How I Built Muscle FAST (5 Science-Based Tips)

Is it possible to build muscle fast? It took me years to gain some size and eventually my gains stopped altogether. However, in my recent lean bulk, I implemented a handful of new research-backed muscle growth techniques and managed to gain a lean 20 lbs in 16 months. By far my best bulking transformation and my fastest muscle gains since the early days. So, if you’re interested in learning how to gain muscle fast and how to bulk up fast, check out the 5 things I did to build muscle.
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Number 1: my training. There’s a really exciting new area of research called “stretch-mediated hypertrophy”. Some muscles seem to grow faster from exercises that challenge them the most when they’re in a stretched position. So, to take advantage of this and build muscle fast, there’s two things I did. First, in my weekly routine, I made sure I was doing at least one exercise that really challenged each muscle in a stretched position. Second, I emphasized the stretch by lightening the weight and trying to go as deep as I could with good form. For some exercises like presses and squats I also added a half second pause at the bottom.
Next, to maximize muscle growth, you need to get at least within 3 reps of failure. Now even though I was aware of this, I’ll be honest after I built up a decent amount of muscle I just got comfortable. It wasn’t until I started pushing myself close enough to TRUE failure that I started really seeing my growth take off. This won’t be comfortable and it never gets easier. But there are a few things I did that helped. First, I changed my mindset toward the pain. I simply view it as a sensation and I now link that feeling of pain with growth. Second, I always take at least a few seconds to just close my eyes and mentally prepare myself for the next set. It’s so easy to let your mind get distracted when you’re working out and start scrolling through social media. But to push to the levels required to truly force your muscles to grow, you need to get locked in and that happens before you’ve even started your set.
Next, recovery. Your workouts are what provide the stimulus for your muscles to grow, but the actual growth happens when they’re resting and recovering. For years I would always train at least 5, 6, and sometimes even 7 days a week. When I was younger I could do this no problem. But overtime it became too much. I stopped looking forward to my workouts, had low energy, and my muscles just didn’t recover very well. So I cut down my workouts to just 5 per week and recently cut it down even more to just 4 slightly longer workouts per week with the occasional accessory day. Almost instantly after making this switch I felt MUCH better day to day and a lot more energized going into my workouts. And I definitely noticed my muscles recovered and grew a lot better as a result. Don’t get me wrong you still need to train hard and you still need to do enough weekly volume to grow; at least 8-10 sets per muscle weekly. But more isn’t always better.
Now, all that training wouldn’t have done much to build muscle if I didn’t modify my bulking diet. To maximize growth, you probably need to be eating in a calorie surplus in your bulking meal plan. But just like with workout volume, more calories isn’t always better. So what I did was a “lean bulk”. This is when you purposefully overfeed your body with just a bit more than it needs, typically around 10-15% above your maintenance calories. However, even with a lean bulk, you probably will still gain some fat. In the past I’d always go back to dieting whenever I saw a bit of fat gain and so I never really progressed. This time I decided to stick through it and I’m telling you it paid off tremendously. So shift your mindset and think of it as a long term investment.
So tip number 5 when it comes to how to gain muscle fast was probably the hardest thing to implement. You see, fat loss is a relatively fast process. You can easily lose 1-2 lbs of pure fat per week. But in comparison, once you’re past the beginner stage of training, it can take several months to gain even just 1 lb of muscle. I mean I gained 20 lbs but not all of that was muscle and it took me almost a year and a half to do. But don’t let this discourage you. The small gains you make week to week will overtime amount to big noticeable changes. So be patient and trust the process.
TIMESTAMPS:
0:00 - Lean Bulk Transformation
0:17 - Training
2:55 - Effort
4:54 - Recovery
6:21 - Diet
8:09 - Time

[@JeremyEthier]

**Note for 1:11 at the video, the "150% more growth" in the study was calculated as a sum of the 3 measurement sites on the biceps. However, the distal site (lower part of the biceps) was the only region to reach significance. With the middle region trending towards significance and the proximal region of the biceps having little change between the two groups (which is consistent with other research - "stretch mediated hypertrophy" seems to have a much greater effect on the distal regions of a muscle). I didn't want to go into the depth of this for the video, but maybe I should have - let me know if you think that is helpful information and if the way I presented it initially can be misleading. Also for 1:29, the graph text suggests "1.5x more growth" but it should have said "1.5x as much growth" (the graph is correct, just the text needed tweaking). My apologies. Anyways, hope you enjoyed this one! See below for links to the studies I mentioned! Cheers! BICEPS GROWTH ON PREACHER CURLS VS INCLINE CURLS assets.researchsquare.com/files/rs-1530884/v1/96845f0d-cd80-4ebd-857e-f93c9cd9e5b1.pdf?c=1656091069 STRETCH-MEDIATED HYPERTROPHY FOR BICEPS pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36828324/ TRICEPS GROWTH ON OVERHEAD EXTENSIONS VS NORMAL TRICEPS PUSHDOWNS pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35819335/ OPTIMAL PROXIMITY TO FAILURE pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25809472/ UNDERESTIMATION OF PROXIMITY TO FAILURE pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35790622/ www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5712461/ OPTIMAL TRAINING VOLUME FOR HYPERTROPHY pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27433992/ THE NECESSITY OF A CALORIE SURPLUS FOR MUSCLE GROWTH pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34623696/ FAT GAIN ON FAST BULK VS LEAN BULK pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23679146/

[@RA-hb3yf]

Majored in kinensiology and that made me gravitate towards your videos, ever since my college years. Thanks for the help and keep it up.

[@tiiiefff2011]

Solid content!👍👍👍

[@SamuelElSamson]

Great vid! What bodyfat % were you on before and after this 16mo lean bulk?

[@carlosferia1077]

Thanks for delivering that very useful contents

[@FRHYKDd]

You've been the same size for like 6 years. Do you even follow your own advice...you pretty nu have just chop up what other content creators have out already

[@leoceoliveira]

"Your goal isn't to lift as much weight as possible! It's to use that weight to challenge your muscles as much as possible." I couldn't agree more!

[@NefuriousB3A5T]

In the famous words Kai Greene «I’m not a weightlifter, I’ll never be a weightlifter. I’m a bodybuilder»

[@leond1270]

Mike O’tren wont like this one

[@yorkerold]

I want to lift heavy though.

[@downbadmilflover]

I totally agree with what he's saying. You have to master that 25 pound dumbbell in the hardest ways it can be lifted. Then when you increase the weight, you begin that journey again and take all the gains possible.

[@Messup7654]

Yeah this doesn’t apply to people who actually want to lift the most possible

[@Matt-bg5wg]

Bro dont stress about how you look for KZbin. Your videos are seriously helpful and inspirational for a lot of people. Thanks for always putting out quality content and for always being honest and real. We all appreciate it.

[@MrGrey-vo2og]

It's okay to stress for progress. His before and after are great. His before is mid at best nows he looks more reputable as a coach. I've reached his before physique in one year of inconsistent training. My goal is to look like his new physique in next two years

[@balentincamargo5248]

Facts brudda you got to live

[@G3RM3X617]

Yea true strength is the only thing that matters to fighters, powerlifters, or pretty much any athletes. Only people who care about hypertrophy are insecure body builders. That's why I think body builders are the trash of all fitness. They only care about looks and hypertrophy. They dont care about health or true strength.

[@user-vt6td9hp3g]

Weak.

[@balentincamargo5248]

@@faris6458 gay

[@lancer717]

You’re an OG bro. Don’t change. Your sincerity and down to earth vibes is very respectable. Thank you

[@dhahn123]

dang Jeremy you're starting to grow noticeably! the new research behind stretch makes total sense even during workouts we all know how hard those exercises are. keep up the great work!

[@wallafied]

I think with the deeper voice change it’s not just his new routine that’s given him his growth ;) jokes. He’s definitely in a bulk diet though fat % has increased

[@mo.6ix]

I liked how honest you were about the pressures of being on youtube as a fitness influencer, I respect it.

[@blackhavaianas]

Fantastic video as always - and great work on your recent bulk - very inspiring. Also appreciated how you were open about how you might be perceived on KZbin - hearing this from major fitness influencers like yourself makes a difference.

[@ykkvbatman]

Thanks a lot for this video. I really needed this since I’m starting a bulk atm. You and everyone in the BWS team are doing an amazing job with this content.

[@rojoratatatata4002]

Every explanation makes sense, your visuals are super simple to understand, even the humour you use is on point! Easily the best channel on youtube!

[@DJLim]

🎯 Key Takeaways for quick navigation: 00:00 💪 Implement stretch-mediated hypertrophy by choosing exercises that challenge muscles in the stretch position. 02:06 🏋️ Focus on form and depth over just lifting heavier weights to effectively challenge muscles. 03:02 🏋️‍♂️ Train close enough to failure during each set to maximize muscle growth. 04:12 😫 Change your mindset towards the pain of training, mentally prepare for each set, and push yourself harder. 05:23 🔄 Manage recovery by optimizing workout frequency and volume according to your body's capacity. 06:34 🍽️ Adopt a lean bulk approach, eating slightly above maintenance calories, to maximize muscle gains with minimal fat. 08:09 🕑 Be patient and consistent as muscle gains take time; trust the process for long-term progress. Made with HARPA AI

[@siuuuuu7703]

Your content is so professional, honestly one of the best channels on KZbin. The science based research combined with the good visuals r perfect.

[@denisantoniazzi9844]

Hey buddy, I'm on the Beginner Shred 2.0 program, 5 weeks in, 7 kilos out! I'm blown away with the results so far, and the program is really changing my life. I really appreciate your work, and although the program already covers it all, it's always nice to check a new video from you folks, It's always great content! Tks again, and cheers!

[@KyWavyyy]

I needed this bro💯 thanks!

[@YESHTOFU]

I been following you for some time and I got to say your content delivery has glowed up. Your content and editor is amazing.

[@Josh-gq9mv]

John Meadows was a huge fan of stretch training. Rip to the legend.

[@corenko]

RIP John

[@TheVixenWorkout]

Thanks for always putting out quality content and amazing workouts

[@NickysFitnessWorld]

Definitely agree! Keep on teaching my clients same thing, but when comes to discipline, not many can handle and stick to the process 😆 well done, J! 💪🏼

[@BrandonJaffe14]

super relevant video to my current struggles, loved it and thanks for continuing to put out great content

[@alexhsu8031]

Turely inspirational. I've been following you for about 3 years. Your advice has been very useful and even transformational for me. Thanks!!!

[@joergbremer8770]

wonderfully explained; thank you!

[@Sam.campbelll]

Huge respect for you and your philosophy! 💪🏼

[@Marketo10Channel]

This video is GOLD Jeremy! Thank you!

[@Yhoshua_B]

Great video! Really enjoyed the time spent on "Effort". Those indorphenes that happen when pushing yourself to failure is such a great feeling.

[@tyrannosaurusflex3698]

Endorphins*

[@3rd_iimpact]

And here’s me trying to build muscle on maintenance calories 💀

[@wozza12341]

I've actually built muscle on a calorie deficit

[@theprivatespeaker]

4:18 Training to failure ,will only give you growth 1:44 exercise list 2:30 deep stretch 8- 10 sets per muscle per week

[@vishalvarma4010]

You are absolutely true brother....I used to train 6 days a week with no increase in strength and increased fatigue....once I dropped it from 6 days to 4 days my recovery shooted up , my strength shooted up, my muscle increased ....I then understood to Just listen to your body not the bookish number of fixed sets to increase muscle.....

[@RelaxAndSmokeMeth]

body doesn't lie

[@liounique1177]

Well that good if you train full body each training day while in my case I train 6 days a week coz my split is: Monday: chest, shoulders Tuesday: biceps, triceps Wednesday: back, legs Repeat Sunday: rest I'm hitting each muscle group twice a week this way and recovering pretty well.

[@kkronical]

Agreed; In my opinion it’s more of how much your own body can hit its close to peak failure and fatigue in each workout with full energy from resting rather than just following the numbers.

[@adrianwrathall1242]

Brilliant stuff dude and love the thoughtful insightfulness you bring to this. Some really practical and pragmatic examples of how experienced lifters can improve their game.

[@nnn039]

Fitness and Jeremy are just synonyms , he is the best and always stays relevant. Greatful to you always

[@pm2342]

Some of the best content on YT, love your channel!

[@tracyC7414]

Have used sooooo much of yr information w/many exercises! Thanks for sharing yr knowledge Jeremy!

[@lillui305]

Your knowledge has changed my life 💪🏽 thank you Jeremy

[@benporter9363]

Really inspiring as usual. Thanks Jeremy

[@BonytoBeastly]

Awesome bulk, man! You killed it. Looking great :)

[@TungPhaoDungFitnessStyle]

thank you for this amazing work out!

[@BetterEveryDay947]

Jeremy i thank you. Finding your channel was gem for me especially when i was a beginner. ❤

[@Walking_Wild]

Quality content as always.

[@immersivemods9975]

this is like the 10th video ive had recommended to me by you and honestly most of them ive enjoyed watchin especially because im someone who doesnt like reading alot nor goin to public spaces so its nice to have this information through your channel so i can try and maintain gains through home workouts and whatever weight i can get for rn.

[@waynerichardson1051]

Excellent information mate!! Cheers

[@michaelfairbairn4283]

I love your channel, Jeremy. Aside from the science-based techniques, I'm inspired and encouraged by the fact that like me, you didn't have the advantage of a large skeletal frame, and yet you were able to build a big, impressive body.

[@babyt663]

gains and videos leveled up crazy bro

[@hicoteo]

Fantastic video! I've always trained full body 3x/week and take the last set to failure. However, now that I'm 58 I can only do that for three weeks and I'm burned out. Sometimes I need to take a week or more off to recover. But, thanks to this recovery time I get more gains then some younger guys. The stretch technique has definitely helped. I'm going to tweak my workout by reducing weight and focus on quality and stretch in the following weeks. Thanks Jeremy. 👍

[@ryz177]

Another great content here! Thanks for all these Jeremy!

[@Ethosan]

Incredible discipline and S+ grafic and infomaterial!

[@rojoratatatata4002]

Youre a legend bro, you have a really nice aura and you dont curse left and right for no reason, youre an inspiration!

[@nachomiranda589]

Excelent video Jeremy. I also feel stuck with my growth at the moment so i'm going to implement these tips. Some i'm already doing. Hardest part for me is the surplus diet and letting go of the weights i've been able to get to but i'm going to try.

[@rojoratatatata4002]

Hats off to your muscle growth, you made a huge transformation!

[@justaspaskevicius7897]

As always, top quality video. Love the science literature behind all statements!

[@YoelGenin]

Great video! It's nice to hear about your personal experience, and your flexible way of thinking that can change with more knowledge and knowing yourself.

[@gisellefick7564]

Cant wait to watch this video. So glad you shared your journey. Thank you for all the great content you always share with us. I've learned so much from you and your team! Also love the humor you guys add to your videos.

[@JatSingh143]

Thank you for this video ❤

[@victorcarrascoalvarez3746]

Brilliant stuff, thank you ❤

[@TopFindsReviews]

Love it! this is aweomse

[@mikeskylark1594]

Excellent video

[@HVNY723]

Thank you for your good, honest tips, great job on the bulk!

[@wawansimanggalung]

Thanks a lot man! Very cool! I will apply all these tips and come back later in 2 weeks for checkpoint!

[@anasbendahou7722]

thanks this video is like a subtitle of all your twiks and techniques in all your videos to get faster results

[@HB-ot9fd]

Very informative material. Thank you so much!

[@petier184]

bro that's a solid progress 🔥

[@danielnilsson9976]

Awesome video man as usual. And also ur looking HUGE Jeremy!!

[@tericalynn5134]

New subscriber. Loving your advice. Thank you for promoting self-improvement in a healthy way.

[@tatleman5314]

I am not sure who does the editing, but the editing skills are off the charts!

[@awildavazquez1601]

What a great video!! Thanks for sharing!!

[@robbiusdobbiusasmr5263]

Great video! Thank you!

[@Tee_youyou]

Love your videos! Keep it up mate 🫶🏽

[@enonh82]

This is probably the most informative and most comprehensive exercise channel I’ve come across.

[@Alley00Cat]

I 100% agree and kind of figured this out by trial and error. I’ve noticed significant bicep growth when incorporating preacher curls. I’ve also lightened the squat weight so I can go deeper, same results. It should be noted that max load under stretch can be dangerous, so folks should choose the overload wisely. Your growth is really apparent, congrats.

[@FitnessMadeEasy_]

Try chin ups too for bicep growth. It’s a great compound exercise

[@harrydennis6854]

Looking bigger bro! Nice work

[@Drfrancis6687]

Thanks your videos have been really beneficial in my fitness journey

[@Joe258976431]

loved the video thank you

[@Sandy-sama]

Thanks! All the best.

[@bullrules33]

Watching your videos I’m starting back up after years. In my late 20s I was overweight I weighed 355 in 18 months I lost 130 pounds and got body down to 10%. After a bad injury and starting getting gout for 10 years, doctors had me in steroids for treatment. It made me gain so much. New treatment over the last years and taking me off the other medication. I finally got gout under control. So now I weighed and I’m depressed, but it’s time to get back where I was. I’m 45 and I’m ready. I remember at my height I was working out 3 hours a day for 6 days a week. I have a different job these days that I work 12 hours per day four days per week. I’ll be needing all the advice I can. Thanks for the videos

[@i2421]

Awesome Fitness Channel!

[@tomsport6467]

Great video, great content, no BS, very good information/time ratio. I subscribe

[@mohammadayman28]

Jeremy you are truly the best.

[@andrewmoseley4029]

Great video!

[@colinharris9494]

This a great video honestly

[@kiidoddity9825]

Your arm progress is crazy!!!

[@Goldeninfohd]

From your tips we learn ........ Good job

[@Kaasoflee13]

Bro you are amazing. Your videos are top notch with the visualisations. The explanation is cool, easy to follow. And your knowledge is always based on scientific research and not on bro science. Thanks for the video's!

[@nghiale7385]

thanks for the video, that was very helpful.

[@alicesitar2960]

So interesting - thanks!

[@nygiantschamps9340]

On the verge of saying Jeremy ur the best in the business man..incredible content

[@maievshinoda9442]

The best sport science channel . Just straight FACTS 👍 8 months since i subs to your channel, really change my perception to how to train properly. 68 kg now from 51kg on 176cm . Big thanks Jeremy 👍

[@AD-jc9sj]

What a fantastic video! Pushing to failure is the same as me, I needed ti hear this. Thank you

[@the_fitness_doc]

High quality science and research ❤

[@TH-ln9sx]

Thank you for that really good video. Been weight training about 12 years and watched a lot of training content. This was really top stuff. Love when the studies are included as well. Just got a sub out of me.

[@areo389]

Thank you! 💪🏻

[@kateslabije]

Thank you🎉

[@itsgoingdown4real883]

Good video man

[@427SuperSnake1]

I have been noting this as well! And I am noticing better pump and gains so far.

[@Cellardoor_]

Very informative thank you! It's so hard to get good info when there's too much conflicting info online.

[@Alley00Cat]

Mindset is so key!! You look forward to that pain with the right mindset. Just like when you cut, you actually feel good going to bed a bit hungry, that means you’re on track.

[@127ante]

greta video! thanks.

[@mrfeelgood992]

You look much better mate. Your face has filled out nicely. Congrats and keep it up!

[@tuleofitness5378]

thank you, Jeremy !

[@pumppuhaulikkomies]

Whoever is doing the editing of these videos, is a mastermind. Really solid effects, cuts, colour grading, etc etc... 10 points.

[@DANNYDEKO]

Agree on the visual part of the editing, but my god what a sound effect overload..

[@100KGNatty]

To summarize, Jeremy buffed up by: - Becoming strong in weak positions - Training with intensity - Taking more rest(growth) days - Eating bigger to get bigger And staying consistent over a very long period of time making small improvements every single day.

[@pavamanabhyudhay9481]

hi, I need to clarify this. Lets say I work my chest and every muscle group 2 times a week and every time I do 6 VARIATIONS with 3 sets each. So thats 18 sets for Chest. Am I doing any junk volume cuz i can do all 6 effectively going to failure.

[@100KGNatty]

@@pavamanabhyudhay9481 Bruh you're gonna get hurt and not gonna be able to recover from such a workload if you do 36 weekly sets to failure for one muscle group.

[@koffisverygoodforhealth]

jeremys built with science programs are the best i learned so much when i bought it worth it 100%

[@eminemboyzzz]

Solid advices. Cheers👍

[@EnzordG]

BEST CHANNEL OUT THERE. NICE GAINZZZZ