How To Gain Muscle: Best Tips For Faster Growth

In recent years, health and wellness have become central focuses of people’s lifestyles. This modern trend has been driven by an increased awareness of chronic disease prevention and a desire to feel good. In 2023, 76.4% of US adults reported one or more chronic conditions.

Muscle building is a common goal, with a lean and muscular physique seen as the pinnacle of health and wellness. However, gaining muscle isn’t as simple as just walking into the gym and lifting. To achieve noticeable improvements, you need to think about how you train, what you eat, and how you recover. 

In our muscle hypertrophy guide, we discuss how to gain muscle fast by focusing on the main science-backed tips. We also discuss some common pitfalls to avoid, so you don’t make the same mistake twice! Read on to find out everything you need to know about a common but often misunderstood goal.

How To Gain Muscle Mass

Follow these 10 muscle growth tips on how to gain muscle at home and in the gym. Each should be seen as an important factor in the muscle-building equation. These should be applied when learning how to gain muscle naturally.

Understand Muscle Hypertrophy 

Knowing what muscle hypertrophy is allows you to understand why you’re doing certain things in the gym and the kitchen. If you’re familiar with the process, you’ll know how and why each tip or factor affects it. 

Muscle hypertrophy, or muscle growth, refers to an increase in muscle fiber size. As the body is exposed to an unfamiliar stimulus, it adapts by becoming bigger and stronger. 

Your body uses the energy contained in the foods you eat to activate key muscle-building processes. Following this, it can better deal with the stimulus the next time it occurs.

To increase muscle size, you need to activate muscle protein synthesis. This is the process by which new muscle tissue is produced from amino acids (building blocks of protein). This requires three main components: resistance training, diet, and recovery. 

Use Progressive Overload 

Progressive overload is a process where you gradually increase the stress placed on your muscles. This can be accomplished by changing your workout volume, workout intensity, or rest periods. Alongside strength gains, it’s seen as the best way to gain muscle mass when correctly applied to training.

When designing a workout plan to gain muscle, implement the progressive overload principle. This means you’ll need to make the workouts progressively harder as you adapt. This should be done daily or weekly, depending on your goals and ability level.

Train With Optimal Frequency, Volume & Intensity

Implementing the right balance of training frequency, volume, and intensity is vital for muscle gain. Whether you’re strength training for muscle gain or performing a hypertrophy workout, these are the main factors to focus on.

Research shows that training each muscle group twice a week is the optimal training volume for muscle growth. This can be achieved using different training frequencies, depending on your lifestyle and preferences. Examples include a full-body split, bro split, and upper-lower split. 

Are you wondering ‘’How many days do I need to work out to build muscle?’’ It might not matter that much, considering the points above. What’s important to consider is your training volume (total work performed) and training intensity (training difficulty). This may include a 3-day workout plan or a 4-day workout plan.

In terms of how many reps to build muscle, current research suggests 8–12 repetitions per set. This should be implemented using at least 10 sets per week per muscle group. 

Prioritize multi-joint compound exercises for muscle growth with a mixture of isolation movements towards the end of the session. These are exercises that work one muscle group as the primary mover. 

Each exercise should be performed under control, focusing on time under tension while training close to failure. This refers to the total time that a muscle is being worked during a movement. 

Work at a rate of perceived exertion of around eight on a scale of 10. This is a scale used to measure how challenging an effort is for your body.

A rating of 10 would be the most difficult effort you can do. Using a rating of eight means that you should have two repetitions in reserve at the end of each set.

Pay Attention To Macronutrients 

Your body needs the right fuel for muscle growth to take place. In terms of energy for muscle gain, a surplus of around 350–500 calories is suggested.

The main macronutrients — protein, carbohydrates, and fat — each play important roles in muscle building. They should be seen as vital components when learning how to bulk correctly.

Protein provides the building blocks for muscle growth and supports muscle repair. Carbohydrates replenish your energy levels and help fuel your workout performance. The correct amount depends on your protein and fat intakes.

Healthy fats also provide energy and support hormone production. These should be set at approximately 0.23–0.68 grams per pound of body weight.

Some of the best foods to build muscle include lean proteins, complex carbohydrates, and healthy fats. These should all be part of a meal plan to gain lean mass. 

Focus On High-Quality Protein 

Protein provides the essential building blocks (amino acids) needed for new muscle tissue to grow. When gaining lean muscle, protein helps to repair and rebuild muscle tissue following an adequate resistance training stimulus. Alongside this, it’s important for maintaining bone health and immune system functioning.

Getting enough protein means that you’re efficiently managing your anabolic vs. catabolic states. In an anabolic state, you build larger molecules from smaller ones. In a catabolic state, these large molecules are broken down. Protein promotes an anabolic state by providing the building blocks for muscle growth.

When considering how much protein to build muscle, you should use your weight. The suggested daily protein intake for muscle growth is 0.64–0.91 grams of protein per pound of body weight. Make this the main consideration when planning a high-protein diet for muscle building. 

This applies to when you’re following a bulking diet. If you’re in a calorie deficit, higher intakes may be needed.

Don’t Forget About Micronutrients 

While micronutrients (vitamins and minerals) don’t directly build muscle, they support muscle-building processes. This includes energy production, hormone regulation, and recovery. Despite being needed in much smaller amounts than macronutrients, they should be seen as equally important.

Vitamin D and B12 play key roles in muscle growth, muscle strength, and repair. Minerals such as calcium, magnesium, and potassium are involved in energy production and muscle contractions. Therefore, micronutrient deficiencies can negatively affect these important muscle-building and recovery processes. 

Follow a diet rich in whole grains, fruits, vegetables, and lean proteins to get a good variety of micronutrients. Consider a multivitamin supplement to plug any nutritional gaps if you’re normal diet can’t cover them. This principle should apply whether you’re bulking vs. clean bulking.

Prioritize Recovery

Getting enough rest and recovery is vital for muscle building. While resistance training provides the stimulus needed for growth, muscle grows when you’re resting. 

During rest, the body repairs the tears created from training, leading to muscle growth. If you don’t get enough recovery, you won’t have the time needed to rebuild the torn muscle fibres. 

In terms of how much sleep to build muscle, research recommends that you need at least seven hours of sleep per night. This is the suggested amount to maintain optimum health.

It’s also important to consider the recovery between sets and sessions. The suggested rest between sets for hypertrophy is 30–90 seconds. Allow at least 48 hours between training sessions, and program enough recovery days for muscle growth. These can consist of active rest, including walking, stretching, and social interaction. 

This leads to efficient muscle gain without overtraining, a common occurrence in those who don’t get enough recovery.

Support With Smart Supplementation

Supplements provide nutrients or other substances that may be lacking in your normal diet. Some may contain ingredients that enhance performance and recovery. Most of your supplement intake should focus on your pre- and post-workout nutrition.

Protein powders provide a convenient source of protein when dietary intake is inadequate. These may be used to supplement a good variety of lean protein sources. Creatine is one of the most well-studied muscle-building supplements, with proven benefits for muscle growth, strength, and performance. 

These are some of the best supplements for muscle growth. Other notable ones include beta-alanine and beta‐hydroxy‐beta‐methylbutyrate; however, research is less conclusive. 

When answering the question “Do BCAAs help build muscle?”, it largely depends on whether or not you’re in a calorie deficit. They may also be beneficial when your normal protein intake is inadequate. Each of these supplements may be included in the best muscle-building stacks we’ve reviewed.

Manage Stress 

Chronic stress levels elevate cortisol, a stress hormone that plays key roles in several bodily processes. This includes the stress response, metabolism, immune function, and blood sugar levels.

High levels of cortisol can impair muscle growth and may lead to muscle wasting during the stress response. Furthermore, it can affect sleep quality and duration, which, as discussed above, is key for muscle growth and health. In this case, stress and muscle recovery go hand-in-hand, with proper recovery helping to manage it better.

Implement stress management techniques into your daily health and wellness routine. These may include deep breathing, meditation, yoga, and regular exercise.

Monitor Progress

Maintaining consistency in muscle-building routines requires careful planning and preparation. Part of this should involve regularly monitoring your progress using a journal or a wearable fitness tracker.

This allows you to see how close you are to your goal and the adjustments you need to make. By tracking muscle growth, you can ensure proper progressive overload and help build motivation. This can include monitoring the key training principles: weight, appearance, and general mood.

Common Pitfalls To Avoid

We’ve given you our top 10 tips on how to gain muscle as a beginner up to an advanced athlete. Now that you have these in mind, here are some of the most common pitfalls to avoid. We’ve included some muscle growth myths so that you’re able to make better choices going forward.

Not Implementing A Plan

While it’s sometimes good to live in the moment and have fun, that’s not the case with muscle growth. Not having a plan means you’re hitting the gym without any structured program or goal in mind. This may involve doing random exercises or whatever you feel like on the day.

At times, people follow trending workouts from social media or do what their friends are doing. You can enjoy a fun training session from time to time. However, following a long-term, structured training program should be the core focus of your training.

A science-based workout plan means that everything you do is tailored towards your goal. It follows the important principles of muscle growth. This means you’re controlling your training volume, intensity, rest, and exercise variety. 

When correctly implemented, this ensures steady yet consistent muscle growth, adhering to the vital principles proven by science. 

Using Poor Exercise Technique 

There are various types of training for muscle growth, each with unique and exciting exercises. Each one has a specific form or technique from the starting position to the end point. 

While it may look good to lift more weight, the stated technique cues are there for a reason. More isn’t always better, even if you think lifting more will lead to better muscle growth. 

The correct exercise technique cues ensure proper muscle engagement and mind-muscle connection. This refers to the way you think about the muscle you’re working. This concept is proven to be an important component of muscle growth. 

Start with a manageable weight, performing a couple of warm-up sets to get used to the movement. Gradually build the weight, focusing on each technique cue as you go through the full range of motion. Each repetition should be performed under control to ensure each of the target muscles is working as intended.

Overusing Supplements 

Supplements certainly have their place for muscle building. However, they should be used to supplement a well-rounded diet, not replace it. Unfortunately, clever marketing makes you think that supplements provide shortcuts and can help you pack on muscle instantly.

Supplements don’t provide shortcuts and should not offer a quick fix for a high-quality diet. Avoid overusing supplements, instead focusing on building a solid foundation consisting of high-quality protein and whole food sources. 

For example, protein powder is convenient, with the whey protein benefits well-documented. However, the bulk of your protein intake should be made up of lean protein sources. Creatine for muscle gain is highly effective, but not without the right diet and training routine.

Use supplements to fill nutritional gaps and aid performance, not as a replacement. Look past the clever marketing, using the muscle-building tips above as your main focus points.

Neglecting Your Nutrition

Your training routine is vitally important for muscle growth. Resistance training provides the stimulus needed for muscle building. Aerobic exercise improves cardiovascular health and helps create a calorie deficit when body recomposition is the main goal. This refers to the process of building muscle and losing fat at the same time.

Proper nutrition provides the building blocks and the energy for these important muscle-building processes to occur. Furthermore, it supports proper recovery as the rebuilding process takes place. 

While you may think you can just go to the gym and grow, proper nutrition should not be neglected. Without it, you won’t grow muscle efficiently. 

Prioritize your energy and macronutrient intakes according to your training routine. This involves calculating the amount of calories, protein, carbohydrate, and fat. 

Expecting Instant Results

Unfortunately, most people tend to get discouraged when instant muscle growth doesn’t occur. This is mostly thanks to social media creating unrealistic expectations. In most cases, this leads to people changing programs and giving up altogether. 

Natural muscle growth doesn’t happen overnight. It’s a long-term process that requires a consistent training routine and a high-quality diet. 

In terms of how long it takes to gain muscle, this depends on factors such as age, gender, and training status. Beginners may see quicker gains compared to advanced athletes. 

Set realistic expectations, using short-term, medium-term, and long-term goals to structure your training. Track your progress while celebrating the small wins as you slowly move towards your muscle gain goals. 

Conclusion

Muscle growth is a highly rewarding process with several well-known health benefits. However, it requires a consistent, science-backed approach to try to optimize each part of the muscle-building equation. Even then, you’ll still likely encounter many hurdles to overcome along the way.

Use the points above as guidance. Trust in the long-term process, and you’ll be looking back at yourself in awe in no time at all. So, what are you waiting for? Start implementing some of these main points and build the body you’ve always dreamed of!

Frequently Asked Questions