximizing your time under tension. Time under tension basically means the amount of time that you’re lifting the weight.
So the tempo of your weightlifting could range from 3/3 (3 seconds up, 3 seconds down) to 4/5 to 5/5 to 2/5. Always be mixing up the tempo of your sets and experiment with what works best for you but in general the longer total time under tension you have the faster you’ll gain muscle.
Also be sure to check out my review of the Fat Gripz if you’re looking for a great way to increase your strength while gaining lean muscle.
Also use only multi-joint multi-muscle compound movements such as deadlifts, cleans, push presses, squats, front squats, pull-ups, bench press, lunges and step-ups. Pick up a weight that’s going to really challenge you to finish out your desired reps, put down the baby rattles!
Make sure that you perform all exercises to failure meaning that you couldn’t move the weight another inch even if somebody put a gun to your head. Most people really underestimate how far they can push themselves and they’ll give up the instant they feel some lactic acid building up in their muscles.
Also increase you rest time in between sets. If you’re aiming for rapid fat loss over lean muscle building then I’d suggest otherwise, but if you’re just trying to pack on the muscle then you need to maximize your strength in your sets.
Now if you’re a woman and you don’t want to pack on so much muscle but you still want to tone and sculpt your body, I would keep the rest in between sets super low and don’t eat as much protein as I suggested above.
Josh holds a Bachelor’s degree in Exercise Physiology and Nutrition Science. He’s a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) by the National Strength and Conditioning Association and he’s a Certified Personal Trainer (CPT) by American Council on Exercise. He’s worked as a Strength and Conditioning Coach at the high school and college levels. He has over 15 years of experience as a personal trainer and nutrition coach. He strives to bring inspiration and results for people to live healthier lives through smart diet and exercise.
