How to Accelerate Muscle Growth
It's challenging to speed up muscle growth within a short period of time, but it's possible for even the most stubborn bodies. Keep in mind, though, that any efforts to accelerate muscle growth can result in overtraining or even injuries. Only experienced weightlifters should consider the following techniques.
Other People Are Reading
Instructions
-
Shifting Muscle Growth into the Next Gear
-
1
Examine your current routine. Many weightlifters encounter plateaus because they are already overtraining. In these cases, incorporating more rest will lead to greater gains. If you already spend more than an hour each day lifting weights and train more than four days each week, try cutting back to 45 minutes each day for no more than four days per week. Consider the following routine: Monday (chest, triceps), Tuesday (back, biceps), Wednesday (rest), Thursday (deltoids, trapezoids and abdominals), Friday (legs), Saturday (rest) and Sunday (rest).
-
2
Change your exercises weekly. Assuming each body part is worked once per week, modify the core lift for each body part from week to week. For example, perform flat barbell bench presses one week and dumbbell bench presses with a slight incline the following week. By constantly alternating your exercises, your body likely will not adapt to the routine and will continue to grow to handle the workload.
-
-
3
Increase your caloric intake, but avoid sugar-laden products marketed as weight gainers. Focus on foods such as chicken breasts, brown rice, tuna and other fish, vegetables, lean red meats, whole-grain pasta, oatmeal and egg whites.
-
4
For one week each month, perform a German volume training routine for each body part. Perform only one core exercise for each body part (for example, squats for legs). Find a weight load that will allow you to perform 10 sets of 10 repetitions, but make sure the last few sets are difficult to complete. Perform each set with only a minute of rest before the next set. For example, leg day will consist of 10 sets of squats for 10 repetitions each, with a minute between sets. Add a small isolation exercise (such as calf raises) each day.
-
5
Lower your overall repetition count. Your weights should be so heavy that you reach exhaustion after no more than four to six repetitions for each set.
-
6
Perform drop sets every few weeks: Perform a set to exhaustion, then immediately drop the weight by 10 to 20 pounds and perform another set to exhaustion. Then drop the weight again and perform yet another set to exhaustion.
-
1
Tips & Warnings
Don't disregard aerobic training when you're trying to accelerate muscle growth. A healthy cardiovascular system is critical to many muscular functions. Perform 30 minutes of low- to mid-intensity aerobic training on two of your weekly off days. Although they are complimentary muscles, don't always train biceps with back or triceps with chest. Mix up your arm training to keep your body guessing and force muscle growth.
If you detect the onset of a cold or other sickness, back off your training until you feel better. Other signs of overtraining include muscle twitching, insomnia, irritability and depression. If you suffer an injury, do not train that muscle group until the injury is healed.
- Photo Credit moreguefile.com (copyright-free)
