The Ultimate “Cheat Code” for Faster Muscle Growth (Science Says So)

A lot of training advice comes from what bodybuilders call bro science. There is no official definition of what bro science is, but if there were, I think it’d probably go something like this: “Bro, have you tried this workout method? The guy over there told me about it, and he’s huge, so it must be true!”

Simply put, bro science is largely based on anecdotal evidence; someone did it, felt like it worked, and then started telling other people about it.

I’ve been a personal trainer for 35 years, and while I’ve seen plenty of bro science in action, the biggest breakthroughs usually come when training lines up with actual research.

A lot of fitness experts are very quick to dismiss bro science because most of it hasn’t been studied. However, that doesn’t mean that what bodybuilders do to build muscle is wrong. After all, you only have to look at the results to see how effective bro-style training can be.

That said, some bro science “facts” have failed to stand up to scientific scrutiny—such as the concept of muscle shaping. Your genetics, tendon length, muscle belly length, and other unmodifiable factors determine the ultimate shape of your muscles.

So, while you can make your muscles bigger, you can’t make them longer, fuller, more peaked, or anything else beyond their natural structure.

This leads to the theme of this article: scientifically proven ways to build muscle faster. Think of these methods as the rules you need to follow to maximize your workouts.

Stop wasting your time and energy on unproductive training: make every exercise, rep, set, and workout count by applying these science-backed principles to your training!

The Science-Backed Training Rules You Need to Know

Building muscle is notoriously difficult. It requires long-term dedication, perspiration, energy, and effort. And even if you do everything right, it’s still a slow, laborious process. That’s why I HATE to see anyone training ineffectively. After all, building muscle is already hard, so why make it even harder?

So, avoid wasted time and effort with these research-backed strategies, methods, and tips. While you won’t build muscle overnight, they will help you make the fastest progress possible.

1. Do 12-20 Sets Per Muscle Group Per Week

Most lifters have no idea how many sets per body part they do in an average week. They just plod through their workouts, and the total volume depends on their current training schedule. However, research suggests that muscle growth happens quickest when you hit each muscle with 12-20 effective sets per week (1), not including warm-up sets.

Pro bodybuilders often exceed this 20-set “rule, but the evidence indicates that doing more sets only provides a minimal additional benefit. The juice of doing extra sets is seldom worth the added squeeze, and lifters doing more than 20 sets per week run the risk of overtraining and injury.

Summary: Train each muscle group with 12-20 sets per week.

2. Train Each Muscle Group Twice a Week

Most bodybuilders follow a split routine, dedicating entire training sessions to no more than a couple of muscle groups. There are lots (hundreds, probably) of split routines to choose from, but the classic bro split is one of the most popular.

Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday	Sunday
Chest	Back	Shoulders	Rest	Legs	Arms	Rest

However, this low training frequency is not the best way to optimize muscle growth. It also makes it harder to accumulate all the sets you need to grow, especially if you are aiming to hit 20 per week.

Studies indicate that lifters who train their muscles twice per week build more muscle than those to only hit each body part once (2). This provides the perfect balance between work and rest, which is critical for hypertrophy.

So, instead of the bro split, you’ll get better results from your training if you follow a program like this:

Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday	Sunday
Chest & Back	Legs	Shoulders and Arms	Chest & Back	Legs	Shoulders and Arms	Rest

Still aim to do 12-20 sets per week but spread them across two workouts to avoid overtraining while maximizing hypertrophy. You can also change your exercises from workout to workout, e.g., leg press one session and squats the next.

Summary: Train each muscle group twice a week on non-consecutive days to allow adequate time for rest and recovery.  

3. Take Your Sets Close to Failure

Bodybuilders often train in the 6-12 rep range. This is considered to be the ideal zone for building muscle. However, a growing body of research indicates that the number of reps performed is actually not all that important.

What really matters is how hard you train.

Exercise scientists have found that muscles grow best when they’re taken to within 1-3 reps of failure (3). It doesn’t matter if you do eight reps per set or twenty; so long as the last 1-3 reps are really, REALLY challenging, your muscles with respond, adapt, and grow.

That means that hard sets are the best way to build muscle. So, if you do the 12-20 recommended sets per week, that means 12-20 sets where you get close to failure. Sets that stop well before this point, e.g., leaving five or more reps in reserve, are not effective for building muscle.

Also, contrary to what you might think, training to complete failure or beyond, e.g., by using drop sets, forced reps, etc., does not produce better results, and leaving a couple of reps in the tank is the best way to optimize your progress.

Summary: Take your sets to 1-3 reps of failure. However, there is no real benefit to reaching complete failure or exceeding it.

4. Rest 2-3 minutes Between Sets

Most bodybuilding programs prescribe short rests between sets—usually 60-90 seconds. In contrast, powerlifting and maximal strength programs usually feature 3 to 5-minute breaks.

However, studies suggest that the ideal inter-set rest duration is 2-3 minutes (4). The reasons for this include:

• More complete recovery after taking your sets to failure.
• Allows for heavier loads, which increases muscle tension.
• Permits more reps to be performed.
• Less central nervous system fatigue.
• Cardiovascular fitness is less likely to affect exercise performance.

On the downside, longer rests mean that your bodybuilding workout will take longer to complete, which may be a drawback for time-pressed exercisers. The good news is that the same studies also suggest that shorter breaks are not complete deal breakers, and you can still build muscle with 60 to 90 second rests. However, longer rest periods are optimal for hypertrophy, especially for experienced lifters.

One way around this is what I call “lazy supersets.” This involves alternating between two opposing exercises at a relaxed pace to save time. For example:

• Bench press
• Rest 60-90 seconds
• Lat pulldowns
• Rest 60-90 seconds
• Repeat

This method still provides 2-3 minutes rest between sets of bench presses and pulldowns, but makes better use of your inter-set downtime.

Summary: Rest 2-3 minutes between sets instead of the more common 60-90 seconds so that you are more fully recovered and, thus, able to train harder.

5. Practice Progressive Overload

As I often tell my personal training clients, “You are only as fit and strong as your last workout.” If you want to make further progress, you must make your workouts gradually harder. This is called progressive overload and is the cornerstone of any effective hypertrophy program.

Progressive overload generally involves lifting more weight, doing more reps, or both. However, what matters most is that you make your workouts more stimulating. Studies suggest that the “how” of progressive overload doesn’t really matter, and adding weight or reps are both effective for building muscle (5).  

So, in addition to adding weight or reps, you can make your workouts more challenging by:

• Improving your technique.
• Reducing your tempo/rep speed.
• Adding mid-rep pauses.
• Choosing more demanding exercises.
• Reducing your rest between sets.

The bottom line is that you won’t build muscle if your workouts stay the same. You must keep challenging your muscles to grow with ever more demanding workouts.

Summary: Gradually increase the difficulty of your workouts by doing more reps, increasing the load, or making any other changes that make your chosen exercises harder.

6. Eat, Sleep, and Grow

What you do in the gym is only part of the muscle-building equation—you need to put back into your body what intense training takes out if you want to build muscle as fast as possible.

Food provides the energy you need to power through your workouts. That same food provides the building blocks your body needs for muscle repair and growth. As such, your diet is as important as your training program.

Studies suggest that most exercisers need to consume 300-500 calories above maintenance (6) and 1.6 to 2.2 grams of protein to build muscle (7). Too few calories or too little protein will severely undertime your muscle-building progress.

Too little sleep will also undermine your efforts to build muscle. Research indicates that not getting the recommended 7-9 hours of sleep per night will decrease anabolism (muscle building) while increasing catabolism (muscle breakdown) by disrupting hormone balance and reducing training energy and motivation (8).

So, while training matters, your diet and sleep habits are also critical for maximizing hypertrophy.

Summary: Consume sufficient protein and calories to fuel muscle growth and get enough sleep so your body has the time it needs for recovery and repair.

Closing Thoughts

Building muscle isn’t about chasing fads or copying the biggest guy in the gym—it’s about applying proven methods consistently over time. Use these science-backed rules as your training compass, and you’ll avoid wasted effort while maximizing results.

Now it’s up to you: put these strategies into practice and start building the physique you’ve always wanted.

References:

1 – Baz-Valle E, Balsalobre-Fernández C, Alix-Fages C, Santos-Concejero J. A Systematic Review of The Effects of Different Resistance Training Volumes on Muscle Hypertrophy. J Hum Kinet. 2022 Feb 10;81:199-210. doi: 10.2478/hukin-2022-0017. PMID: 35291645; PMCID: PMC8884877.

2 – Schoenfeld BJ, Ogborn D, Krieger JW. Effects of Resistance Training Frequency on Measures of Muscle Hypertrophy: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Sports Med. 2016 Nov;46(11):1689-1697. doi: 10.1007/s40279-016-0543-8. PMID: 27102172.

3 – Refalo MC, Helms ER, Trexler ET, Hamilton DL, Fyfe JJ. Influence of Resistance Training Proximity-to-Failure on Skeletal Muscle Hypertrophy: A Systematic Review with Meta-analysis. Sports Med. 2023 Mar;53(3):649-665. doi: 10.1007/s40279-022-01784-y. Epub 2022 Nov 5. PMID: 36334240; PMCID: PMC9935748.

4 – Schoenfeld BJ, Pope ZK, Benik FM, Hester GM, Sellers J, Nooner JL, Schnaiter JA, Bond-Williams KE, Carter AS, Ross CL, Just BL, Henselmans M, Krieger JW. Longer Interset Rest Periods Enhance Muscle Strength and Hypertrophy in Resistance-Trained Men. J Strength Cond Res. 2016 Jul;30(7):1805-12. doi: 10.1519/JSC.0000000000001272. PMID: 26605807.

5 – Chaves TS, Scarpelli MC, Bergamasco JGA, Silva DGD, Medalha Junior RA, Dias NF, Bittencourt D, Carello Filho PC, Angleri V, Nóbrega SR, Roberts MD, Ugrinowitsch C, Libardi CA. Effects of Resistance Training Overload Progression Protocols on Strength and Muscle Mass. Int J Sports Med. 2024 Jun;45(7):504-510. doi: 10.1055/a-2256-5857. Epub 2024 Jan 29. PMID: 38286426.

6 – Larson-Meyer DE, Krason RK, Meyer LM. Weight Gain Recommendations for Athletes and Military Personnel: a Critical Review of the Evidence. Curr Nutr Rep. 2022 Jun;11(2):225-239. doi: 10.1007/s13668-022-00395-3. Epub 2022 Mar 1. Erratum in: Curr Nutr Rep. 2022 Jun;11(2):240. doi: 10.1007/s13668-022-00419-y. PMID: 35233712.

7 – Stokes T, Hector AJ, Morton RW, McGlory C, Phillips SM. Recent Perspectives Regarding the Role of Dietary Protein for the Promotion of Muscle Hypertrophy with Resistance Exercise Training. Nutrients. 2018 Feb 7;10(2):180. doi: 10.3390/nu10020180. PMID: 29414855; PMCID: PMC5852756.

8 – Lamon S, Morabito A, Arentson-Lantz E, Knowles O, Vincent GE, Condo D, Alexander SE, Garnham A, Paddon-Jones D, Aisbett B. The effect of acute sleep deprivation on skeletal muscle protein synthesis and the hormonal environment. Physiol Rep. 2021 Jan;9(1):e14660. doi: 10.14814/phy2.14660. PMID: 33400856; PMCID: PMC7785053.

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