Your body already knows how to build muscle protein. You just need to create a growth stimulus by training hard in the gym and supplying your body with the proper nutrients and rest to rebuild muscles bigger and stronger. Many people, however, make the mistake of over-complicating muscle building. To build muscle quickly, keep your training simple and efficient.
Step 1
Do resistance training workouts three to five days a week. Beginners can get good results by training every other day with full-body workouts. For example, do legs, chest and back on Monday and arms and shoulders on Wednesday. On Friday, repeat Monday's workout. More advanced trainees may choose to work out Monday through Friday, working each of the muscle groups separately. For a good five-day training split, try training shoulders on Monday, arms on Tuesday, legs on Wednesday, chest on Thursday and back on Friday.
Step 2
Choose one compound movement for each muscle group. Compound exercises engage the most muscle fibers, creating the best muscle-growth stimulus, according to "3-D Muscle Building." Examples of these exercises include squats and deadlifts for legs, pull-ups for back, bench presses for chest, military presses for shoulders, barbell curls for biceps and weighted dips for triceps (see Resources). Do one to three sets of each compound exercise.
Step 3
Add one or two sets of a stretch-overload exercise for each muscle group. According to "3-D Muscle Building" authors Jonathan Lawson and Steve Holman, animal studies have shown that such exercises can induce 300 percent gains in lean mass in one month. Stretch exercises include sissy squats for quadriceps, stiff-leg deadlifts for hamstrings, dumbbell pull-overs for back, dumbbell flies for chest, one-arm incline laterals for shoulders, incline dumbbell curls for biceps and overhead triceps presses.
Step 4
Perform isolation exercises at the end of each muscle group's workout to engage the muscle fibers that were missed by the first two exercises. Isolation exercises use a single joint and focus all of the stress on the target muscle. Examples include leg extensions for quadriceps, leg curls for hamstrings, straight-arm pull-downs for back, cable crossovers for chest, concentration curls for biceps and dumbbell kickbacks for triceps. Do one or two sets to finish off each muscle group.
Step 5
Perform six to 12 repetitions on every set, taken to total muscle failure. This means stopping each set only when you can no longer perform a controlled repetition. Train progressively by adding weight incrementally (5 to 10 lbs. at a time) as you get bigger and stronger.
Step 6
Drink a post-workout protein shake that includes 30 to 50 g of whey protein, 60 to 100 g high-glycemic carbohydrates (fruit juice or dextrose) and 30 g of healthy fats (flaxseed oil), says best-selling fitness author Jeff Anderson. This combination provides all of the nutrients needed for muscle recovery and rebuilding, according to "Optimum Anabolics."
Things You'll Need
- Whey protein
- Fruit juice
- Dextrose
- Flaxseed oil
References
- "3-D Muscle Building"; Jonathan Lawson and Steve Holman; 2006
- "Optimum Anabolics"; Jeff Anderson; 2004
- "The Fat-Burning Bible"; Mackie Shilstone; 2005
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