I am ALGetsBig, and I am a former 5'7" 117-pounder who is now close to reaching a weight of 170 pounds,  That's a 53-POUND increase!  I am also on YouTube in a video where I bench pressed 270 pounds at a weight of 148 pounds! So, I know a lot about how to gain mass the safe & healthy way.

Follow these tips to build muscle fast:

1. Progressively Increase Set Weight at Each Workout.

According to the law of progressive overload, you must increase the weight lifted per set every single workout (or as close to that as you can) in order to ignite muscle growth.

The human body is very adaptable and responds to stimuli placed upon it.  The key is to force the body to adapt by putting it under consistent, gradually increasing stress over the course of your weight-training sessions.  Keep a workout journal so that you know exactly what you lifted during the last workout and so you can easily make small, gradual increases in future workout sets to spark muscle growth.

If you workout with the exact same weight every session with the same number of repetitions, you cannot expect your body to grow because you haven't given it a reason to. So, if you want bigger muscles, you must increase the weight you are lifting every session.

I recommend increasing the weight by the smallest increment possible at every workout.  This means adding 1 2.5 lb plate on each side of the bench press, increasing dumbells from 25 to 27.5, etc.

"I Tried Everything to Gain Weight & Couldn't But Finally Gained 24 Pounds with Muscle Gaining Secrets."

2. Perform Sets of No More Than 8 Reps.

Use heavy weights & low rep-sets. This means aim for no more than 8 reps in a set – if you can do more than 8 reps, the weight is too light. Do 4 sets per exercise and increase the weight by about 5-10 pounds with each set. After warming up with 2 light 15-rep sets, perform your first set of 8 reps, then rest for 3 minutes. The 2nd set should be no more than 6 reps, then rest again. Always rest for 3-5 minutes after each set. The 3rd set should be 3-4 reps, and the 4th and final set of that exercise should be 1-2 reps. Read the bulking weightlifting workout.

Weight Train No More Than 3 or 4 Days a Week.

Rest 3-5 Minutes Between Sets.

 

3. Limit Workout Time to 45 Minutes of Actual Lifting.

If you are working out with good form this is all you need to stimulate muscle growth. You want to keep your workout time under 45 minutes to avoid the release of hormones that actually break your muscle tissue down (catabolic hormones). You will be in the gym for about 90-120 minutes because of the 3-5 minute rest that is needed after each set.  This is because the sets are heavy and very stressful to the body.  3-5 minute rests are also ideal for the ectomorph (hardgainer) body type. Read all about body types. Read the bulking weightlifting workout.

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 4. Eat Like A Horse.

Working a muscle tears the tissue, it then repairs and grows. Muscles need nutrients in order to repair and grow. Basically you need to eat big to get big. A good muscle building diet will supply your muscles with the nutrients that they desperately need to rebuild and grow stronger than before you broke them down in the weight room.

Recommended Calorie Intake for Muscle Gain: Bodyweight (lbs) x 24
150-Pounder: 150 x 24 = 3600 calories/day

Carbs: 40% = 1440 Carb Calories = 1,440 / (4 Calories Per Gram of Carb) = 360 grams of Carbs Per Day

Protein: 30% = 1080 Fat Calories = 1080 / (4 Calories Per Gram of Protein) = 270 grams of Protein Per Day

Fat: 30% = 1080 Protein Calories = 1080 / (9 Calories Per Gram of Fat) =
120 grams of Fat Per Day
 

5. Increase the Amount of Protein in your Diet.

In order for muscle tissue to repair itself after your weight-training sessions, it needs a high amount of protein. Some beginners don’t consume enough protein and some more experienced guys take ridiculously extreme amounts of protein. So how much protein do your muscles need? Use the following formula for the most accurate daily protein requirements.

Weight (Pounds) x 1 gram  = Minimum Daily Protein Requirement (grams)

So, a 160 lb man would consume at least 160 grams of protein per day.  Some advanced bodybuilders take 2 grams of protein per pound of bodyweight, so perhaps you can consider that the maximum amount of daily protein.  All meats contain protein; however, you need to be aware that meats like lunchmeat and hot dogs are horrible sources of protein as it is of low quality and definitely not what you want tasked with the job of repairing your muscle tissue.  My favorite sources of protein are as follows:

* Chicken. (Chicken Breasts cooked on a George Foreman Grill)
* Eggs (Boiled, Yolk Included because it's full of vitamins!)
* Red Meat. Ground round, steaks, deer, buffalo, …
* Cheese (Muenster)
* Whey Protein Powder Shakes
* Seafood – tuna, shrimp, salmon…
* Nuts
* Peanut Butter!
* MILK! A must have for weight gain! Read more below about milk and weight gain.

You will need at least 1 gram of protein per pound of bodyweight every day to build and maintain muscle.  Whey protein powder is superior because it is fast digesting and has the best blend of amino acids that your body uses to build muscle.

6. Eat Fat.

A low-fat diet is NOT effective in bodybuilding. 30% of your calorie intake should be fat. Eating fat increases the amount of anabolic (muscle building) hormones in your body. These hormones are testosterone, growth hormone, and IGF-1 (Insulin-like growth factor). Get your healthy fats from milk, nuts & peanut butter, fish oil, cheese, fatty fish like salmon, and from the protein and carb-source foods in your muscle building diet.  Read diet to build muscle.

7. Drink Water!!

	Drink 1 Gallon of Water Per Day! The best thing to drink is water, and a lot of it. Your body needs it desperately to perform well amidst the incredible strain you are placing on it with your workouts. Water is crucial even for those who don't workout because your bodily functions (blood circulation, breathing, perspiration, digestion, etc) demand it greatly.
	Drink at least .66 oz of water per pound of bodyweight every day.  A gallon of water a day is a good mark for most people, bigger people will need more. Water will excel your body in all performances. Hydration is king! Read the importance of water. Split your water intake up over the course of the day. Buy a Brita water pitcher – you definitely don't want to be drinking tainted tap water or expensive bottle water.

8. Avoid Too Much Cardio (When Building Muscle)

Cardiovascular work will rob you of muscle gains. If your goal is to lose fat you need to perform cardio in your cutting phase, or your fat-loss phase.  The bulking phase should NOT include cardio! Read about the separate phases of bulking and cutting.

The reason that too much cardio isn’t desirable when your goal is to build muscle is that too much cardio releases catabolic hormones in the body, breaking down your muscle tissue; obviously, this is counter-productive to gaining mass.

9. Sleep Like a Baby.

	Sleep is incredibly important for building muscle. Muscle tissue only repairs itself and grows during rest periods and that means that sleep is a crucial part of your muscle building goals.  Here's why:
The release of growth hormone reaches its peak during deep sleep. Your metabolic rate slows during sleep which is perfect for muscle tissue repair and growth. During sleep, there is increased blood flow to the muscles. 8 hours of sleep is recommended.  Get as close to 8 hours of sleep every night as you can. Try a Sleep Support Supplement if you feel the need.

10. Relax.

Being stressed out results in a catabolic (muscle breakdown) environment in the body. One such hormone is cortisol. Remember that a calm, relaxed person builds more muscle than the hot-head (assuming all other factors are equal).

11. Use Free Weights. You can lift the heaviest weights using barbells. More weight is more stress, thus more muscle. Dumbbells are great for assistance exercises, but not for your main lifts. Stay away from machines when bulking! Work with machines when cutting. Bulking Phase vs Cutting Phase

• Safe. Machines force you into fixed, unnatural movement patterns which can cause injuries. Free weights replicate natural motions.
• Efficient. Free weights force you to control and balance the weight. This builds more muscle than machines, which balance the weight for you.
• Functional. Strength built on machines doesn’t transfer to free weights or real life. No machine balances the weight for you in real life.
• Versatile. You can do hundreds of exercises with just 1 barbell. Saves a lot of money and space, especially if you want to build a home gym.

12. Do Compound Exercises. Don’t imitate professional bodybuilders by doing isolation exercises. Isolation exercises are fine once you’ve built base strength & muscle mass, but not before then. If you’re starting to build muscle, compound exercises are ideal because they hit several muscles at the same time.

Don't worry about bicep curls when starting to build muscle.  Do pull-ups, chin-ups, and barbell rows.
Don't worry about tricep kickbacks.   Do the bench press, the overhead press, and barbell rows.
Don't waste your time with leg extensions.   Do squats and deadlifts.  

13. Train Your Legs With Squats & Deadlifts. Squats & deaadlifts work your whole body, they are definitely the most important exercise for muscle and weight gain. You will look, feel, and be MUCH stronger when you can Squat 1.5x your bodyweight. This means a free weight squat with your hips going lower than your knees. Aim for that goal.

All of your muscles tense when doing squats and deadlifts. They work your body as a single unit and allow you to lift heavy weights. Don't waste time with leg extensions, squats and deadlifts are the kings of mass building.  Your legs make up a great deal of your bodyweight – Don't neglect the legs!

14. Eat Calorie Dense Foods. 100g raw spinach is 25kcals. But 100g raw rice is 380kcals. Eat pasta, oats, olive oil, mixed nuts, etc.  Read foods that build muscle.

15. Drink Whole Milk. Milk is an amazing source of nutrients for those who wish to gain weight! It is full of protein, carbs and healthy fat.  You can gain 25lbs in 1 month by drinking between 2 quarts and 1 gallon of milk each day in addition to a healthy protein-rich diet. Read GOMAD: Gallon of Milk A Day to Gain Weight.

If you have lactose intolerance, you definitely want to take lactase pills with every consumption of milk.  Signs that you are lactose intolerant are symptoms of nausea, cramping, and bloating soon after consumption of milk and possibly other dairy products.  I am lactose intolerant and the pills allow me to drink 2 quarts of milk every day.  The pills are taken with the first gulp of milk. Buy lactase pills here.

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Sixty percent of adults can't digest milk (Full Article)

By Elizabeth Weise, USA TODAY

Got milk? If you do, take a moment to ponder the true oddness of being able to drink milk after you're a baby.

No other species but humans can. And most humans can't either.

Most people who have bad reactions to milk aren't actually allergic to it, in that it's not their immune system that's responding to the milk.

Instead, people who are lactose intolerant can't digest the main sugar —lactose— found in milk. In normal humans, the enzyme that does so —lactase— stops being produced when the person is between two and five years old. The undigested sugars end up in the colon, where they begin to ferment, producing gas that can cause cramping, bloating, nausea, flatulence and diarrhea.

If you're American or European it's hard to realize this, but being able to digest milk as an adult is one weird genetic adaptation.

It's not normal. Somewhat less than 40% of people in the world retain the ability to digest lactose after childhood. The numbers are often given as close to 0% of Native Americans, 5% of Asians, 25% of African and Caribbean peoples, 50% of Mediterranean peoples and 90% of northern Europeans. Sweden has one of the world's highest percentages of lactase tolerant people.

Being able to digest milk is so strange that scientists say we shouldn't really call lactose intolerance a disease, because that presumes it's abnormal. Instead, they call it lactase persistence, indicating what's really weird is the ability to continue to drink milk.

Read the full article at USA Today….

The solution to lactose intolerance is to consume lactase pills with every serving of milk (and also when consuming other dairy foods like yogurt and eggs, if necessary). 

Drink Lactaid Milk. Lactaid milk is an excellent option for those who are lactose intolerant.  I have absolutely no problems with drinking Lactaid milk – no bloating, diarrhea, or cramping at all.

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16. Persist. Get stronger, track your progress with FitDay.com and persist until you’ve built the muscle you want. You’ll see the biggest change in your physique after following the diet to build muscle and weightlifting program for a few weeks and serious changes after 2 months.