8 Workout Tips to Build Muscle Fast
Building muscle doesn’t happen overnight, even if you have one of the most effective workout plans around. It takes persistence and consistency over time to get where you want to be, which is why it’s important to make sure your workouts are as effective as possible with these eight tips. Combine these with your solid training and nutrition plan and you’ll be well on your way to the body you want in no time at all!
1) Warm up properly
It’s tempting to dive right into a workout routine, but if you want it to be as effective as possible, then warming up beforehand is crucial. A good warm-up will gradually increase your heart rate and gently stretch your muscles; when performed correctly, it should prepare your body for activity. Go through each major muscle group (legs, butt, chest, back) individually before you start doing jumping jacks or sprinting in place. That way, you can be sure that each area has been adequately prepared and will benefit from your efforts. You should feel loose and limber—not too tired—once you’re done with a proper warm-up.
2) Train with correct form
It's a common misconception that you have to be lifting crazy amounts of weight in order to pack on muscle. The truth is, if you're using proper form and working out with a well-rounded routine, there's no reason why you can't build some serious muscle without going overboard on weight. Another misconception is that lifting weights will make women bulky. This isn't true either—women don't produce enough testosterone or enough growth hormone (which helps create muscle mass) in order for muscle building to get out of control. If anything, strength training will help women tone their muscles and lose fat faster than cardiovascular exercise alone.
3) Use free weights
Dumbbells and barbells are much cheaper and more portable than machines. Machines are great, but if you can do without them and stick with dumbbells or a weighted bar, you'll have a greater selection of exercises at your disposal. Free weights also allow you to build strength in three planes of motion—squatting down while holding weight in both hands, for example—as opposed to only moving in one plane, like on a machine. This allows for increased functional strength and muscle development in real-world situations. They may not be as easy as cranking up a knob or pushing a button, but free weights will give you better results.
4) Change your workout routine regularly
Trying a new routine is an effective way to target different muscle groups and provide variation in your workouts. Plus, it can make exercise more fun! It’s not uncommon for an individual weight-training session to target two or three different muscle groups. For example, you might work out your biceps, triceps and shoulders on one day. However, in order for each muscle group to receive sufficient rest and recovery time, it’s important that you don’t train that same set of muscles again until at least 72 hours has passed.
5) Don’t forget about cardio exercises
There’s an old saying that you can’t out-train a bad diet. Even if you work out six days a week, your results will be limited if you aren’t properly fueling your body. When it comes to working out, quality is key, not quantity, says Madelyn Fernstrom, Ph.D., director of Florida State University's health and nutrition clinic and author of The Encyclopedia of Human Nutrition. You need to fuel your body with nutrient-rich foods that provide adequate protein and calories for growth and recovery (weight training). This is essential for promoting muscle mass.
6) Don’t overdo it
Too much exercise is actually counter-productive to building muscle. As you become more and more sore, your body recruits increasingly large amounts of cortisol, a stress hormone that inhibits muscle growth and promotes fat storage. To give yourself every chance of success, start with shorter workouts at lower intensities and work up from there. If you find yourself feeling wrecked for days after working out, dial it back. The number one rule when trying to build muscle is consistency—you need to be training at least three times a week if you want any results—and training like an ox isn’t consistent unless you want burnouts and injuries. Not fun! Find a healthy balance between training hard enough so that your muscles are challenged but not so hard that they’re overworked or injured.
7) Eat a healthy diet
It doesn’t matter if you want to bulk up, build muscle, tone up or slim down: You need a well-balanced diet. This isn’t just about eating a lot of chicken breasts and drinking gallons of water every day. It’s about eating enough protein for your activity level (but not too much), enjoying complex carbs and healthy fats, getting plenty of vitamins and minerals from fruits and veggies and allowing yourself a little wiggle room in terms of treats like dark chocolate (which can actually help reduce cravings). To lose weight safely but quickly, start by increasing your intake of nutrient-rich foods that fill you up while supporting better body composition, such as lean proteins and fresh produce.
8) Listen to upbeat music while exercising
Listening to upbeat music can take your mind off any pain you might be feeling and give you a motivational boost during your workout. A study in The Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research found that listening to music while exercising could help increase endurance by up to 15 percent. The researchers noted that participants worked out longer when they listened to their favorite songs, suggesting that music helped distract them from any physical discomfort. Another study in Clinical Journal of Sport Medicine showed that listening to music had a similar effect as drinking water on duration of exercise and perceived exertion, meaning you may experience less fatigue if you listen to songs while exercising.