Exercises that build muscles fast have two features that set them apart from all other exercises.
First, they involve big muscle groups. The more muscles involved simultaneously in an exercise the higher the anabolic effect of the movement, which causes overall muscle growth. Second, they are relatively easy on your joints, minimizing the risk of soft tissue injury. Unlike muscle, the soft tissue around the joints (tendons and ligaments) has limited blood supply and therefore it takes more time to heal. Muscle recovers faster than joints, therefore performing low impact exercises that do not overstress the joints favors recovery and speeds up muscle growth. Of course, weight lifting is a big stress for the neuromuscular system, anyway. But, choosing exercises that do not overstress the joints can make a difference in how fast you develop these muscles. In light of this, here are 25 faster muscle building exercises.
First, they involve big muscle groups. The more muscles involved simultaneously in an exercise the higher the anabolic effect of the movement, which causes overall muscle growth. Second, they are relatively easy on your joints, minimizing the risk of soft tissue injury. Unlike muscle, the soft tissue around the joints (tendons and ligaments) has limited blood supply and therefore it takes more time to heal. Muscle recovers faster than joints, therefore performing low impact exercises that do not overstress the joints favors recovery and speeds up muscle growth. Of course, weight lifting is a big stress for the neuromuscular system, anyway. But, choosing exercises that do not overstress the joints can make a difference in how fast you develop these muscles. In light of this, here are 25 faster muscle building exercises.
Photo credit: www.BodyBuilding.com
The deadlift is regarded by many as the king of mass builders. And for a good reason since it works more muscles simultaneously than any other strength training weight lifting exercise. It effectively adds slabs of muscle to the lower and upper body. When properly executed it is risk free. It employs and strengthens over 25 major muscles including those of the entire back (lower, middle, upper), the shoulders, abdominals, forearms, hips (gluteal muscles) and the legs (hamstrings and quadriceps). The deadlift is a true measure of somebody’s strength. The deadlift world record is 1,015 lb by Benedict Magnusson.It’s been called “Back Thickener” because it stimulates the growth of the entire back. It employs 8 major muscles in the lower, middle, and upper back. The bent over position also calls for the involvement of your abs (rectus abdominis and obliques) to stabilize your core region. It’s relatively difficult to perform bent over rows, which is why it is an overlooked exercise. To avoid injury you must keep the back straight, not rounded, and your trunk tight. A pronated (ovehand) grip increases the activation of the shoulder muscles while a supinated (underhand) grip places the emphasis on the lats and biceps. The problem with the bent over row is that while your back may be strong enough to row the weight, you may not be able to lift it because you just can’t stay balanced. The weight pulls you forward.
Barbell squats are excellent for increasing muscle size not only in the legs but in the whole body. Doing heavy squats triggers a systemic anabolic effect that promotes overall muscle growth. The squat employs mainly the quadriceps (quads), hamstrings and the gluteus maximus. It also involves the hip adductor (inner thigh) and other stabilizer muscles. There is some injury risk involved though, even if you do the exercise the right way. Placing a heavy barbell on your shoulders creates an unhealthy vertical compression on the spine. Moreover, in the lower part of the motion, knee injuries are common. To avoid knee injury, make sure your knees do not move beyond your toes. Other than that, heavy squatting guarantees rapid muscle growth. Barbell lunges are an excellent, safer, alternative to barbell squats. Lunges work each leg separately but fully. When performing lunges, a big part of the resistance comes from your own body weight. Therefore the exercise requires relatively little weight on the barbell. If you do barbell squats with 240lb, it is unlikely you can lift more than 150lb on a barbell lunge. That means lunges are less taxing on your spine. In addition, since your knee does not travel beyond your toes, lunges are safer for your knees than squats. When compared to squats, the leg press is a less compound movement. The leg press is performed from a seated position and therefore it employs fewer muscles than the squat. It’s easier and safer, too, because it is performed in a fixed pane of motion which requires minimal core stabilization. That means, your abs and back muscles are not that much involved. The relatively short hip Range of Motion (ROM) decreases the involvement of the hamstrings and glutes thus placing the emphasis on the quads. Still, the leg press is superior to the squat in that it can more directly target the quads. With the hip adductor (inner thigh) and stabilizer muscles less involved, and the seat support, the leg press allows you to focus all your energy on your quads and hit them really hard with a tremendous load. Chinups are very effective boosters of upper body growth. They workout the muscles of the upper back (latissimus dorsi), shoulders (posterior deltoid), arms (biceps), and forearms (brachialis). Chest muscles get activated a little bit, too. In chinups the palms face you, while in pull ups the palm face away from you. Pull ups employ teres minor (one of the four rotator cuff muscles) more than chin ups do, therefore, if your rotator cuff is hurting do only chin ups—you don’t want to injure rotator cuff muscles and their tendons. Whether performed with a dumbbell or a barbell, the bent over raw is very effective for working the lats—the largest muscles of the back that run along each side of your torso connecting your upper arm to the middle and lower back. There is a difference between barbell and dumbbell bent over rows as far as the muscles involved. Due to the bench support in the dumbbell rows, the lower back (erector spinae—a group of muscles that run along each side of your spine from the pelvis all the way up) is not targeted almost at all. Moreover, in dumbbell rows, the torso is parallel to the floor activating mostly the lats whereas in barbell rows the torso is bent 45 degrees which places the emphasis on rear delts and traps (upper back). Finally, the one-arm dumbell row works each side separately which allows you to focus on the side that is less developed. The barbell shoulder press is a great muscle builder for the whole shoulder cage. The weight is pressed from the shoulders straight upwards until it is locked out above the head. It is a compound exercise that involves the shoulders, chest, and triceps. It can be performed either from a seated or standing position. The latter allows you to lift more weight due to the leg drive involved. If you rest your upper back on a wall or bench you increase the involvement of your upper chest. The dumbbell shoulder press targets specifically the shoulders. Unlike the barbell press, the dumbbell press does not involve as much the triceps and chest, allowing you to focus on your shoulders. Many people prefer the barbell over the dumbbell press because they can lift more weight with the barbell. But what they fail to understand is that the barbell actually works, to a significant degree, their upper chest and triceps, not their shoulders. I saw a significant increase in my shoulders size when I switched from barbell to dumbbell presses.The dip exercise activates primarily the triceps. It’s a basic movement that works all three parts of this muscle group. It also targets the anterior deltoid, the chest muscles and the rhomboids in the back. The dip allows you to load your triceps as no other exercise. The problem with the dip is that it overstresses the shoulder muscles, the pecs, and the elbows. If you have troublesome shoulders, you should skip this exercise. The injury risk can be minimized if one limits the range of motion. Doing barbell curls is probably the fastest way to grow the most famous muscle in the human body— the biceps brachii muscle. Other exercises, such as the dumbbell curls, hammer curls, cable curls, concentration curls, supinated bent rows, and chin ups, do not target the biceps as directly as the barbell curl. The barbell curl is the most “compound” bicep movement of all employing all bicep muscles. When performing this exercise do not swing your torso, otherwise you are allowing momentum, not your biceps, to lift the weight for you. One of the best exercises for your hamstrings, the stiff legged deadlift, is a modification of the deadlift. It is designed to eliminate the involvement of the quads and place the tension on the glutes and hamstrigs. It activates the lower back, too. To avoid injury in your hamstrings, do not lower your torso beyond mild stress; that means the bar doesn’t go lower than the knee caps. The bent over long bar row is a great back builder and many prefer it over the barbell row. The difference between the two is that the range of motion is shorter in the long bar row, allowing you to lift more weight. Another difference lies in the grip (close or wide). Different grip involves different back muscles. The close grip in the long bar row does not allow the back muscles to fully contract as in the bent over row. Yet, many find it more effective as a mass builder compared to the barbell row because the weight moves on a more even plane and offers better spine stability.
The close grip bench press is the safest and more effective triceps exercise you can do as it activates the whole tricep muscle. It involves the chest and shoulder muscles in addition to the triceps. Unlike the dips, it does not pose a threat for the shoulders. Use a narrow grip but do not grasp the bar with your hands less than 4 inches apart otherwise you could hyper-adduct the wrist joint. Load the bar and press hard.
The dumbbell calf raise allows you to fully workout your calves at home without machines. To build good calves you need to get a good flex on top and a controlled stretch at the bottom. All three calf muscles will get activated. Calf raises can be performed in various ways targeting the two calf muscles (gastrocnemius, and soleus) from different angles. For example, when calf raises are performed from a seated position (seated calf raise) the gastrocnemius is stretched less.
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how long does it take for a beginner to develop muscles? thanks
That’s a reasonable question, Joseph. If you mean developing bulk, a lot of that depends upon genetics. An ectomorph body time, such as I am, will not develop much bulk. A mesomorph such as Arnold, can develop fairly quickly.
It also depends upon your age, where you are starting from (have you been exercising?) and the intensity and regularity of your routines.
I know that isn’t much of an answer, but without knowing more about you, it’s the best I can do.
The good news is, no matter what your body type, you can grow substantially stronger and improve your endurance and cardio-vascular fitness at any age.
Hello Joseph,
good question. Resistance training gives an immediate growth signal to your muscles. The first 48 hours after resistance training your muscles are in a pure anabolic state. When you train with weights in the range of 8-20 reps to failure, leaving adequate time for recovery between each workout session (i.e you workout your chest twice a week), and (most important) following a diet of caloric surplus (that means, you consume 200-300 calories more than you burn each day), then muscle growth is guaranteed. It will take you a few weeks to see the results in the mirror.
Something I did not mention is that, to develop musculature most rapidly, it is better to isolate that muscle so it receives the most exercise. If you involve large groups, they will all assist in overcoming the resistance and development will be slowed. This is a point about using machines such as Nautilus and something I was taught at the Nautilus center in Florida before opening my facility in Tucson.
I agree that involving more muscles simultaneously does make for a more efficient workout if your goal is over-all fitness and good cardio-vascular training.
Competitive body-builders need to concentrate effort on specific muscles such as the biceps, quadriceps, or traps. Competitive body-builders are willing to devote the extra time and effort for this while those wanting general fitness and development usually are not.
I also agree about not over stressing joints. That’s why I always recommended slower movements that do not put large inertial loads upon the joints and their tendons and ligaments.
Being an ectomorph body type and now 70 years old, I know that I am not going to increase bulk or become significantly stronger. Now, I only use a 5 KG weight for sit-ups and arm curls. My workouts are using my body weight and high repetitions for calorie burn, endurance, and bone strength. I feel the most important exercise for me is climbing the 25 flights of steps each day. It’s a good cardio exercise and keeps my legs and hips in good conditin.
I didn’t mention that I had a stroke over 20 years ago and have spent years in rehab. I am really still doing that as I concentrate on my weaker left side every day.
Hi James,
I checked your exercise routine. I am amazed of the intensity of your situps and pushups workout. Good job James!
Thank you for your very kind words. Remember, what I am doing now is something I have built up to over several years. For example, my stair climbing routine started with my doing only 4 flights of steps or 64 step. I gradually kept adding more and now I am doing the 40 steps and have been adding two at a time until I am up to 17 flights or more. You can see what I was doing a couple of years ago at: http://s1181.beta.photobucket.com/user/slrman/media/68BD.mp4.html
Starting the first of the year, I am going to change the sit ups to crunches. I have learned that changing your routine is best for you mentally and physically. No matter how dedicated you are, you can become bored with anything. I’ll probably keep the pushups and squats, though. The daily walks will stay, too as I usually do stretching things somewhere in the middle of those. Besides, the scenery here, especially at the beach is great.
My comments are based upon being a former owner of a large Nautilus fitness facility and over 40 years of being in the martial arts and fitness field.
This list ignores some important facts. First, developing muscles depends more upon genetics than m ost care to admit. If you are an ectomorph body type, you can improve definition by exercise and lowering your body fat. But developing large muscles will forever be beyond you unless you are taking illegal and dangerous drugs. If you are a mesomorph body type, then you already have larger muscles but they may be weak for their size and can be developed much more than they are naturally. Ectomorphs may not develop large muscles but they can improve and grow amazingly strong. I am speaking from personal and professional experience.
Next, the list involves exercises that place heavy compression loads on the spine. Eventually, the extorts a heavy price in the forms of major back problems including sciatica.
Using free weights will work but so will lifting a bag of rocks. They will not work not as well as a properly designed and utilized machine system such as Nautilus. There are also the dangers involved with free weights. Losing control of a free weight can result in injury or even death. Losing control of the weights in a machine will result in a loud noise and everyone in the room jumping.
Some of these such as the squats as shown can cause damage to the tendons and ligaments around the knees. After the knees are bent more than about 90º, you are only bouncing on them, not working the muscles such as the quadriceps. Again, a person will eventually pay a painful price for this.
Finally, much the same results can be obtained with no weights at all using common exercises. I personally do over 1,000 pushups a week with other non-stress exercises. Yu can see a summary of many of those at: http://i1181.photobucket.com/albums/x425/slrman/Nov2012.jpg
BTW, I am 70 this year.
Still staying fit and healthy.
Hello James,
thank you so much for reading my article and for commenting on it.
Well, it’s true that genetics play a big part. A huge part, I should say. But the purpose of this article is to show what exercises are the most effective in stimulating muscle growth. Muscle stimulation requires high intensity training. Nobody can deny that.
Now here is something many people are unaware of. While high intensity resistance training is effective for muscle stimulation, it also poses injury risk. In fact, the highest the intensity the greater the risk for injury. Therefore, one has to balance these two: Sufficient muscle stimulation AND low injury risk.
This is where genetics comes in. There are people who are more prone to injury than others. Professional bodybuilders, among other virtues, have the ability to recover fast and be much less prone to injuries than the average Joe.
I cannot do barbell bench presses without torturing my rotator cuffs. But others can. Free weights have developed my chest more effectively. Does this mean that barbell bench press is not effective in muscle stimulation? Of course not. Similarly, I don’t do squats, because my left knee gets overstressed. I do lunges. So, everybody is different. We just pick the exercise that best works for us whether it be free weights, barbells, machines, or our own body weight.
But, whenever you see muscle growth, there are two principles at work, which I believe you agree with:
1. The more muscles involved simultaneously in an exercise the higher the anabolic effect of the movement, which causes overall muscle growth.
2. Choosing exercises that do not overstress the joints can make a difference in how fast you develop these muscles.
I mention these principles at the beginning of my article.
Jeff