Whenever you want to build muscle fast, you have to put in a high amount of effort. The upper body is no exception. The main muscles to focus on are the chest, shoulders, back, triceps and biceps. By building these upper-body muscles, you will not only boost your self-confidence, but you will also improve your daily functional ability. For example, tasks such as placing heavy boxes on shelves and lifting stones into a patio will be easier.
Step 1
Start your workouts with dynamic stretches. During upper-body exercises, multiple movements are taking place. Get your muscles, joints and connective tissue acclimated to these movements with dynamic stretches before you exercise. This will help prevent injury. Arm circles, shoulder shrugs, arm crossovers, side bends, trunk rotations and alternating toe touches are examples.
Step 2
Perform mostly compound exercises. Compound exercises work more than one muscle and joint at a time leading to faster gains in size and strength. Bench presses, upright rows, one-arm rows, dips and chin-ups are examples of exercises that target all of your upper-body muscles. Save isolation exercises like chest flys, lateral raises, triceps kickbacks and biceps curls for the end of your workouts.
Step 3
Lift the heaviest weights you can with all your exercises. This will cause a maximal amount of muscle fiber recruitment and help you build faster. Have a spotter on hand to assist you and aim for eight to 12 reps with each exercise. Perform three to five sets.
Step 4
Execute proper form while working out. Do not use momentum, move through a full range of motion, breathe properly and squeeze your muscles forcefully at the mid point of your exercises. Take the bench press for example. Lower the bar down until it lightly touches your chest then push it straight up in a steady motion. Take two full seconds to lower it and one second to push it back up. Inhale as you lower and exhale as you push up. Straighten your arms completely, but do not lock your elbows and squeeze your chest muscles forcefully at the top of the movement.
Step 5
Exercise often enough, but do not overtrain. Do not work the same muscles two days in a row. This may subject you to injury and it will not allow time for your muscles to properly heal.
Step 6
Utilize the nighttime hours for sleeping. Staying up late and depriving yourself of sleep will have a negative impact on your muscle gains and energy levels. It is during sleep that muscle-building hormones are being released and the body gets to rebuild. Adults typically need seven to nine hours of sleep a night, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Stick to these guidelines for maximal results.
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