One of the most frequently asked questions in the world of bodybuilding is how to achieve better results faster when it comes to building muscle. The most common answer is that it takes time and patience, but there are some ways to build more muscle quickly, or at least faster.

Naturally, shortening the time between sets, adding more reps per set, and even adding more sets to your training can all contribute to your hypertrophy, but only up to a point. Overdoing it can be just as bad as skipping your workout, as your body needs to be able to recover sufficiently between workouts. Overtraining can lead to injury, exhaustion, demotivation, and even loss of muscle mass.

That’s where these techniques come in handy, since you only add them once or twice a week, and only on one or two of the exercises you’re doing that day. So let’s take a look at drop sets, super slow reps, and forced negatives, each of which can help you build muscle faster when added to your workouts with caution.

Single sets are a complement to the final set of an exercise. You have completed your 4 or 5 sets and when you finish the last set, with as little rest as possible, reduce the weight by 10-20% and do as many reps as you can. When you’re done, immediately remove another 20% of the weight and return to reps. Again, only do this for one or two exercises per workout.

Another tip for building more muscle faster is to slow down your reps, a lot. Aim for 2-3 seconds when you’re contracting the muscle and 4-6 seconds when you return to the starting point, with no pauses at the top or bottom of the exercise. Super slow sets keep you from using momentum to keep your target muscles working harder and allow you to fully focus on feeling each rep and the muscle you’re targeting. This greater mind-muscle connection and increased time under tension will go a long way in helping you build muscle, even if you have to use slightly lighter weights to maintain proper exercise form.

The third technique today is forced negatives. The downside of any exercise is halfway from the fully contracted muscle to the original starting point. In a curl, for example, it’s lowering the weight to full extension, while in a lateral pulldown it’s letting the bar or handle come back up to the top. Since it takes more weight to fatigue the negative than the positive, finish your last set and then increase the weight beyond your ability to lift it and focus strictly on the negative.

This is a more advanced method and you must be very careful to avoid injury. You’ll need a spotter or training partner to help you lift on exercises like bench presses or barbell curls, as the weight is 20% above your max, and then they can allow you to lower the weight slowly and under control on your own. they still need to see you bench press though.

This last method is also a great help if you are weight training at home and only have dumbbells to use. In the gym there is no problem as you get stronger on the dumbbell curls, you just move on to the next weight. But training at home usually means that you only have a limited number of dumbbells and soon there is no way to increase the weight. So, after you’ve used super slow sets, you can move on to forced negatives using one hand at a time for the negative, while using both hands to lift the weight.

Do your dumbbell curls to failure and when you can’t do another rep, use both hands to lift the weight and lower it as slowly as possible using only one arm. This technique can also be used with bent over rows, triceps extensions, etc., but don’t try it with squats, as there’s too much chance of injuring yourself, even with a spotter.

So use these techniques to build muscle faster with your workouts at home, or even at the gym. Stay on track and make sure your sleep and nutrition are also on point for best results. And be sure to post your results on social media, both to show you your progress over time and to inspire your followers!