How To Build Muscle: My step-by-step workout program and meal plan for FAST results

Written by Shannon Clark

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Fact Checked

My how to build muscle guide uses researched backed methods to help you pack on pounds of lean muscle mass faster than you’ve ever seen.

But building muscle is super hard, right?

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That’s true, but still countless of men and women all over the world have gone from skinny to jacked in 12 weeks using my muscle growth protocols!

With my muscle building workout program and meal plan (found below for free), you can hopefully also make gains like the celebrities seem to do effortlessly:

how to build muscle fast

So, let’s get started with your muscle gain transformation:

How To Build Muscle Fast: Understand this and see your muscles grow

how to build muscle naturally
Unfortunately, can you not go into a machine like Captain America :(. You have to follow the tips below to build muscle:

Okay. Let’s start with the basics. No use rushing into advanced techniques if you’re getting these all wrong.

Look:

Building muscle isn’t a secret formula that you must spend years mastering for success. It’s a three-step process that needs to be fulfilled.

How to build muscle fast:

  1. Step 1: Overload
  2. Step 2: Rest
  3. Step 3: Fuel
  4. Step 4: GAINS.

That’s it! Seriously guys, let’s not overthink this.

Here are my 4 steps for better muscle building progress.

1. Progressive overload

progressive overload to build muscle faster

If I was to ask you today, what you did different in your last workout from the previous one, could you tell me?

If you can’t, we have a problem. You MUST be overloading your muscles in some manner. Preferably, you’ll keep the manner consistent – at least for a short while before you change things around (more important details on that to come).

  • Add more weight.
  • Do more reps.
  • Add more volume.

This is exactly how to build muscle for skinny guys. These are all fantastic ways to overload. Your mission is to place more stress on your body than you did last session. If you’ve done that, congrats my friend, you’re on the way to growth.

If you do the same thing over and over again, what reason are you giving your muscles to change?

YOU AREN’T.

2. Calorie surplus

calorie surplus to build muscle faster

Let’s not get into mangina mode and think we need to track every single calorie that goes into our mouths. You’re a man trying to grow so it’s time to eat like you mean it.

Now, I’m not saying you should park it at that hot spot buffet in your city and eat everything in sight either.

But you do need to eat, and adding a few pounds of fat can actually help jack up your testosterone and promote more growth. Plus it cushions your joints better so you can push up heavier weight.

All factors that lead to better growth.

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So don’t fear adding a bit of padding in order to build muscle naturally. (Notice I said A BIT). It’ll help you in the long run and ensure you’re maximizing your muscle growth.

Once you’re big, you can just spend a few weeks dieting that off anyway to achieve jacked status.

3. Rest like you mean it

rest and recovery is important to build muscle

When you’re out of the gym, take it easy. Don’t go shoot hoops for two hours with your boys every off day. That’s not an off day no matter how lazily you do it. You’re still stressing the body and making it hard to recover.

Walking.

That’s about as hard as you should be exercising at this point in order to build muscle for skinny guys.

4. Rinse, recycle and repeat.

stay consistent to build muscle naturally in 8 weeks

The fourth step is to stay consist. You won’t see results if you aren’t consistent. Too many guys are motivated during the week but as soon as the weekend hits, everything goes down the drain.

Weekends make up almost 30% of your week so if you really want to learn how to build muscle mass fast, you need to learn how to tame yourself on the weekends.

Stay on course. Otherwise, you’ll be seeing results at least 30% slower than everyone else.

Now that I have shown you how to build muscle for skinny guys, I know some of you are probably looking for a few more nitty-gritty tips – intricate details.

We’ll get that to that in a second.

How fast can you build muscle naturally?

how fast can you build muscle naturally
The fitness industry has lied to you so much, that I need to have a whole section just to set honest expectations for you.

Let’s address the white elephant in the room.

The ‘secret sauce’. We are seeing more and more guys start using the juice and seeing fast results because of it.

But you shouldn’t do it. You want to keep it natty all the way. It’s the way to go in 2018. Which is great. Let me tell you, I have seen one too many gym buddies go down a very dark path when they decided to try some special supplements.

So now you want to know how to build muscle naturally and more importantly, how fast can you build muscle naturally?

This will highly depend on you:

  • genetics,
  • training frequency,
  • ability to recover,
  • stress level,
  • the foods you choose to eat,

as well as many other factors that come into the mix.

It’s IMPOSSIBLE for me to give you a precise number here.

But generally…

For beginners

beginner muscle building gains
Example of noob gains. From after that it gets harder and harder.

Beginner trainees, ones who are primed for ‘newbie gains’ (which, by definition are is much faster progress than you’ll make at other points in your lifting career because your body is highly adaptive since you’ve never strength trained before) can anticipate gaining 4-6 pounds per month.

Yup. It’s that good. So, beginners can really take advantage of this how to build muscle fast guide.

BUT GET THIS: Newbie gains only come once….

Look, if you had one shot, or one opportunity. To seize everything you ever wanted, in one moment.

Would you capture it, or just let it slip?

I’m sure Eminem wasn’t talking about newbie gains….

But regardless:

Take advantage of this effect while you can. If you’re just starting out in the gym, there’s no need to do anything fancy like supersets, drop sets, or pyramiding. Right now, your body just needs progressively heavy weight and compound lifts.

For real:

  1. Squat
  2. Deadlift
  3. Bench press
  4. Row

That’s where you live. In the beginning, I highly recommend you focus on these four lifts and these four lifts only. (Okay, maybe a curl or two is fine if you must satisfy that urge).

For advanced lifters: Understand P-Ratio for bodybuilding

how fast can you build muscle as advanced bodybuilder
Here’s Simeon Panda’s transformation. Keep in mind he has insane genetics. But he’s also an example of where hard work and discipline for years can get you.

Now let’s say you’re more advanced.

You have 2+ years under your training belt and have found your groove.

Okay, so now your body is adapted and you’re out of the newbie gains period.

Things slow. But they don’t have to considerably.

You can still expect to gain 2-4 pounds per month. Now, this may not all be muscle, but that’s what you should be aiming for.

What will determine how much of this is fat and how much is muscle is something called your P-ratio.

P-Ratio stands for partitioning ratio and refers to: how much energy you shuttle to the muscles versus the body fat stores.

How to improve your bodybuilding P-ratio include:

  • Lift heavy weights (duh)
  • Eat enough omega-3 fatty acids (if you don’t take this in supplemental form, now is the time)
  • Get enough sleep each night. 6 hours is NOT going to cut it.
  • Play around with interval cardio. Some guys benefit from it, some (typically the more ‘hardgainer types’) won’t.
  • Do not do steady state cardio training. Let’s leave that for when you’re leaning out. There’s just no real place for it right now for most men.
  • Get a hold of your stress level. Many men overlook this but stress can play a huge role in their overall levels of success.
  • Avoid alcohol. This one is painful, I get it, but if you want MAX success, I recommend sticking to water for the time being.

If you do everything right, 2-4 pounds per month should be your goal and at least half of that should be lean muscle mass. I’ve seen some guys who take this very seriously gain almost 4 pounds of pure muscle per month.

Think about it, that’s 36 pounds per year.

That’s huge.

But your training, eating and resting needs to be on top of your game.

For older guys

how to build muscle when old

Also keep in mind that the older you get, the slower the gains will go as well. This is because your testosterone levels naturally decline with age by about 10% per decade, so you simply can’t expect to build as fast at 40 as you did at 20.

However, you can definitely stay in and get in a very decent shape if you work for it.

Also, you CAN definitely fight the testosterone decline.

Now, I will reveal my muscle building workout routine and muscle building diet plan in this article. But first let’s talk training – those nitty gritty details.

Muscle Building Training: How should I train to build muscle fast?

muscle building training

So how do you train to build muscle? Here are my guidelines.

1. Focucs on adding more weight.

use more weight to build muscle for skinny guys

Earlier I spoke about making sure there was overload of some variety. 80% of the time or more, this should be weight. Your goal is to get as strong as possible.

Why?

When you get stronger, this is clear evidence you are building muscle. Provided your diet is in check, you’ll be getting bigger at the same time. Adding more reps can help with hypertrophy to some degree, but no one ever got really huge lifting the 30’s on shoulder press for years.

Besides, getting stronger is great for functional benefits and everyone should appreciate that.

2. Make friends with the barbell.

focus on barbell work to build muscle faster

If you want to get really jacked, you should live in the cage.

  • Squats,
  • bench press,
  • deadlifts,
  • shoulder press,
  • pull-ups

these are all fantastic exercises that can be performed in a powerlifting cage and will all benefit you.

Lifting with barbells is going to give you your best shot at getting stronger and it’s also going to require you to perform the exercises that call into play the most muscles.

More muscles = more fiber recruitment = more potential for growth.

While I know those pump exercises like bicep curls, tricep kickbacks, lateral raises, and leg extensions may make you feel just jacked, they aren’t really doing THAT much to help your growth.

The increase in size you see is only temporary as the muscles are simply becoming inflated with extra blood flow.

So stick to the compound moves as much as possible and keep it to barbells. Even moving to dumbbells is less effective when your goal is to learn how to build muscle for skinny guys.

3. Hit each muscle at least 2X per week.

how to build muscle for skinny guys fast

Those bodypart splits you see in the muscle mags?

Ditch them.

They really aren’t going to get you maximum results.

To get your muscles really growing, you’ll want to work them at least twice per week, if not three times per week. This means a full body workout hitting all those compounds or an upper/lower split.

I find most people who are at least semi-advanced do best on an upper lower split (because let’s face it, after a brutal set of heavy squats, the last thing you want to do is max out on bench).

4. Get your rep range straight.

best rep range for muscle building

It would be great if we could hit the gym and just do light weight for 20 reps and call it a day.

You could and you would gain some muscle size and would see superior muscle endurance, but you won’t get huge.

The best rep range to build muscle is going to be 5-12 reps. Some days, err more on the 5 rep range and others more on the 12 rep range.

This gives your body variety, which it craves.

5. Add more variety.

mix your training style to build muscle

Which brings me nicely to the next point, variety.

Now, I still want you to focus on those core exercises, but don’t be afraid of variations.

  • Front squat,
  • back squat,
  • low bar squat,
  • sumo squat,
  • incline bench,
  • decline bench,
  • flat bench,
  • conventional deadlift,
  • stiff leg deadlift…

on and on it goes.

DO change your program every 4-6 weeks. Otherwise your body will just adapt and get too comfortable and when that happens, you stop seeing optimal results.

Later down the article I will show you the muscle building workout routine and foods that build muscle, but first:

Best exercises to build muscle for skinny guys

how to build muscle naturally for fast results

Wondering which moves I recommend for your muscle building workouts? Here’s my line-up.

1. Back Squat

how to squat to build muscle

How to back squat to build muscle:

  1. Stand with a barbell on your back, feet slightly wider than shoulder width part. Keep the elbows pointing down, bum and core tight, and back squeezed.
  2. Slowly bend the knees and lower yourself down to the ground.
  3. Pause ever so briefly at the bottom and then press up to complete the rep.

2. Deadlift

how to deadlift to build muscle fast

How to deadlift to build muscle:

  1. Stand in front of a loaded barbell with the feet slightly wider than shoulder width apart.
  2. Grasp the barbell using a slightly wider than shoulder width hand position, overhand grip (or mixed grip if you prefer)
  3. Bent the knees and straighten the back. Think of pulling the chest up to achieve a proper arch.
  4. Press up through the legs and then back to move into a full standing position.
  5. Pause and then lower back down to the ground.

3. Flat bench press

how to do flat bench press to build muscle naturally

How to flat bench press to build muscle:

  1. 1. Lay in a flat bench, barbell overhead.
  2. Place hands on the barbell slightly wider than shoulder width apart (play with your width here to find one that’s comfortable for you).
  3. Press the weight up and then slowly lower it down to the chest.
  4. Pause and then press directly up again. Keep the core tight the entire time.

4. Standing barbell press

how to do standing barbell press to build muscle naturally - muscle building workout routine

How to do standing barbell press:

  1. Stand in a power rack with the barbell resting near shoulder level.
  2. Place body just behind the barbell with hands on the bar wider than shoulder width apart, using an overhand grip.
  3. Press the weight directly over the head, but do not lock out the elbows.
  4. Pause slightly for a brief second and then lower the weight back down to complete the rep.
  5. Be sure to keep the core tight at all times so as to never arch the lower back.

5. Bent over barbell row

how to do bent over barbell row to build muscle - muscle building workout program

How to do bent over barbell row:

  1. Place a barbell on the floor in front of you.
  2. Bend at the knees, keeping the back straight and place hands on the barbell, using a slightly wider than shoulder width grip. You can use an overhand or underhand grip depending on which you prefer (keep in mind underhand grip will work the biceps more, but the back less).
  3. With the back flat, chest up and head looking slightly forward, bend the elbows as you raise the bar up to your sternum.
  4. Pause and then lower down to complete the rep.

Perfect your form on these key lifts. You never want to sacrifice good form, it’s how to build muscle most effectively. Good form is what will ensure that you hit every single muscle like you should be with each lift you do.

How To Build Muscle: The Muscle Building Workout Routine

Want a mobile friendly PDF of this 4 week muscle building workout program? Click the button below to download the PDF version of this blog post and take it with you anywhere:

Yes, I want the PDF

At the beginning of this how to build muscle guide, I promised you a muscle building workout routine for superior results. This plan spans 4 weeks and after that, you should make some changes to keep seeing success and ensure your body doesn’t become too adapted.

Week 1

Day 1:

Exercise Reps Sets Rest
Bench Press 5 3 2 minutes
Barbell Row 5 3 2 minutes
Barbell Press 5 3 2 minutes
Pull-Ups 5 3 2 minutes
Hanging Leg Raise 10 3 1 minute
Plank Hold 10 3 1 minute

Day 2:

Exercise Reps Sets Rest
Squat 5 3 2 minutes
Deadlift 8 3 2 minutes
Walking Lunge 8/side 3 1 minute
Leg Extension 10 3 30 seconds
Hamstring Curl 10 3 30 seconds

Day 3: Rest

Day 4:

Exercise Reps Sets Rest
Incline Bench press 8 3 2 minutes
Barbell Row 8 3 2 minutes
Seated Barbell Press 8 3 2 minutes
Pull-Ups 8 3 2 minutes
Decline Crunches 10 3 1 minute
Back Hyperextensions 10 3 1 minute

Day 5:

Exercise Reps Sets Rest
Front Squat 8 3 2 minutes
Stiff Leg Deadlift 5 3 2 minutes
Leg Press 10 3 1 minute
Leg Extension 10 3 30 seconds
Hamstring Curl 10 3 30 seconds

Day 6 & 7: Rest


Week 2

Day 1:

Exercise Reps Sets Rest
Bench Press 6 3 2 minutes
Barbell Row 6 3 2 minutes
Barbell Press 6 3 2 minutes
Pull-Ups 6 3 2 minutes
Hanging Leg Raise 10 3 1 minute
Plank Hold 10 3 1 minute

Day 2:

Exercise Reps Sets Rest
Squat 6 3 2 minutes
Deadlift 10 3 2 minutes
Walking Lunge 10/side 3 1 minute
Leg Extension 10 3 30 seconds
Hamstring Curl 10 3 30 seconds

Day 3: Rest

Day 4:

Exercise Reps Sets Rest
Incline Bench press 10 3 2 minutes
Barbell Row 10 3 2 minutes
Seated Barbell Press 10 3 2 minutes
Pull-Ups 10 3 2 minutes
Decline Crunches 10 3 1 minute
Back Hyperextensions 10 3 1 minute

Day 5:

Exercise Reps Sets Rest
Front Squat 9 3 2 minutes
Stiff Leg Deadlift 6 3 2 minutes
Leg Press 10 3 1 minute
Leg Extension 10 3 30 seconds
Hamstring Curl 10 3 30 seconds

Day 6 & 7: Rest


Week 3

Day 1:

Exercise Reps Sets Rest
Bench Press 8 3 2 minutes
Barbell Row 8 3 2 minutes
Barbell Press 8 3 2 minutes
Pull-Ups 8 3 2 minutes
Hanging Leg Raise 10 3 1 minute
Plank Hold 10 3 1 minute

Day 2:

Exercise Reps Sets Rest
Squat 8 3 2 minutes
Deadlift 10 3 2 minutes
Walking Lunge 12/side 3 1 minute
Leg Extension 12 3 30 seconds
Hamstring Curl 12 3 30 seconds

Day 3: Rest

Day 4:

Exercise Reps Sets Rest
Incline Bench press 12 3 2 minutes
Barbell Row 12 3 2 minutes
Seated Barbell Press 12 3 2 minutes
Pull-Ups 12 3 2 minutes
Decline Crunches 12 3 1 minute
Back Hyperextensions 12 3 1 minute

Day 5:

Exercise Reps Sets Rest
Front Squat 10 3 2 minutes
Stiff Leg Deadlift 8 3 2 minutes
Leg Press 12 3 1 minute
Leg Extension 12 3 30 seconds
Hamstring Curl 12 3 30 seconds

Day 6 & 7: Rest


Week 4

Day 1:

Exercise Reps Sets Rest
Bench Press 8 4 2 minutes
Barbell Row 8 4 2 minutes
Barbell Press 8 4 2 minutes
Pull-Ups 8 4 2 minutes
Hanging Leg Raise 10 4 1 minute
Plank Hold 10 4 1 minute

Day 2:

Exercise Reps Sets Rest
Squat 8 4 2 minutes
Deadlift 10 4 2 minutes
Walking Lunge 12/side 4 1 minute
Leg Extension 12 4 30 seconds
Hamstring Curl 12 4 30 seconds

Day 3: Rest

Day 4:

Exercise Reps Sets Rest
Incline Bench press 12 4 2 minutes
Barbell Row 12 4 2 minutes
Seated Barbell Press 12 4 2 minutes
Pull-Ups 12 4 2 minutes
Decline Crunches 12 4 1 minute
Back Hyperextensions 12 4 1 minute

Day 5:

Exercise Reps Sets Rest
Front Squat 10 4 2 minutes
Stiff Leg Deadlift 8 4 2 minutes
Leg Press 12 4 1 minute
Leg Extension 12 4 30 seconds
Hamstring Curl 12 4 30 seconds

Day 6 & 7: Rest

Muscle Building Diet: How should I eat to build muscle naturally?

best muscle building diet

In order to grow, you need to eat. Make this your mantra.

Food is not for pleasure right now, but serves a higher purpose. This doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy it, but stop eating pizza and burgers just because you feel like it.

In order to learn how to build muscle naturally, you need to learn how to eat.

Step 1. Find your baseline calorie intake.

find your calories to build muscle

In order to learn how to build muscle fast, you need to track your calories for one week. If you’re maintaining your weight, add 500 calories to that intake. This will help you put on one pound of weight per week. If you don’t see a weight gain after adding those 500 calories, add another 250.

Stlll no gain? Consider yourself a hardgainer. Add another 250, then again, and again until you are seeing weight gain at an appreciable rate.

Sit at each level for 1 week before assessing.

I’ve seen some guys have to go up to 4000 calories, so this process may take some time but it’s time well spent. It’ll ensure best results.

Step 2. Set your macros for muscle building

best macros for muscle building

If you want to understand how to build muscle naturally, then as far as macros go, which is everyone’s favourite buzzword right now, I recommend that you eat one gram of protein per pound of body weight.

Any more than this and protein just becomes expensive fuel. It’s hard on your body and hard on your wallet.

Also make sure that you get in at least 0.3 grams/lb. of fat per day, to a maximum of about 0.5-0.6 grams/lb. per day. Those with higher calorie intakes should lean towards the higher end of the spectrum while those with lower calorie intakes can go lower

This will ensure your testosterone levels are maximized, you have taste to your food, and you are satisfied after each meal.

WARNING! Low fat diets do not help men who are looking to build muscle fast.

Research published in the American Journal Of Clinical Nutrition1 has shown that when you compare men on low fat, high fiber diets to men on higher fat, lower fiber diets, the higher fat diets produce higher testosterone levels.

This doesn’t mean you should ditch broccoli (some vegetables are a must!) but don’t go overboard while avoiding fat.

Muscle Building Diet: The 10 Best Foods To Build Muscle

The 10 Best Foods To Build Muscle

To learn how to build muscle faster, you need to know which foods you should be eating on your plan:

Here are my Top 10 Muscle building foods:

  1. Chicken breast (obviously)
  2. Steak (you need the iron)
  3. Spinach (full of antioxidants)
  4. Sweet potatoes (a wonderful source of complex carbs)
  5. Bananas (perfect pre or post workout)
  6. Nuts (a super easy way to get in calories)
  7. Coconut oil (this may help increase your P-ratio and keep you leaner)
  8. Whey isolate protein powder. A must for post-workout.
  9. Avocado’s. A terrific fat source that’s too often missed

A rare addition but these help bring in more zinc to your diet than almost every other food and zinc is closely connected to testosterone2 levels. Eat these foods and you know how to build muscle mass.

Muscle Building Diet: What should I AVOID eating?

Foods To Avoid On A Muscle Building Routine

..and of course, there are a few foods to avoid.

Cross these off your grocery list.

  1. Bacon, sausage, and other processed meats. These are not high quality sources of protein.
  2. Soy anything. These can have a negative impact on testosterone levels.
  3. Flaxseeds. For the same reason as soy.
  4. Deep fried foods. Who needs that when trying to get jacked?
  5. Processed carbohydrates. Even though you need more calories, quality calories are key. Too much sugar can mess your sperm quality and may impact testosterone3.

Remember that diet can account for up to 75% of the results you see, so don’t think you can just hit the gym and call it a day. Your diet needs to be on the mark 24 hours a day. That’s exactly how to build muscle naturally for skinny guys.

So, how to build muscle for skinny guys? Skinny guys usually aren’t eating right, so you need a muscle building meal plan…

Muscle Building Meal Plan For Fast Muscle Growth

Want a mobile friendly PDF of this muscle building meal plan? Click the button below to download the PDF version of this blog post and take it with you anywhere:

Yes, I want the PDF

Here’s a sample daily muscle building meal plan for a man who weighs 80 kg and stands 180cm tall with a calorie intake of 3000 calories per day.

Breakfast:

  • 1 cup egg whites plus one whole egg
  • ¾ cup (raw measure) cooked oatmeal
  • 1 apple

Mid-Morning:

  • 1 cup plain reduced fat Greek yogurt
  • One cup blueberries
  • 1 tbsp. almond butter

Lunch:

  • 4 oz. grilled steak
  • 1 cup steamed broccoli
  • 1 cup sweet potatoes
  • ¼ avocado

Pre-Workout:

  • 2 slices Ezekiel bread
  • 3 oz. grilled chicken breast, sliced
  • mustard, tomato, lettuce

Post-Workout:

  • 1 scoop whey protein powder
  • 2 bananas

Dinner:

  • 6 oz. grilled salmon
  • 1 cup brown rice
  • 1 cup spinach salad
  • ½ tbsp. olive oil salad dressing

Before Bed:

  • 1 cup cottage cheese
  • 1 tbsp. peanut butter

Try this muscle building meal plan if you weigh 80kg’s.

The Role Testosterone Plays In Muscle Building

The Role Testosterone Plays In Muscle Building

If there’s one thing I think we can all agree on, it’s that testosterone is critical for help you build muscle. As a matter of facts it’s how to build muscle – seriously. This hormone is literally responsible for muscle growth.

It enables you to:

  • Gain more strength
  • Stay leaner
  • Ramp up protein synthesis
  • Recover faster from the gym
  • Show more aggression when you attack the weights

Who doesn’t want more of that, right?

You simply cannot build muscle as well as you should if you aren’t maximizing your testosterone.

So how can you make sure you are?

10 tips to boost testosterone and build muscle faster

how to boost testosterone to build muscle

  1. Have sex. Seriously though. It will help elevate your testosterone.
  2. Eat more fat. cholesterol is actually necessary for optimal testosterone production.
  3. Get quality sleep. Lack of sleep has a direct connection with testosterone release4.
  4. Lift heavy weights and use shorter rest periods. Bonus – this will also help you boost your growth hormone levels.
  5. Stay away from steady state cardio (endurance training)
  6. Do NOT overtrain. Less is more5.
  7. Get control over your stress levels. Your mind counts.
  8. Get some natural sunlight each day or supplement with vitamin D.
  9. Don’t attempt a very low carb diet plan.
  10. Make peace with not being sub 8% body fat. Getting too lean can mess with testosterone levels (this isn’t an excuse to get fat though mate, everything over 15% body-fat and you’re also messing with your testosterone) Ideal is about 10% body-fat.

If you aren’t currently doing everything you can to maximize your testosterone levels, you’re leaving results on the table.

Muscle Building Supplements For Faster Gains

supplements to build muscle faster

Let me get one thing straight with you. Supplements will never replace a proper workout program. But they can assist one.

Which is why I recommend you take these five muscle building supplements.

Not all of them sound sexy and amazing…but trust me, they work!

1. Creatine

creatine to build muscle faster

If you want to learn how to build muscle, you need to learn about one of the most reached-backed supplements out there:

Creatine has been proven to help boost your strength and power6. It ensures that you don’t fall short in creatine phosphate stores, which help to form ATP.

This powers you through each and every muscle contraction. I highly recommend taking this daily for best results. 5 grams per day is sufficient.

2. Whey Isolate Protein Powder

whey protein powder for fast muscle growth

You need a good quality protein to kick-start recovery after your workout session. This is where whey isolate protein powder comes into play.

Take it within the 10 minutes following your workout (preferably with a carb source) and you’ll bounce back quicker, coming out of the catabolic state to an anabolic one.

3. Fish Oil

best fish oil supplement to build muscle

Most people simply are not getting sufficient amounts of omega-3 fatty acids in their muscle building diet plan. Omega-3 fatty acids do everything from improving your P-ratio to enhancing recovery to boosting brain health to ensuring that your heart is in top shape7.

You need it for both muscle building performance and health.

4 grams per day is my recommendation.

4. Multivitamin

multivitamin for muscle growth

On those days when you’re too busy to eat right, knowing your covered can help you rest easy. A quality multi-vitamin can take care of you.

5. Vitamin D

vitamin d for muscle building

Finally, because there typically isn’t enough vitamin D in a multi-vitamin formula, I recommend additional supplementation. Vitamin D is hard to find in foods and unless you get a lot of natural daylight, you’re going to fall short.

It’s responsible for everything from keeping your testosterone levels optimized to enhancing your mood. 3000-4000IU’s per day is a good starting place8.

If you use these five supplements, I can almost promise you that you’ll see better results.

Summary

Want a mobile friendly PDF of the 4 week muscle building workout routine and muscle building diet plan? Click the button below to download the PDF version of this blog post and take it with you anywhere:

Yes, I want the PDF

So there you have it – your complete how to build muscle mass fast guide.

It does take hard work, determination, and dedication.

No one ever said it would be easy and if you are hoping to see muscle growth overnight, you will be greatly disappointed.

This said, with hard work, this is not to say you can’t see noticeable results starting within the first few weeks. Don’t get down thinking your dream body is out of reach.

In order to make the magic happen so to speak, you do need to look at all three elements though:

  1. nutrition,
  2. exercise,
  3. supplementation.

If even one of these is off and not where it should be, your results will pay the price.

Try not to get caught up in glamorous workouts, diets, or other schemes found in some of the popular muscle building magazines. Often these are put out by supplement companies that are just hungry to get your hard earned dollars.

Stick to the basics.

They’re tried and true and you know they will deliver. Especially early on in your lifting career where you have so much potential for fast growth as your body adapts to what’s ahead.

Train hard.

Stay motivated.

Get ready to see success!

And by all means: Please share this how to build muscle fast guide with your friends.

FAQ

As our ultimate how to build muscle guide comes to an end, I understand you might have some “embarrassing” questions that you’re too afraid to ask. Well, here are all your answers.

What’s the maximum natural bodybuilding potential?

A healthy 180 cm male can expect to reach 95 kg’s at a 8% body-fat. With that said, there’s no way of really knowing the natural potential, as you can always improve your nutrition, training and resting. Who has had a 110% diet, training and resting from 15-45 years old and never ONCE in 30 years not skipped a meal, cheated on their diet or cheated on their workout? Nobody has done that for 20-30 years straight with the sole goal of building muscle. So we really can not know the answer at this point.


How to build muscle without weights?

Performing some kind of resistance training is something you need to do in order to build muscle. performing exercises such as squats, lunges, chin-ups, pull ups, push ups, ab exercises can stimulate muscle growth if you train at a good intensity, these exercises do not require any weights and most of them can be performed at home.


How to build muscles at home?

Doing exercises such as lunges, squats, push ups, pull ups can trigger muscle growth.

It is also a good idea to buy a dumbbell so you can perform more exercises at home such as back rows, bicep curls, tricep extensions and many more.


How to build muscle and lose fat?

To build muscle and lose fat you need to lift weights or do somekind of resistance type of training.The most effective exercises are compound exercises these include deadlifts, squats, bench press, pull ups, dips and more. HIIT cardio may also be helpful to increase fat burning during the day. The diet is very important and it is recommended to consume at least 1 gram of protein per pound. That way you will be able to stimulate muscle growth while losing fat. Of course your diet has to be very good to achieve this so you will have to stay away from bad carbohydrate sources such as sugars, and foods like pizza, donuts and junk foods.


How to build muscle for skinny guys?

Skinny guys usually have to eat more food in order to build muscle along with lifting weights.

Getting at least 1 gram of protein pre pound is a good aim to start with. Eating meals throughout the day is definitely something you should do. Meals consisting of meats, eggs, fish or steak along with brown rice, sweet potato or somekind of a healthy carbohydrate choice. You can also count the calories you are consuming, if you are not gaining muscles on the calorie intake you are consuming you can increase it after a week by approximately 300 calories. That way you will find out how many calories your body burns throughout a normal day. But if you want a more simple approach just lift weights with focusing on compound movements and eat regularly meals that consist of protein and carbs.


Whats the best muscle building workout?

The most effective exercises to build muscle are compound movements, because they work more than one muscle. Include Deadlifts, squats, lunges, bench press and pull ups into your routine. A workout consisting of these exercises would be a very effective training session.


What to eat to build muscle?

You have to eat enough protein to stimulate muscle growth, proteins are the building blocks for muscle and foods like chicken, steak, eggs, fish and turkey are very high in protein.
Carbs are also good to fuel your energy and build muscle mass. Try to stick to healthy choices of carbohydrates such as rice, brown rice, potatoes, oats and sweet potatoes.


How long takes it for muscle growth?

It depends on how intensely you train and what kind of diet you follow. But usually the body starts building muscle right away but you probably won’t notice the difference until you have trained for a 8-12 weeks. Because building muscle takes a lot of time for most people.


What are the best supplements to build muscle?

Supplements like creatine, whey protein, BCAA’s, beta alanine, multivitamin can help to stimulate muscle growth.


How long takes it for muscles to recover after workouts?

It depends on how used to your body is to training, for beginners it takes usually 2-4 days to recover after a workout. if you are more experienced with lifting weights it may only take 1-2 days to recover.


Why am I not gaining weight/muscles even though I eat a lot?

If you are eating a lot of food and not gaining muscle it may because you are not eating enough protein, it may also because you are not training intensely enough. Usually the explanation is that you are not eating enough food consistently.
Try counting your calories and see how many calories you actually eat per day to gain an understanding on how much you are actually eating.


How can I gain muscle in 1 month naturally?

To gain muscle in 1 month naturally you need to lift heavy weights 5 times per week, eat in a calorie surplus every day, sleep 8 hours every night and stay away from alcohol.


Is cardio bad if you want to build muscle?

It depends on which type of cardio. I usually don’t recommend slow and steady cardio as it lowers testosterone and doesn’t build muscle. Anabolic cardio is high intensity interval training, that’s a type of cardio that builds muscle.


Do you need steroids to get big?

No, you do not need steroids to build muscle and get big. You need hard work, discipline, great muscle building nutrition and a good muscle building workout routine in order to know how to build muscle and get big fast.


Which foods make you fat?

Processed foods like bacon and sausage. Also stay away from soy anything if you want to learn how to build muscle fast.


Which foods make you muscular?

Testosterone boosting foods such as steak, whey protein, oysters and eggs.


Does cardio burn muscle mass?

Research says that High Intensity Interval training can actually build muscle, given that you’re in a calorie surplus. But at the same time, slow and steady cardio has been shown to decrease testosterone levels, which is not good for muscle building.


How to build muscle mass?

  1. Lift heavy weights 5x per week
  2. Focus on compound lifts like squats, deadlift and bench press
  3. Eat more protein
  4. Eat in a 500 calorie surplus
  5. Focus on getting stronger every week
  6. Eat healthy carbs
  7. Stay away from alcohol
  8. Stay away from soy products
  9. Stay consistent for at least 12 weeks to see results
References:
  1. Dorgan, Joanne F., et al. “Effects of dietary fat and fiber on plasma and urine androgens and estrogens in men: a controlled feeding study.” The American journal of clinical nutrition64.6 (1996): 850-855. Link: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8942407
  2. Prasad, Ananda S., et al. “Zinc status and serum testosterone levels of healthy adults.” Nutrition12.5 (1996): 344-348. Link: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8875519
  3. Chiu, Y. H., et al. “Sugar-sweetened beverage intake in relation to semen quality and reproductive hormone levels in young men.” Human reproduction29.7 (2014): 1575-1584. Link: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24812311
  4. Leproult, Rachel, and Eve Van Cauter. “Effect of 1 week of sleep restriction on testosterone levels in young healthy men.” Jama305.21 (2011): 2173-2174. Link: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21632481
  5. Maso, F., et al. “Salivary testosterone and cortisol in rugby players: correlation with psychological overtraining items.” British journal of sports medicine38.3 (2004): 260-263. Link: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1724841/
  6. Stout, Jeffrey, et al. “Effects of 8 weeks of creatine supplementation on exercise performance and fat-free weight in football players during training.” Nutrition Research19.2 (1999): 217-225. Link: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0271531798001857
  7. Wu, Aiguo, Zhe Ying, and Fernando Gomez-Pinilla. “Dietary omega-3 fatty acids normalize BDNF levels, reduce oxidative damage, and counteract learning disability after traumatic brain injury in rats.” Journal of neurotrauma21.10 (2004): 1457-1467. Link: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15672635
  8. Pilz, S., et al. “Effect of vitamin D supplementation on testosterone levels in men.” Hormone and Metabolic Research43.3 (2011): 223. Link: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21154195


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