How to Gain Muscle Mass Fast

Lets Get started!

As a coach, Ive been taught a wide variety of training schemes for gaining mass and strength.
There always seem to be conflicting schools of thought on the subject. It can be extremely
confusing for many, not to mention frustrating for hard gainers.

In this series, Im going to teach you the methods Ive seen work best for most people when it
comes to rapidly gaining muscle size and strength.

The first three types of training youll learn are:

Eccentric Training

Concentric Training

Isometric Training

Remember, there is no panacea to strength and size. It requires an attention to how your
individual body responds to the methods Im going to teach you. So just be sure to measure
the things that are important to you (i.e. arm circumference, lean body mass, etc) so that you
can re-measure them after a period of training with each methodology. This way you can start
to craft a long-term plan that works best for your body type, your genetics, and your goals.

Eccentric Training
The second phase is known as the eccentric or negative phase, which is where the weight
is being lowered toward the ground. It has been well established by research that eccentric
training can be more effective than concentric training at gaining strength.

One study, performed with twenty randomized controlled trials, found that when eccentric
exercise was performed with high intensity, eccentric strength and total strength increased
more significantly as compared to concentric exercise.
How to Gain Muscle Mass Fast

They also found that eccentric training performed at high intensities was more effective in increasing
muscle mass (as measured by muscle girth). One theory around why eccentric training seems to
be more effective at increasing strength and size is related to how the muscle can tolerate higher
loads during the negative phase vs the the positive phase. Another study found that eccentric only
training was nearly 12% better at increasing total strength (concentric and eccentric) than concentric
only training.

So why is eccentric training so much more effective for building size and strength? Here are the
primary reasons:

Youre producing more force during a maximal eccentric concentric by virtue being able
to better overload the muscle.

There seems to be an inherent superior neural adaptation with eccentric training

than concentric training.

Type II muscle fibers, which are known to have the propensity for greater increases in
muscle growth and strength, are better activated by eccentric training.

There is some research to suggest that much of the positive muscle cell damage
happens during the eccentric phase.

There is a higher ratio of stress incurred per motor unit recruited.

How to Gain Muscle Mass Fast

What does all of this mean, exactly?

Basically, it means that if you want to experience maximum gains in size and strength you need to
slow down and pay attention during the eccentric phase of most of your lifts.

It also means the mechanical and neurological changes triggered by eccentric training yield more
muscle and strength. Lastly, lifting with heavier weight than you normally would, and focusing on
the negative phase not only helps you build more muscle but also helps you inoculate the threat of
this load to your brain. When you do this enough youll find yourself more comfortable and stronger
to lift with that same weight in general.

Here are a few methods to integrate eccentric training into your program:

Eccentric Overload pick a weight that is between 90-105% of your 1 rep max and
perform 3-5 eccentric reps. To get set up for the exercise, either have a spotter help lift it for
you so you can focus on just the negative, or use a compound movement to get the weight in
position for the negative.

Self-Assist use both limbs to help get the weight in position, then do the negative with
one limb. For example, you might do the lifting portion on the leg extension with both legs but
then only have one leg control the negative phase. Make sure to do 3-5 reps per side and pick
a weight of 70-90% of what you can lift with both limbs.

Slow Reps pick a weight that is 65-90% of your 1 rep max and do 1-3 reps with 5-15
second negatives. The key is to do the higher end of the reps and negative-duration with the
lighter loads (i.e. 3 reps and 15 second negative with 65% of 1 rep max).

Yielding pick a weight that is 110-130% of your 1 rep max, and with the help of a spotter
perform 3-10 sets of one rep. You will want the negative phase to be 5-10 seconds in duration,
with the higher durations for lighter loads (i.e. 110% of 1 rep max) and the lower durations for
the heaviest loads.

Concentric Training

As mentioned before, the concentric phase is the lifting portion of the movement. People generally
get confused about this because the position of the weight from exercise to exercise throws them
off.

For example, the concentric phase on a squat is when you are coming out of the squat and standing
upright, whereas the concentric portion of a Lat Pulldown would be when you are pulling the bar
toward your upper chest and the weight stack is moving up, away from the ground.
How to Gain Muscle Mass Fast

One rule of thumb is to look at the weight, not the implement you are holding. If the weight stack
is moving away from the ground when you are using a machine you are performing the concentric
action. When the bar is moving away from your chest (and away from the ground) during a bench
press, you are performing the concentric action.

Now, I know we talked in depth about how eccentric training is superior to concentric training for
building size and strength. But, heres the deal, you need both. Research has shown that eccentric
training alone, although it will increase size and strength, it leads to general decreases in concentric
strength.

And if your goal is total functional strength as well as size, you will want to develop both eccentric
and concentric strength.

Also, when it comes to size, concentric training is only a percentage point or two behind eccentric
training for effectiveness in increasing muscle size.

There is also research to show that different parts of the muscle are stimulated for growth by
eccentric vs concentric training.

Concentric training generally helps build the middle of the muscle whereas eccentric
training seems to have a better hypertrophy effect on the more distant regions of the muscle fibers.

To provide an example of this, lets look at a bicep curl. The concentric action should help develop
the ball portion of the bicep, whereas the eccentric action should help develop the biceps brachialis
better (the lower part of the bicep, near the elbow).
How to Gain Muscle Mass Fast

So to maximize your muscle gain, you clearly want to integrate both forms of loading.

There are three primary ways to maximize your concentric phase results:

1. Lift heavy weight with a slow tempo

2. Lift moderate weight with a moderate tempo

3. Lift lighter weight with a powerfully, fast tempo

These three methods all help maximize intramuscular tension and are all based on the physics
principle of force production: Force = Mass x Acceleration.

Isometric Training

Isometric training involves creating muscle tension without a change in muscle length.

There are essentially two ways to achieve isometric resistance. One is to push against a fixed object,
and the other is to hold a weight in fixed position.

An example of pushing against a fixed object could be pushing against a wall to

isometrically activate the pecs, triceps and shoulders. An example of holding a weight in a fixed
position could be holding a curl bar with the elbows bent to 90 degrees and holding for 30 seconds.
Both methodologies have their place and merit depending on the goal.
How to Gain Muscle Mass Fast

Although isometrics may not provide any distinct advantages for building maximal strength when
compared to eccentric or concentric training, it does however provide better muscle activation.

One study3 looked at the activation of the quadriceps femoris during knee extension, and found
something interesting. The average muscle activation during maximal eccentric and maximal
concentric contractions were 5-7% less than maximal isometric contractions.

This indicates isometric training is superior to helping recruit more muscle fibers.

But how is this useful?

One way to think about it is to look at your strength capabilities as a map that your brain maintains.
If pieces of the map are missing, (i.e. weak areas or ranges of motion) your strength and muscular
development will be limited. So isometric training can be valuable in the way of improving this map,
so we can better control and exert during concentric and eccentric movements.

I also like isometric training for gaining size because it more easily allows for higher durations of
intramuscular tension (a.k.a. time under tension). Increased intramuscular tension helps achieve
more sarcoplasmic hypertrophy which is how bodybuilders gain their size and physique.

Here are some general guidelines for isometric training:

Keep the muscle under tension for 3-6 seconds.

Contract the muscle as much as you can during the duration of the isometric
exercise.

Vary the position of the joint to training all potential weak ranges of motion.

Stack isometric exercises with concentric/eccentric exercises.

Keep rest periods at 30-60 seconds (closer to 60 seconds when isometric contractions are
closer to 6 seconds).

Perform you isometric exercises toward the beginning of the workout to help
activate the muscle groups of focus for the workout.
How to Gain Muscle Mass Fast

In the early 1960s, a highly respected physician by the name of Dr. John Ziegler developed what he
called functional isometric training. This methodology involved three basic positions: a few inches
from the starting position, the sticking point, and a few inches from the end position of the lift.

The primary lifts he focused on were big lifts like overhead pressing, back squats, and pulls. Each of
these exercises were done with maximal effort for 9-12 seconds, and workouts were short (about
15 minutes). The beauty of this style of training is that it spares energy that would normally be lost
during dynamic movement and translates it into more focused strength output during the isometric
concentric.

By taking a focused approach to the phases of your lifting motion with specific concentric, eccentric,
and isometric training exercises you can help burst through plateaus and gain strength and size
faster. Not to mention more efficiently. They say the average person who works out at the gym for
an hour only does about 6 minutes worth of work.

So you can imagine if you really concentrate on maximal muscle tension and time under tension in
the three phases, while keeping rest periods relatively short, how much more efficient your workouts
will become probably tripling or quadrupling the amount of physical work done.

This type of training efficiency is especially useful for maximizing anabolic hormone production as
well as for spiking your metabolism and shedding body fat.

The other thing that is great about this form of training is that it doesnt require you to radically
change the exercises youre already familiar with and enjoy. All youre doing is manipulating the way
you emphasize the lifting, holding or lowering of the weight which can be applied to nearly any
exercise youre already doing.

These methodologies also work great with blood flow restriction training. Particularly, occlusion
training tends to work best with a concentric emphasis. For a limited time, grab the BFR Elite bands

here:

www.bfrbands.com/elite-bands

Now Im going to dive into some other plateau-shattering methods of training such as contrast
training, accumulation training, and complex training

The great part about the three methodologies I just shared for gaining muscle quickly is you dont
need to make drastic changes to the exercises in your current training program.

Next, Im going to share some new tactics for gaining muscle mass fast.
How to Gain Muscle Mass Fast

They are:

Combination Training

Plyometric Training

Bulgarian Complex Training

Combination Training

This form of training ties together the three previous forms of training I spoke about earlier. Its
where you manipulate concentric, isometric and eccentric durations in each rep of an exercise. Its
like the triple whammy of strength builders since you attain benefits from each type of motion.

Heres an example of what a set might look like for a barbell bicep curl:

3 second concentric (lifting phase), 3 second isometric (hold), then 3 second eccentric
(lowering phase)

You wont be able to lift as much weight when performing a set like this, of course, as the time under
tension will be tremendously higher than a standard set. But thats part of why it is so effective for
hypertrophy. Muscle hypertrophy (aka increase in size) is in large part correlated with time under
tension.
How to Gain Muscle Mass Fast

This is why bodybuilders commonly do more sets in the 8-12 rep range with short rest periods (and
things like supersets/tri-sets) versus strength athletes who are doing sets more in the ballpark of
1-5 reps with lots of rest between sets.

The physical adaptations to these forms of exercise are different. Although both bodybuilders
and strength athletes are seeing muscle hypertrophy, the types of hypertrophy are different. With
strength athletes, they are primarily benefitting from myofibril hypertrophy versus bodybuilders
who are primarily benefitting from sarcoplasmic hypertrophy.

Sarcoplasmic vs. Myofibrillar Hypertrophy

When most people talk about gaining muscle size, they are usually referring to muscle hypertrophy
which involves the increase in muscle size as well as the growth of its component cells. When
I hear people talking about muscle hypertrophy, they usually dont specify what type they are
actually trying to achieve.

With muscle hypertrophy, you essentially have two primary forms: Sarcoplasmic hypertrophy
and Myofibrillar hypertrophy. With sarcoplasmic hypertrophy your body becomes more efficient
at storing muscle glycogen (carbohydrates) and its associated with an increase in the volume of
sarcoplasmic fluid in the muscle cell.

Myofibrillar hypertrophy, on the other hand, deals more with the increase in actin and myosin
contractile proteins to increase strength, as well as a minor increase in muscle size.

As mentioned earlier, when you train with high volume or high time under tension, you are
primarily creating sarcoplasmic hypertrophy. Whereas, when you train with heavy weight with a
few reps (a maximal strength focus) and more explosive movements, you create more myofibrillar
hypertrophy. Its important to know the distinction between the two so you can set your goals more
clearly.\

I think all too often people have unclear goals of what they truly want to achieve with their health
and fitness. If you can have clarity with the type of physique and function you desire, then you can
create a program that will help you get there.

If youre looking to get big (or at least grow the size of certain body parts like the arms), you may
want to focus more on set and rep schemes that help facilitate sarcoplasmic hypertrophy. And if
youre looking for more of a leaner, toned physique with more functional strength, you may want to
focus more on a set and rep scheme the helps facilitate myofibrillar hypertrophy. And, remember,
nothing is set in stone its ok to do a mix of both.
How to Gain Muscle Mass Fast

Plyometric Training

Plyometric training has a deep history in sports and fitness. The Russians have used this form of
training for ages, and referred to it as shock training.

Specifically, Soviet researcher Dr. Yuri Verkhoshansky was one of the first pioneers of
this type of training which would involve jumping off a box, absorbing the shock of the landing, then
rapidly jumping as high as possible.

And the method proved to be quite powerful for gains in strength. In one study, Dr. Verkhoshansky
found that a group of highly trained athletes were able to increase their maximal strength output
by 14%.

There are a few ways this type of training works.

The first deals with the nervous system. The impact of the landing triggers muscle activation. This
excites the nervous system, giving your brain more horsepower to fire up the muscle to create
strength. The second deals with the priming of the pre-motor cortex. Between the landing and
the jumping is a cycle in which the muscle stretches and the subsequently shortens. As this cycle
becomes shorter, the brain begins to adapt by anticipating the fall and priming the muscles to
shorten faster (which produces strength more quickly and powerfully).
How to Gain Muscle Mass Fast

There is some research (5) to suggest that focusing the sticking of the landing during the depth
jump is most important to building lower body strength. The landing portion of the movement puts
the highest eccentric stress on the muscle (and as we discussed, eccentric training can trigger the
greatest results for fast-twitch muscle fibers).

Another way to apply this form of training to the whole body, is with accelerated eccentrics. This
form of training takes the concept of plyometrics and applies it to the weight room. With accelerated
eccentrics, you are deliberately trying to move the weight quickly (with force) through the negative
phase. For example, on a squat you would drop quickly into the squat position, almost as if you are
forcing the bar down toward the ground trying to outpace gravity while still maintaining control of
the weight.

You could apply this same concept to a bench press, where you would pull the bar toward your
chest as fast as possible (without crushing yourself) and just before touching your chest try to stop
the motion of the bar with precision and control before pressing back up.

Bulgarian Complex Training

There are many forms of complex training out there, from traditional supersets to circuits and a
variety of rest period schemes. Out of all them I personally like the Bulgarian Complex method the
most for the variety it provides and reduced risk for overuse injury.
How to Gain Muscle Mass Fast

With traditional supersets you would perform two exercises back to back with no rest in between
exercises. With Bulgarian Complex training you are doing 4-5 exercises with ample rest between
exercises. Also, the order of the exercises in the complex should go from heaviest to lightest. For
example, an upper body complex might look like this (rest period should be 1-3 minutes minutes
between sets):

1. 3-5 Reps of Flat Bench Press with 90-95% of 1 rep max

2. 6-8 Reps of Incline Dumbbell Press with 80-85% of 1 rep max

3. 10-12 Reps of Flat Dumbbell Flyes with 70-75% of 1 rep max

4. 12-15 reps of Dumbbell Pullovers with 60-65% of 1 rep max

5. 10-12 Reps of Plyometric Push Ups

Aside from helping prevent overuse related injuries, this style of training also helps train a variety
of energy systems, hypertrophy types (sarcoplasmic and myofibrillar), as well as muscle fiber types
(Type IIa and Type IIb).

Bulgarian Complex training is also great for shocking the lower body. Heres an example of what a
lower body complex might look like:

1. 3-5 Reps of Barbell Back Squat with 90-95% of 1 rep max

2. 6-8 Reps of Leg Press with 80-85% of 1 rep max

3. 10-12 Reps of Straight Leg Deadlift with 70-75% of 1 rep max

4. 12-15 reps of Leg Extension with 60-65% of 1 rep max

5. 10-12 Reps of Depth Jumps

As you can see, there are infinite ways you can put these ideas together to build a strength training
program. Variety can be a key component to your growth, not only for breaking the monotony but
also by providing a novel stimulus to the brain and body.

Remember, the brain is always trying to make predictions about your environment, and the gym
is just another one of those environments. By providing a new stimulus you are creating salience,
which is basically telling the brain Hey, pay attention to this, its important!

This increased level of attention helps drive neural plasticity which heightens your ability to
generate strength and power. This novelty can also shock the system to stimulate a cascade of
the release of muscle-building, fat-burning hormones.
How to Gain Muscle Mass Fast

There are many ways to incorporate novelty into your routine to help trigger muscle growth and
strength gains, like Blood flow restriction training. And if youre ready to take your workout routine
to the next level, you can tie all the exercises you learned in this book into one powerful program
called BFR Alpha.

www.bfrbands.com/bfr-alpha

Now Im going to give you three more muscle hacks. Were going to talk about:

Post-Activation Potentiation Training

Pre & Post Fatigue Training

Supplemental BFR Training

Post-Activation Potentiation Training

What is post-activation potentiation exactly? The National Strength & Conditioning Association
defines it as:

the phenomenon by which the contractile history of muscles directly affects their subsequent rate
of force development (RFD) or the ability to generate force in a rapid manner. The theory behind
PAP is that the acute change in contractile proteins and motor neuron activity can help induce
greater explosive power performance for a 2- to 20-min period following heavy loading
How to Gain Muscle Mass Fast

For example, you would do a near max bench press for 4-5 reps, then rest 2-3 minutes and then do
8-12 explosive push ups. This method is designed to help you maximize strength and power which
in turn creates better muscle growth.

There are several proposed mechanisms by which this works, however it seems there are two
primary mechanisms.

The first mechanism is known as myosin light chain phosphorylation. With this mechanism,
the muscle cell protein responsible for muscle contraction (also known as myosin) becomes
phosphorylated (a phosphate group is added to the protein). When myosin is phosphorylated it is
believed that the rate of binding to actin (the other muscle contractile protein) rapidly increases.

The second mechanism by which post activation potentiation works is more neural. The idea is the
motor neurons are temporarily sensitized and enhanced, which in turn increases the recruitment
of fast twitch muscle fibers.

What does this all mean for you?

Russian sports scientist Yuri Verkhoshansky describes post activation potentiation as a sort of
sensory mismatch.

He uses the analogy that it is like lifting a can of water that is half full, but because of the post
activation potentiation your brain thinks it is full. This leads to greater muscle recruitment and
force production even though you are using less weight.

With post activation potentiation training, there are a few points to keep in mind:

To induce potentiation, keep the time under tension under 5 seconds to prevent
excessive fatigue. This usually equates to about 4 repetitions. You can experiment with this
and increase or decrease reps accordingly to see what works best for your body.

Recovery before working sets should be about 2-3 minutes but depending on the
exercise and intensity may require 5-8 minutes. Just keep in mind, if you rest too long you
risk losing the temporary potentiation effects, and if you rest too little you risk over fatiguing
and negating the benefits of the potentiation.

Post activation potentiation may not be appropriate for everyone. It works best in
stronger individuals, especially those with a higher ratio of fast twitch muscle fibers.
How to Gain Muscle Mass Fast

Pre & Post Fatigue Training

This style of training involves combining an isolation exercise with a complex exercise. The goal of
this methodology is to fatigue the muscle. Depending on how to perform this you would be pre or
post fatiguing the muscle.

The idea behind this is when you perform a complex exercise such as a bench press, the load is
being distributed over several muscle groups instead of highly focused on one or two. When you
combine this with an isolation exercise, you further fatigue the target muscle group to maximize the
recruitment and breakdown of those muscle fibers resulting in growth and strength development.

Lets talk about pre-fatiguing first.

With pre-fatigue training, youre performing an isolation exercise first, then moving immediately
into a complex exercise back-to-back with no rest.

The main goal of this method is to develop the weaker muscle group since the weaker muscle
groups tend to do the least amount of work on the complex movements.

For example, you could perform a tricep skull-crusher prior to a heavy bench press.

This can be very useful for increasing the size of the isolated muscle group, however it may not be
most beneficial for increasing size globally since it will reduce the workload you can perform on the
complex movement.
How to Gain Muscle Mass Fast

Post-fatigue training works a little better when it comes to increasing muscle size and strength. The
reason being that with this method the weaker muscle groups generally fatigue first, preventing the
major muscle groups from receiving maximum stimulation.

For example, with bench press your accessory muscles like the triceps will fatigue before your pecs
get a chance to achieve full activation, so following up bench press immediately with an isolation
exercise like flies would help maximize the the stimulation of the pecs to help them grow bigger
and stronger.

Now, the cool thing is that you can actually use a combination of both pre and post fatigue training
to maximize your results. However, due to the high intensity of this type of training you shouldnt
do it for more than a few weeks.

Heres how pre and post fatigue training would work:

1. Before your primary lift, do an isolation exercise for about 20 reps

2. Perform your heavy primary lift for 6-12 reps

3. Finish with another isolation exercise for approx. 20 reps

Now, the cool thing is that you can actually use a combination of both pre and post fatigue training
to maximize your results. However, due to the high intensity of this type of training you shouldnt
do it for more than a few weeks.

There are a couple options for selecting the isolation exercises. You can either choose one muscle
group (usually your weakest) to focus on for both the pre and post fatigue exercises, or you can
choose two different exercises (usually your two main weak points).

Here are a few things to keep in mind with pre & post fatigue training:

Do 15-20 reps for the isolation exercises with light/moderate weight (~60% of 1RM).

Do 6-12 reps of the complex exercise with heavy weight (~80% of 1RM).

Do 3 sets per exercise and 1-2 exercises per body part.

Dont rest in between the isolation exercise and complex exercise, but do rest for 1-2
minutes in between sets.

Supplemental BFR Training

At this point, youve probably read about how to use blood flow restriction training as a standalone
for gaining size and strength, enhancing recovery, and preventing injury. But the research suggests
BFR training works best as a bolt-on to a heavy regimen.
How to Gain Muscle Mass Fast

Here are a few ideas:

1. Perform all of your heavy exercises and finish with your BFR exercises as a finisher.

2. Perform your normal sets and finish with 2-4 BFR sets of that exercise with light
weight.

3. Perform your normal set and immediately drop set to light weight with BFR.

4. Superset a normal lift with a BFR isolation exercise with light weight.

Although not all of the above ideas have been tested in the research, they might still be worth
testing as everyone is different and experimentation can be useful to see what works best for you.
When doing this type of supplemental BFR training you may need to use even lighter weight than
what you expect as your fast twitch fibers will already have some fatigue from the regular lifts.

To get your BFR Elite bands, go to www.bfrbands.com/elite-bands

This wraps up the book on how to gain muscle mass fast.

By this point, youve acquired a number of different ways to shock your body into new growth.

The key, as Ive mentioned, is always being aware of what works best for YOU. Pay close attention to
how your body responds to each style and continue to use the ones that work best.
How to Gain Muscle Mass Fast

With the right tools in your toolbox, you can accomplish much more than you previously thought
possible.

To your gains,

Kusha Karvandi, PES, CES, CSCS

References

1. Roig M, OBrien K, Kirk G, et al. The effects of eccentric versus concentric resistance
training on muscle strength and mass in healthy adults: a systematic review with meta-
analyses British Journal of Sports Medicine Published Online First: 03 November 2008. doi:
10.1136/bjsm.2008.051417

2. Elizabeth J. Higbie, Kirk J. Cureton, Gordon L. Warren III, Barry M. Prior. Journal of
Applied Physiology Published 1 November 1996 Vol. 81 no. 5, 2173-2181

3. Nicolas Babault, Michel Pousson, Yves Ballay, Jacques Van Hoecke. Journal of
Applied Physiology Published 1 December 2001 Vol. 91 no. 6, 2628-2634

4. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/232212077_Principles_of_planning_speed_
and_strengthspeed_endurance_training_in_sports

5. Kerin, David. Achieving strength gains specific to the demands of jumping events.
Track Coach 2 (2002): 5109-5110.

6. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3164001/

7. https://www.nsca.com/Education/Articles/Hot-Topic-Post-Activation-Potentiation-
%28PAP%29/

8. https://bretcontreras.com/post-activation-potentiation-theory-and-application/

9. https://www.t-nation.com/training/contrast-training-for-strength-size-and-power