7 Tips to Build Muscle FAST (For Beginners)

When it comes to building larger muscles, many people immediately think of lifting heavy weights. While this is true to an extent, research shows that you don’t always need to push massive amounts of weight to see muscle growth, especially if you're untrained.

Your nervous system plays a crucial role in triggering hypertrophy (muscle growth) by connecting with your muscles. Understanding this connection allows you to use a range of weights, from moderate to heavy, and still see significant strength and size gains.

If your goal is muscle hypertrophy or strength, understanding how the nervous system impacts your workouts will help you optimize your training and achieve the results you're looking for.

How the Nervous System Controls Muscle Growth

Muscle growth isn’t just about what’s happening within the muscles. It’s about how your nervous system communicates with those muscles.

When you lift weights within a range of 30% to 80% of your one-rep max, your nervous system stimulates the muscles to contract, leading to hypertrophy and strength increases over time.

The key to maximizing these benefits is reaching near failure with your lifts — where you can no longer perform another rep with good form.

For instance, incorporating tools like the DMoose Arm Blaster allows you to isolate your biceps during curls, ensuring your nervous system fully engages the muscle for maximum contraction and growth.

This is especially helpful when you're lifting in moderate weight ranges but still want to feel that intense muscle burn that leads to growth.

The Right Weight Range for Muscle Growth

You might hear conflicting advice about how heavy you should lift to grow muscle. Some say you need to lift 80-90% of your one-rep max, while others suggest cycling through different weights over time.

What’s clear from the research is that lifting weights within 30-80% of your one-rep max can stimulate significant hypertrophy and strength gains, as long as you work close to failure.

Whether you're using bodyweight exercises, resistance bands, or weights, staying in this range allows you to build muscle effectively.

Tools like the DMoose Wrist Roller can be incredibly beneficial here for strengthening forearms and improving your grip, which is crucial for progressing in lifts like deadlifts and rows.

Understanding Repetition Maximums for Muscle Growth

When it comes to building muscle and strength, understanding repetition maximums (RMs) is essential. Your RM refers to the maximum amount of weight you can lift for a given number of repetitions with proper form.

The most commonly referred to RM is the one-rep max (1RM) — the heaviest weight you can lift for just one rep.

Research shows that significant hypertrophy (muscle growth) occurs when lifting weights in the range of 30% to 80% of your 1RM, meaning you don’t need to always lift at your maximum capacity to see results.

Instead, working within this range, while pushing to near failure, helps stimulate muscle growth by engaging the nervous system.

How Many Sets Are Enough?

The number of sets you perform per muscle group per week plays a major role in muscle growth. If you’re just getting started with resistance training, aim for about 5 sets per muscle group per week, at a minimum.

This is enough to maintain muscle size, but for growth, you'll need to work up to 10-20 sets per week as you progress.

For beginners and even experienced lifters, supporting your lifts with the right gear is essential for avoiding injury and maximizing results.

Products like the DMoose 5mm Weightlifting Belt help stabilize your core during heavy lifts like squats and deadlifts, ensuring your muscles are the focus, not your lower back.

The Importance of Near Failure

Training near failure is crucial for both untrained and experienced lifters. For beginners, this might mean performing more reps with lighter weights, while for seasoned lifters, heavier weights may require fewer reps.

The key is to push your muscles to the point where you can’t perform another rep with good form.

If you’re incorporating bodyweight exercises, such as pull-ups or dips, adding resistance with a DMoose Dip Belt with Chain can help you reach that near-failure point. The added weight increases the intensity of the exercise, helping you stimulate more muscle fibers for growth.

Enhancing Muscle Contractions

In between sets, one effective technique to enhance muscle growth is contracting your muscles without weight, often called "flexing" between sets.

While this might seem trivial, research shows that these contractions can improve muscle tension and the nervous system’s ability to activate muscle fibers.

For example, using the DMoose Ab Roller can activate your core muscles in between sets, keeping those muscles engaged throughout your workout. It’s not just about the work you do with weights but how you stimulate your muscles even when you’re not actively lifting.

The Role of Recovery Time

Rest time between sets is just as important as the exercises themselves. For hypertrophy, anywhere between 2 to 5 minutes of rest can help your muscles recover enough to perform more sets effectively. This rest period allows your nervous system to reset and engage fully for the next round of exercises.

During this recovery period, it’s essential to maintain focus and prepare for the next set. The DMoose Lifting Straps can support your grip during these heavier lifts, reducing the chances of fatigue and enabling you to maintain form across all sets.

Conclusion

Building muscle isn’t just about lifting the heaviest weights possible. It’s about creating a strong connection between your nervous system and your muscles, using a variety of weight ranges, and training near failure to stimulate hypertrophy.

Keep experimenting with your training, focus on nervous system engagement, and use the right equipment to enhance your performance in the gym.

Whether you're a beginner or an experienced lifter, incorporating tools like the DMoose Arm Blaster, DMoose Weightlifting Belt, and DMoose Lifting Straps can help support your progress and protect you from injury.