When aspiring bodybuilders think of "getting big muscles fast," the first thing that comes to mind is anabolic steroids. While these substances do indeed have exceptional muscle-building properties, they are illegal without a prescription, and their abuse is associated with a laundry list of medical side effects. As such, most sensible trainees will agree that building muscle by natural means is a preferable alternative. Unfortunately, if you choose to go the natural route, your progress will undoubtedly be slower and harder to come by. Still, by faithfully following a few steps, you may be able to surprise yourself and even your steroid-using peers.
Step 1
Begin a serious resistance-training program. While steroid-enhanced bodybuilders will grow from almost any stimulation, natural trainees must train hard to see significant results. Aim to complete four to five resistance-training sessions per week, with each session lasting at least 60 minutes.
Step 2
Focus on heavy, compound movements such as chest presses, shoulder presses, rows, squats and deadlifts, but feel free to add in isolation exercises if you wish to focus on specific muscle groups. Because of the frequency of your workouts, you should eschew a full-body program in favor of a body-part split. For example, perform pushing movements to activate the chest, shoulders and triceps on day one, pulling movements to activate the back and biceps on day two, and leg movements on day three. For all exercises, aim to perform three to four sets of eight to 12 repetitions, resting for at least 90 seconds between sets.
Step 3
Supersize your diet. In order to grow, your muscles need both building blocks and fuel, which come in the form of proteins and calories respectively. To best facilitate muscular synthesis, aim to consume at least 1g of protein per pound of bodyweight daily. To help fulfill this requirement, you can turn to any combination of great protein sources, including red meat, white meat, fish, beans and tofu. In order to prevent your body from sacrificing muscle as fuel, use your calculator and the nutritional information on your food to ensure that you take in at least 3,500 total calories per day.
Step 4
Dedicate your lifestyle to bodybuilding. This may entail sacrifices, especially in the way of your late-night social life. In order to maximize muscular development, you should ensure that you get a full eight hours of quality sleep each and every night. Additionally, you must avoid recreational drugs and alcohol, as these can inhibit the production of important muscle-building hormones such as testosterone. The healthier your lifestyle, the faster you'll progress towards achieving your goal.
References
- Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport: Muscular Strength, Body Composition and Health Responses to the Use of Testosterone Enanthate: a Double Blind Study
- Metabolism Clinical and Experimental: The Effect of Resistance Training Combined With Timed Ingestion of Protein on Muscle Fiber Size and Muscle Strength
- Ergonomics: The Effect of Partial Sleep Deprivation on Weight-lifting Performance
- Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research: Effects of Alcohol on Plasma Testosterone and Luteinizing Hormone Levels



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