Building muscle fast isn’t as easy as you might think, but I’m glad to say that it isn’t as difficult as some would have you believe, even if you are a hard gainer. It’s all about training more intelligently.

If you want to build muscle fast, her are 5 good tips for you.

1. Make sure to get enough food and rest

If you want to get serious about building muscle fast, then you need to get serious about what you eat. It’s taxing on your body to build new muscle, make sure you get enough energy, so that you body can support the new muscle growth. Most guys having trouble gaining muscle fast, is eating way to little food. 5 or 6 times per day you must eat a solid meal. Make sure the food you eat is good quality, junk food won’t build a healthy body.

It’s equally important to allow your body time to recover between workouts. Building muscle fast is not about working harder, it’s about working smarter. So when you do work out, you are going at it with maximum intensity, and then you let your body recover completely before hitting the gym again.

2. Never Perform More Than 10 Reps

Doing more than 10 reps per set is emphasizing your slow-twitch muscle fibers which have less opportunity for muscle growth. If you are a hard gainer you need to use the maximal amount of muscle fibers in every set. Always choose your weights knowing that more than 10 reps are keeping you in ‘skinny land’. Get into heavy lifting mode, if you really want to build muscle fast.

3. Reduce Your Workout Time

I you perform more work in less time you have increased your work intensity. The amount of work is the combined number of sets, reps and the weight used in your workout. The next time you go to the gym, try to see if you can complete your routine in less time. Time your rests and keep them short, and go from exercise to exercise quicker. This can make you feel really out of shape! This tip is one of the easiest you can use to improve the density of your muscles as well as your fitness level.

4. Only Do One Exercise Per Muscle Group

You don’t need to mutilate a muscle for an hour to get growth out of it. Your goal should be to stimulate your muscles to develop. Not exhaust them to death. When your muscles are exposed to a new type of assault/stimulus, your body will start to build new muscle to prepare for future assaults! So when you have completed an exercise with maximal effort, it’s time to move on to the next.

5. Do No More Than 3-5 Sets Per Muscle Group

You have to question a hard gainers workout intensity if they do more than 3-5 sets per muscle group. Building muscle fast requires that you stick to a new set of rules especially if you are a hard gainer.

Your first 1 or 2 sets should be around 85% maximal intensity. The third set at 95% maximal effort and the fourth (and sometimes fifth) set at 100% maximal effort. It is only this last 100% set that contributes most to muscle growth. If you do any sets beyond this, it will only take longer to recover and increase the time before you are ready for your next workout. You should try to do at least 5-10 pounds more or 1-2 extra reps in this final set compared to your last workout session. You have then sparked your muscles into growth and it’s time to move on.

It is your goal to target a 5% or higher increase in your strength every two weeks. You may find that big muscle groups like thighs and back develop faster compared to smaller muscle groups like biceps or calves.

When you follow this advancement you will be building muscle fast, plus in 6 months you will have about twice the strength you have now!