I bet at some point in your new lifting career, you were wondering — what are the shortcuts for muscle building? Especially after feeling frustrated with the lack of results. The one obvious thing that comes to mind is PEDs (performance-enhancing drugs). But this blog post is not about that.

Muscle building is still somewhat of a mystery; however, we have made significant progress in understanding what type of training triggers muscle growth best. You will learn what you need to do, and how, in order to build muscle as quickly as possible. However, patience is still going to be necessary — muscles take years to grow. Anyway, let’s dive in.

How Muscles Grow

Muscles grow through mechanical tension and metabolic stress. Mechanical tension is lifting weights and causing micro-damage to muscle fibers so they repair and become thicker. Metabolic stress is a buildup of metabolic byproducts — like lactate, hydrogen ions, and inorganic phosphate — within muscle cells during resistance training. This environment can trigger muscle growth (hypertrophy) through various pathways.

In a nutshell, lifting weights causes both mechanical tension and metabolic stress. Afterward, you get muscle inflammation which, in theory, causes hypertrophy. Another important factor in muscle growth is the presence of hormones like testosterone, growth hormone, and IGF-1 (insulin-like growth factor).

It’s important to understand that all of the above contributes to triggering muscle protein synthesis (MPS) — the metabolic process responsible for muscle building. However, to maintain a positive protein balance (meaning new muscle tissue is generated), the presence of enough dietary protein is crucial.

Newbie Gains and Life After Them

You’ve probably heard of newbie gains — the relatively quick muscle growth that happens in the first year of lifting. Muscles grow fast and the results are exciting. But then, at a certain point, progress stalls, and you hit a plateau. If that’s you — keep reading.

At a certain point, the stimulus your muscles receive isn’t enough to continue growing. So, what do you do?

Intensity

This is one of the most important factors for muscle growth. But what does it mean? Intensity is how hard you go on your set. Ideally, you want to finish each set within 2–3 reps in reserve (RIR) — meaning you stop 2–3 reps before failure. This helps ensure you provide enough stimulus for growth while avoiding excessive fatigue.

The challenge is that people are generally bad at estimating their RIR. One way to improve this is by taking your first or last set to failure to gauge how many reps you could truly do. Subtract 2–3 reps from that and use that number for your working sets. That said, the most straightforward method is just going to failure on each set. This is what’s known as a hard set — and these are essential for muscle growth.

Volume

Volume may be the most important component for muscle growth. It generally refers to the number of sets you do for a particular muscle group and the total amount of weight moved. Reps matter less because the weight you choose affects how many reps you perform.

Again, going close to or to failure is enough to stimulate MPS. Research shows that 10–20 hard sets per muscle group per week is ideal for maximizing muscle growth. Less than 10 can still produce growth, but not at the optimal rate. Above 20, the returns begin to diminish. Here is a meta-analysis which supports this claim in young and resistance trained men.

So make sure you’re doing 10–20 hard sets per muscle group per week.

Frequency

We hear this word a lot in the resistance training world. The theory used to be that training a muscle three times a week would lead to more growth compared to once per week, and here is meta-analysis to support this claim.

But studies show that bro splits and full-body workouts provide very similar results. Why? Because frequency is not what matters most — volume and intensity are.

If both training styles hit the right volume and intensity, results will be similar. For those unfamiliar, a bro split focuses on one muscle group per day (e.g., chest, shoulders, back, legs, arms).

Pick the training style you enjoy most. Hit the right number of hard sets. Train close to or to failure. That’s what drives growth.

Working Weights

There’s a lot of debate online about how heavy you should lift. Some swear by light weights with time under tension. Others insist on going as heavy as possible. Everyone claims their way is best. Confusing, right?

Here’s what research says: weights as low as 30% of your 1RM (one-rep max) can produce the same muscle growth as lifting 80–90%, as long as you train to failure, here is a research paper.

If heavy lifting causes joint pain (knees, shoulders, etc.), lighten the load and do more reps. For time efficiency, lower reps (around 8–12) are often best — just make sure you go close to failure.

Rest Breaks

This is another controversial topic, thanks to fitness influencers. You’ll hear recommendations like 60 seconds, 90 seconds, or even 2 minutes max — with warnings that resting longer will stall growth.

But this systematic review has shown that short rest periods can actually limit growth because they don’t allow full recovery. Lifters who rested longer (up to 3 minutes) performed better and got better results.

The takeaway: rest until you feel recovered — even if it’s over 3 minutes. Then go again. You’ll grow more, not less.

Time Under Tension

Studies have shown no additional benefit of using tempo vs non tempo. Obsessing over slow, timed reps won’t get you jacked faster — and may even slow your progress. Counting tempo is subjective unless you’re using a stopwatch and may prevent you from hitting enough volume. 

Instead, focus on relatively explosive concentric movements and controlled eccentrics. That builds both strength and power.

Form

Believe it or not, perfect form isn’t always necessary for muscle growth. In fact, people with “imperfect” form achieved similar hypertrophy as people with a strict form according to this study preprint. Interestingly, lifters using momentum lifted more total weight, but gained similar muscle size.

That’s not a call to get sloppy — but if you’re obsessing over perfect form, relax. Focus on safe, effective movement, and train hard.

Energy Surplus

An energy surplus means consuming more calories than your body needs to maintain weight. This is essential for muscle growth.

How much? Not much — just 200–300 extra calories per day. That equates to about a 0.3–0.5% increase in body weight per week, helping you grow muscle without gaining too much fat.

To calculate your needs:

1. Use the Mifflin-St. Jeor formula to find your BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate).
2. Multiply BMR by your activity factor (1.4–1.9 depending on your lifestyle and training intensity).
3. Add your surplus — either 200–300 calories or based on your target weekly weight gain.

Example: If your LBM (lean body mass) is 72 kg and you want to gain 0.3% weekly:

• 72 × 0.003 = 0.216 kg (216 g)
• Muscle is ~70% water → 216 × 0.3 = 64.8 g of actual tissue
• 64.8 × 4 (calories per gram of protein) = ~259 extra calories needed

Monitor your weight. If it’s not moving after 2 weeks, eat more. If you’re gaining too fast, scale back.

Protein

We all know protein is crucial. But how much is enough?

You can calculate intake using:

• Total body weight
• Lean body mass (LBM)
• Fat-free mass (FFM)

Since most people can’t accurately calculate LBM or FFM, just use your total body weight. Aim for 1 to 1.2 grams per pound.

So, if you weigh 200 lbs, shoot for 200–240 grams of protein per day.

Recovery

Recovery is paramount. You need to make sure you’re getting enough sleep, keeping stress levels low, stretching regularly, and reducing or eliminating alcohol or any substance use. These factors directly affect how well your muscles repair and grow after each session. Neglecting recovery can stall your progress, no matter how solid your training and nutrition are.

Final Thoughts

Building muscle fast isn’t about shortcuts — it’s about applying the right strategies consistently:

• Train with intensity
• Get enough volume
• Choose your favorite training split
• Fuel your body with the right amount of protein and calories
• Prioritize recovery — get enough sleep, manage stress, stretch regularly, and limit alcohol or substance use

Want Help Putting This Into Action?

If you’re serious about making progress and want a customized plan tailored to your body, schedule, and goals, I offer:

• In-person coaching (Brooklyn & Lower Manhattan)
• Online coaching programs
• Vegan muscle-building strategies
• A safe, supportive, judgment-free space to train and grow

📅 Book your free 30-minute consultation now