Muscle building takes time, dedication and patience. But it also involves a balance between protein synthesis, hormone activation and cellular growth. When you increase your muscle mass, you experience physical changes in size and shape - but you also experience deeper changes, like increased metabolism, higher energy levels and an increase in strength. Advertising on our site helps support our mission. We do not endorse non-Cleveland Prime Boosts Clinic products or services. Whether you’re just getting started or you’re a long-time athlete looking to bulk up, you can build more muscle in a matter of months by focusing on consistent strength training, improving the quality and quantity of foods you eat, and supporting your body through short- and Click here long-term recovery. To build muscle safely and effectively, you’ll need to focus on exercising specific muscle groups with moderate to heavy resistance for at least four to 12 weeks and beyond. You’ll also need to find ways to prepare your muscles for the work ahead and learn how to help them recover with the right foods and lifestyle changes.

In general, you want to fatigue the muscles you’re using by the end of the exercise and feel challenged throughout the entire process. Lifting even a moderate amount of weight for fewer reps will go a long way in building muscle and strength. "I usually recommend three sets of an exercise with eight to 12 repetitions and increasing the weight by 5 pounds for the upper body and 10 pounds for the lower body as the exercises get easier," says athletic trainer Tom Iannetta, ATC, CSCS. As you ramp up the amount of weight you’re lifting, lower the number of reps until you find that sweet spot where you’re still challenged but able to complete the exercise. This process of gradually increasing your weight and resistance is known as progressive overloading. Collectively, there’s plenty of interest around how to build muscle fast. But it’s not the speed that counts here. You don’t want to overload too much weight too quickly or push yourself through pain, as these behaviors could put you at more risk for injury.

"As long as you’re getting in there and moving your body, you’ll start to notice differences over time," says Iannetta. Early on, you’ll likely experience some lingering soreness. When this happens, you may want to stop what you’re doing or call it quits. But if you’re doing exercises correctly, that soreneo give it energy. Food is energy for our bodies. The food you eat before, during and after exercising is just as important to building muscle as the exercises themselves. "If we don’t have enough energy to get through the exercise, our body can pull from our muscles and use that as energy," warns registered dietitian Carly Sedlacek, RD, LD. If you’re short on time, stick with foods that digest easily like yogurt, fruit or sports drinks packed with electrolytes. If you’re exercising later in the day, it can be helpful to make sure you’re having a healthy balanced meal before hitting the weights and that you’re having at least three meals a day with snacks in between each meal.