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Fastest Way To Gain Muscle In 21 Days

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.

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Josh Schlottman, CSCS CPT

Josh Schlottman is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) through the National Strength and Conditioning Association and an ACE Certified Personal Trainer with a Bachelor’s degree in Nutrition. With more than 20 years of hands-on coaching experience since 2005, Josh has helped thousands of clients in-person and online to build muscle, lose fat, and improve long-term metabolic health through science-based strength training and nutrition strategies. Josh is the founder of TrainerJosh.com, where he publishes evidence-based workout programs focused on bodyweight training, fat loss, and healthy aging. His fitness insights have been featured in outlets such as Men’s Fitness, Men’s Health, Askmen, Prevention, Healthline and other health publications.

16 thoughts on “Fastest Way To Gain Muscle In 21 Days”

  1. Hello, I am a 43yo female trying to lean out ~145lbs, 5-1.5 tall. I eat 115-136g protein per day (~1350) except on Sundays (free day) and am using a kettlebell DVD workout program 20 mins/day w/a 15 lb kb (3-6x week). Am I doing this right? This is only my 2nd week and I feel and look heavier not ligher and smaller… any suggestions? Thanks so much for you blog.

    • @em Hi em, make sure that you’re not weighing yourself if you’re going to menstruate within the next 10 days as you’ll carry much more water weight. Make sure that you’re also cutting out carbohydrates and eating a lot of green veggies. The workout sounds pretty good but also go on how you’re clothes are fitting instead of weight since weight can fluctuate up to 4 pounds daily.

  2. As a female aiming to build muscle, is it true that one should not engage in cardio for the first 8-12 weeks of a programme so as to focus on form and diet?

    • Hi L.S.,

      I would definitely recommend doing some HIIT workouts to help eliminate fat while retaining muscle.

  3. Hi,

    Thanks for the response Josh! Should the HIIT be done on days I am not doing weights or on the same day? If on the same day should it be done pre or post weight training?How long should the HIIT be done for?

    • You can do the high intensity interval training on the same days and you weights but just make sure you do after you do the weightlifting.

  4. hi
    I am 19 years old and my waist is 34 all fat and i am diabetic what should i do to get a flat muscular chest and stomach

    • You really have to focus on your diet especially considering you’re diabetic. Lots of protein from meats and get your carbs from veggies. Then use a lot of HIIT combined with weightlifting and you’ll get results the fastest.

  5. Hi Josh,

    I am a 45 year old female and I lost 20 pounds. Use to wear a size 12 now I wear an 8 or a 10, depending on how the clothes are made. I need help in toning my waist. I use weight, medicine ball, treadmill …you name it. Also I use weights and do about 45 squats 3 days a week for my gluteus area. I really would like to build muscle there. Suggestions please?

    • Good job on the progress so far! If I were you I would keep focusing on losing more belly fat along with your strength training as well as some treadmill sprints. This will help you build muscle not only in your stomach but throughout the rest of your body as well.

  6. I am 52 and thin and want to have more muscle definition especially in my arms. i do a very athletic type yoga, train 2 days per week, usually do a bootcamp one day per week. My diet is ok I am a very healthy eater but probably could do better. Need help

    • Hi Amy, I would recommend including more weightlifting into your workout routine to 2-3 times per week to reach these goals.

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