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The Fastest Way to Gain 20 lbs Of Muscle (Naturally)

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Rating: 4.0; Vote: 1

Try 2 weeks free of your personalized fitness program here: Gaining 20 pounds of muscle can completely transform your body whether you start out skinny, skinny-fat, or overweight. But very few people ever build that much muscle naturally, not because of age or muscle genetics, but because they make some early progress in muscle building, get stuck, and spend years doing more workouts, eating more protein, and buying more supplements without following the right plan for building muscle long enough for it to work. The process comes down to three things that matter most for building muscle as fast as possible naturally: training, nutrition, and recovery. With proper training and nutrition, building 20 pounds of muscle takes at least a year, and gains slow down significantly after that. But your fastest progress happens when you start lifting properly. Research on top pro drug-tested bodybuilders who have built well over 20 pounds of muscle naturally found that they averaged only about 12 sets per muscle per week, and some muscle groups were trained with as few as 6 sets weekly. That sounds low until you understand diminishing returns. Effort matters just as much for muscle building. Training closer to failure appears to create a stronger growth stimulus than stopping well short of it. At the same time, trying to combine very high volume with failure-level effort on every set creates too much fatigue to sustain well. So the real goal is not to maximize everything at once, but to choose a training style that lets you push hard, recover, and stay consistent. Two practical approaches come out of that to build muscle. One is a lower-volume, higher-intensity method with around 5 to 12 sets per muscle per week and most sets taken to failure. The other is a higher-volume, moderate-intensity method with around 12 to 20 sets per muscle per week while stopping 1 to 3 reps short of failure. Both can work, which means preference and sustainability matter. Once you get to roughly 10 or 11 sets for one muscle in a single workout, more may not add much. Splitting those sets across at least two days per week may speed up growth, which is why upper/lower, push/pull/legs, and full-body splits can all work well if they fit your schedule. Exercise selection matters too, especially because the best exercise for one person can be the wrong one for someone else. Beginners do best focusing on a small number of general movement patterns like presses, pulls, squats, and hip hinges. Intermediates usually hit a point where standard compound lifts no longer grow every muscle equally, which is where more individualized choices and specialized exercises become important. Advanced lifters usually know which movements work best for their body and simply double down on them, rotating only when needed. Nutrition starts with calories, because how much you should eat depends on both your body fat level and your training experience. If you are above roughly 20% body fat as a man or 30% as a woman, you may be in a good position to recomp by losing fat while gaining muscle. In that case, you probably do not need a surplus to make excellent progress, but the deficit should stay moderate, with a rough cap of around 0. 5% of bodyweight lost per week. Once you are leaner and muscle gain becomes the main goal, moving closer to maintenance or a surplus makes more sense. Calorie targets should also scale with training age, with bigger monthly weight-gain targets for beginners and smaller ones for advanced lifters. Protein matters, but less than most people think. A solid low-end target is around 1. 6 grams per kilogram of bodyweight, or 0. 7 grams per pound, but meaningful gains can still happen lower than that. One of the most overlooked nutrition factors for muscle building is what you eat before you train. Instead of obsessing over protein alone, it helps to have a meal with slow-digesting carbs and protein about 1. 5 to 2 hours before training, then some faster-digesting carbs closer to the workout so you can actually perform hard enough to drive growth. Creatine has a strong track record, is cost-effective, and can add a small but consistent boost to lean mass and gym performance, especially early on. But most of that lean mass increase is a one-time effect from increased water in the muscle, and some people, due to muscle genetics, may not respond much because their creatine stores are already naturally saturated. The bigger point is that supplements are optional. Recovery matters just as much, and sleep sits at the center of it. Better sleep supports growth hormone and testosterone production, improves recovery, and affects what you can achieve in the gym. Practical fixes for sleep quality include eye masks, ear plugs, cooler room temperatures, and short naps. 0: 00 - How Long It Takes 1: 25 - Training 7: 36 - Best Exercises 11: 03 - Diet Plan 15: 55 - Supplements 17: 18 - Sleep
Date: 2026-04-12

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Comments and reviews: 20

jeremy_ethier
I worked out for about 6 months, and I gained at most 1kg of lean mass. I worked out 2-3x per week, but never really took the sets to failure. I had a PT that gave me a billion exercises, which I didn't really like. A few months ago, I decided to get back to it. It was actually before I saw your video of the minimal workout, but I had the goal of least amount of time and exercises. I started with squat, bench press, shoulder press, pull up and row. I then added dead-lift (hate this exercise though, and the squats seem to hit my hamstrings more for some reason. I started eating a lot more. I trained 2-4 times per week. Each time I'd do 3 of the 6 exercises, rotating in order and exercises (push 1, legs 1, back 1; then legs 2, back 2, push 2; etc) In 3 months, I gained at least 3kg of lean mass. Each season would take from 25 to 45 minutes. 3 sets each exercise, from from 8 to 13 reps. When I got to 13, I'd increase the weight, always trying to be on 8 or more reps. Always going close to failure, if not failure each time.
Quite happy with the result, however, recently I've been very, very fatigued. I can't almost train. At most, 2 or 3 times per week, but generally, only 2 exercises. I really like to push close to failure, and that may be a reason. Not sure what else could cause it.
But yeah, just pick a few exercises, train hard, 2 or 3 times per week, eat well, sleep well, and you will see results!
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ShortFiatnow
The thing is, we never feel like we’re there. So can one ever find peace So we strive to get bigger. More muscle, more muscle. Stronger, bigger. Then what Until we are this big, that strong No. We can never see ourselves as complete. So we obsessively continue this journey, make videos, help others get there, get bigger, get stronger. Year after year, decade after decade. Then we die never having had peace, always striving anxiously on this journey to our destination. We stand before Christ and he asks us to make account of the time we were given. Did we strive daily to know him, love him and serve him Did we strive daily to keep his commandments and do the will of His father. Praying without ceasing Did we have time to pray without ceasing Or were we spending every year, every decade building and sculpting this bag of bones that came from dirt and that will return to dirt. He asks us to make account of this time and we already know before we are asked that we did not give to God that which is God’s. We served ourselves, loved ourselves, yet never found and enjoyed any peace along the way, always striving for an arbitrary end point that we can never see or appreciate.
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nickram321
Volume method vs Intensity method (pushed to failure; very hard to even do the last rep.
- No matter what, you have to be conscious of the sets that you do in one session. 5-12 sets is really good in a week, so splitting that into 2 sessions, or 3 sessions, is the sauce. The optimal split for you is personal. What matters is that you can be consistently working hard on this.
Since I'm more lean built, calorie surplus will help at the beginning. HOWEVER, scale my calorie surplus with my muscle gain and weight gain. I. e. tone down the surplus as I gain more weight and muscle.
Eating timing before working out is actually a helper. For example: 1. 5-2 hours before workout [slow-digesting carbs and protein like yogurt, oats, protein powder] and 30 min before workout [fast digesting carbs like rice cakes].
Quality sleep is important
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fpvdronetourscz
I dont know man. This video is awesome but there is something about going to failure, every, time.
I do full body 3 times a week and my TOP set is 8-10 reps with RIR 0-1 and two back off sets with RIR 1-2.
It looks good and makes sense but it is sooo challenging for the CNS that I can't workout like that any longer.
If I understood, you suggest go 3 times to failure in each exercise and be in the gym around an hour If I was 20 maybe.
As I progress and adding weight I reached the point where this method just drains me and Im ready to go home after 50-70% of workout and Im not physically and mentally able to continue.
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buelroberts3759
I gained 30 in prison in 4 years and had 8% body fat, never missed a day, had great motivation and great workout partners. Ate natural food every day and spent all my commisary on protein. Most of the time I did two a days, One body weight workout and one weighted workout. This foundation has carried me now to forty years old, through multiple injuries and months off at a time. Little more fat now(13%) but still at 180 at 5'10. Consistency over time is key along with training to failure.
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Monkey0nMars
18: 33 this is my biggest issue. I recently set up a full on gaming area but threw it into my room since there wasn’t a good spot for it. So now I got my lights on my pc, power cables like my Xbox One, 360, Wii, Ps2, the UPS backup, a couple of speakers, and the controllers charging stations. My sleep quality is so bad that I was thinking of buying a sleep mask to block out the light instead of trying to shut off the power to everything each night.
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devinlargeson
i just have a question. If I, a just turned 15 year old boy early-mid puberty tries to utilize the intensity method, would it bring downsides in the future such as growth stunting and issues with my joints I want to go to failure every set, but I'm worried going at it too hard for a consistent amount of time could affect me poorly. Please tell me this so I don't have to waste years of my prime gaining slowly for no reason!
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jeremy_ethier
So if they only needed 12 sets for chest. Does the extra sets make less muscle growth or does it just not add more muscle. I ask because i have been doing about 20 sets of chest per week split between two different sessions. But many days I just want to keep lifting, especially on chest and certain shoulder exercises. Can we just keep lifting if we like the lift and will this affect our overall muscle growth negatively
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ninjaspam2000
Can you do a video series on variable resistance Variable resistance vs traditional weight training. Variable resistance for strength. Variable resistance for hypertrophy. Does the x3 protocol actually get the gains they claim
Do gains get better if you stretch between sets
What is the average time it takes to get peak pump. And if you do your 2nd set during this time does it help growth potential
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TheProtagonist00
Ladies and gentlemen if there is any person any coach any trainer anybody that tells you that supplements are supposed to be part of your workout and training routine they're lying to you. Supplements are not supposed to be part of any workout or exercise regimen routine. Supplements are not vitamins they're chemicals. These chemicals cause kidney failure, liver failure liver damage, kidney damage.
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Peteristrate
For sleeping, the eye pad still doesn't block the light. There's a lot of light leakage from underneath you nose - unless you tighten it a lot, which is not good. Also, earplugs are not good since they block your ears from breathing causing a lot of internal sweat and moisture which is damaging over time.
Best is to just use proper curtains to block all light, and turn off all sounds in the house.
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Localguy808
When I was younger I cared about strength and physique probably got close to 10% bf in my 20s and could max. 335 at 150bw. Now in 40s, I look more toward longevity. Dial back the heavy sets and even accept being high bf is ok with age. I guess my priorities have changed to making this journey last vs getting injured. But I love the process and hope I can do this till my last day
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etsplace5972
YOU CANT get MORE and MORE GROWTH, from MoRe REPS, Because it is COMMON SENSE! So If I do A MILLION sets in day, I will grow TENS LBS of Muscle over Night Come ON, Use COMMON Sense and lOGIC People. You DONT need CHARTS and Labratories For this Answer.
3-5 Sets, from 8-12 Rep range. And YOU pick what range YOU want. WORTHLESS Video. 1000% WORTHLESS.
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disorient0871
3: 54 You don't need to build more volume, you need better quality sets taken close to if not all the way to failure, but because you are doing less volume, taken closer to absolute failure, you shouldn't burn out as much as you would doing a bunch of different exercises not taken anywhere close to failure just to save energy as David Laid believes
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rawsaucerobert
After returning to the office 5 days a week, it became too fatiguing for me to maintain 9 sets per muscle group all till failure twice a week.
I do 6 - 12 sets depending if I make it once or twice per week with a little less intensity - maybe 1 or 2 out of 3 sets to failure, and I'm still getting stronger and spend half the time in the gym
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shrisahu5221
Don't take me wrong but doing till failure will make me cost me super fatigue and as a student it will lead to mentally fatigue as well and then it's feel impossible to study for hours.
That's y I just do as scheduled.
That's makes me fatigue but not much and I also see visible changes when I do regularly
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jr20000-w
You will sleep quicker in the cold. But you will wake up more tired if its cold, you'd have more energy if it was warm in the morning. So id recommend setting your thermostat to go down when its bedtime and go up around 2 hours before you'd expect to wake up. A good night sleep with a good energised morning.
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x6leek_Calvin
To Forget the fundamental Principles that govern everything is what leads to information spirals which is an intrinsic component of human being to seek optimization and meaning.
All Sustained growth comes from intense and i don’t think working out is short of that, Same goes for physics and so on.
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moon_girl66
The sleep thing is true, when you’re on holiday and go to sleep in a hotel with extremely dark with the cool AC making it a chilled control room when you wake up in the morning, you feel like you’ve had the best night of sleep in your life that’s no coincidence
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codydewees5825
I ran cross country in high school. So I was really fit but no muscle. When I got to college, I started lifting and put on 15 pounds of muscle in my first semester. The combination of college gym equipment and college meal plan was awesome for getting buff
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