The main question by those tired of trying to shape up their bodies, but with no results, or even those starting their journey into fitness is how can I gain muscles fast? The reasons are varied, some want to look good for their vacations. Some want to get their body to peak levels to enter and win competitions they always dreamt of winning. Some want to walk down the road with their heads held up high and command respect. And the list goes on.

However, what every single hard gainer should not forget in their desire to get the body of their dreams and how to gain muscle fast is to do it safely and effectively. Hard gainers do not despair! I have got some news for you. I am pleased to say that learning how to gain muscle fast, safely and effectively is actually not as tough as you might be led to believe but also is not a walk in the park either. The key is not to work harder but smarter. However, dont read this as an excuse for ‘wimped’ work-outs. I am referring to the bigger picture of training more intelligently.

Here is a list of the 5 steps to gain muscle fast as recommended by Vince DelMonte, a skinny guy muscle building expert and the author of No Nonsense Muscle Building: Skinny Guy Secrets To Insane Muscle Gain.

1. Limit your reps to 10 only

This is a golden rule. If you go beyond 10 reps then you are emphasizing your slow-twitch muscle fibers which have the smallest opportunity for muscle growth. In your work-out you need to employ the maximal amount of muscle fibers in every set. Remember that if you could do an 11th rep this means you havent selected your weights appropriately.

In order to gain muscle you need to switch to heavy lifting mode. Every single set and every single exercise. Work out with heavy weights and never go beyond 10 reps. I recommend you work out with a partner to prevent injuries, and for encouragement to push your limits every inch of the way.

2. Increment Your Strength by 5% Every Two Weeks

A common mistake that hard gainers make in their work-outs is not to track their progress. They consistently day after day, week after week, work-out after work-out waste their efforts on the same routines with no apparent progress. How do you expect progress in gaining muscle fast if you repeat the same routine using the same weights? Your muscles are engineered to tolerate stress. In the rest phase they grow. Thus the secret is to put them under stress and watch them grow. Put them under stress and let them grow. And so on. Its a no brainer.

Remember to aim for a minimum of 5% strength increase every two weeks. You might aim for bigger increases with larger muscle groups like legs and back versus smaller muscles like triceps and biceps. Keep focused and have the goal in mind that in six months from now, you will be over twice as strong as you are now! It is a good idea writing down your strength goals for the six months ahead and then work from your starting point. If you are currently dead lifting 140 lbs, aim to be dead lifting 280 lbs over the next few months!

3. Work-out only one exercise per muscle group

Only one, I hear you ask? Yep, only one, unless you believe you must pound a muscle for hours at a time to get any growth out of it. Consider this typical day in the gym. Today is your legs day. Your first exercise is the leg curl. You perform your first set with 155 lbs, second set with 175 lbs, third set with 195 lbs and fourth set with 215 lbs.

Assuming this last weight was your max weight possible to carry out a rep of 10, you can be sure that you have employed the optimum number of muscle fibers. Your aim is to simply zap your muscles into growth. Not pound them to extinction. Once they are exposed to an unfamiliar stimulus your muscles will be forced to adapt and create new fibers to prevent future attacks. Thus, the lesson here is, once you have out-performed your last work-out, it is then time to move onto the next exercise.

4. Strictly stick to 3 to 5 sets per muscle group

If you are doing more than 3-5 sets per muscle group, alarm bells should be going off in your head. You need to ask yourself, am I working effectively and hard enough on each set? If you are relying on steroids or are blessed by the genes of Mr. and Mrs. Universe you may ignore this tip. Do not forget that learning how to gain muscle fast, safely and efficiently for the hard gainer requires following a new set of rules.

If you work-out the first 1-2 sets at 85% maximum effort, the 3rd set at 95% maximum effort and the 4th (and sometimes the 5th) set at 100% maximum effort, you should know that it is only this last set that produces the greatest muscle growth. Anything beyond the last set mentality that you have to keep going until you explode, simply burns out the muscle and delays your recovery time to work on that muscle again.

The message here is that in your last set you should add 5-10 extra pounds more than your previous set. Job done. You have zapped your muscles into action and prepped them for maximum growth. Time to press on.

5. Gradually shorten your work-out times

I left the easiest tip to last. The truth is if you really want to increase your muscle density and move your fitness to new heights, you need to work-out outside your comfort zone.

This can be achieved if you increase your work rate but taking less time do it. The results will be that your work capacity will increase. Work refers to the number of sets, reps and poundage within your work-out.

Who do you think is fitter? The guy who can do 4 sets of 190 pounds bench press with 30 seconds rest, or the guy who can do 4 sets of 190 pounds bench press with 90 seconds rest? You guessed it right. The guy who can do the same amount of work but in less time.

Now, who do you think is more muscular? Thats right, the one who has a higher work capacity, because his or her work-out will become more efficient in time. So remember, next time when you work-out, try to complete it in less time. Decrease your rests. Move between exercises faster. If you do this, dont be shocked if you feel out of shape!

Conclusion

These tips are not your usual formulated advice given by every so called fitness expert. Vince himself, the author of No Nonsense Muscle Building: Skinny Guy Secrets To Insane Muscle Gain is a great believer that in your search for the right knowledge you should question everything you read and hear. The best method is to learn from your actions and not by talking about it. Vince as a skinny guy once himself, 149 lbs to be exact, defeated his skinny genetics and learnt how to gain muscle fast by not following the crowd and training smarter and not harder. What about you? What will it be?

C. Morgado used principles from a No Nonsense Muscle Building: Skinny Guy Secrets To Insane Muscle Gain found at http://www.howtobuildupmusclesfast.com/