If you’re in a crazy rush or want to be efficient, can you get in a ridiculously quick workout with weights, and build the same amount of muscle as someone who’s taking their time? Can you build MORE muscle with a fast workout than someone training normally? Yes! I’m going to show you how you can build muscle fast at the gym with 4 unique training methods. I’m also going to show you HOW, with 3 of the 4 muscle building techniques (e.g. rest pause method), “rushing” through your workout might even help you build more muscle.
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Method 1 of the muscle building techniques- the 3/7 method. 1 round of the 3/7 method seems to be the equivalent to 4 sets of traditional training. Normally do 4 sets or less in an exercise? You can substitute that for 1 round of the 3/7 method. Let’s say with bench press you typically do 3 sets of 135 lbs for 10 reps. With the 3/7 method, using that weight, you would perform 3 reps, rest for 15 seconds, perform 4 reps, rest for 15 seconds, perform 5 reps, rest for 15 seconds, perform 6 reps, rest for 15 seconds, and then finally perform 7 reps. Excluding a proper warm up, if you perform each rep with a controlled 2 second eccentric and 1 second concentric, and take exactly 2 minutes rest between each set and exercise, you could expect this workout to take just under 45 minutes.
Example workout:
Bench Press 3 sets of 10 reps
Shoulder Press 3 sets of 10 reps
Triceps Push Down 3 sets of 10 reps
Barbell Row 3 sets of 10 reps
Lat Pulldown 3 sets of 10 reps
Biceps Curl 3 sets of 10 reps
With 1 round of the 3/7 method applied to each of these exercises, you’ll reduce the workout to just under 24 minutes!
Method 2 – rest-pause sets. With the rest pause method, let's say that your goal was to perform 3×10 bicep. What you could do instead is set a goal of 30 reps total ideally using the same weight. Do as many reps as you can on your first set. Then, instead of resting 1-2 minutes, rest for only 20-30 seconds and go again trying to do as many reps as possible. You simply repeat this process until all 30 repetitions are completed. Applying rest pause sets to every exercise in the sample workout can reduce the time taken down to 19 minutes!
Method 3 for a quick workout with weights – drop sets. With drop sets, you’d perform the first set the exact same way as you normally would. But after completing it, instead of resting, you decrease the weight by 10-20% and perform another set very close or all the way to failure. After that set, you decrease the weight again by 10-20% and do this once again. You repeat this process for a minimum of the number of sets that you would normally do. While still performing the same exercises you could take a workout that originally took 45 minutes and reduce it to around 19 minutes!
The last method that’ll help you build muscle fast at the gym – supersets. Supersets training opposing muscle groups, such as chest and back, is the way to go. Now, it does take a little bit of time to switch exercises, but for the best results research indicates you want to do this as fast as possible, in at least under 30 seconds. If you apply supersets to the example workout shown earlier by using opposing muscle groups and movement patterns like, then while still performing the same exercises, sets, and reps, you can cut your workout duration down to just over half at 25 minutes.
Play around with these 4 methods and see how you like them. Just be wary of their inclusion on big compound exercises where form breakdown can pose risks especially when you’re training to failure. But overall hopefully you were able to see that if you’re in a rush or just want to maximize your efficiency, then there are still many options available that’ll help you build muscle even with a fast workout. Just keep in mind that in order for these methods and your overall training to be effective, you need to pay attention to the little details as that’s what makes all the difference.
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I’ve got my skinny twin brother working overtime on these thumbnails lately. Hope you enjoyed this one!! NOTE: I want to again emphasize to be cautious of implementing some of these methods on heavy, compound movements (e.g. squats, deadlifts) where form breakdown creates a higher risk for potential injury. These methods are best used for movements where stability is less of a concern and/or when you have a spotter. Additional caveats: The extend to which you implement these methods depends on your goals, true time availability, and exercise selection. If you want to maximize growth, would I use these methods to replace all of my workouts? No, unless I truly was pressed for time – but I would (and do) intersperse these as part of my overall program to create a new stimulus for growth. Would I use these methods if I wanted to maximize strength overtime? No, because it doesn’t lend itself well to progressive overload and accurate tracking. Would I use these methods if I was deep into a cut and very fatigued and low on energy? Probably not, as it would create a lot of excessive fatigue. HOWEVER, if I wanted to simply continue making gains, possibly even augment them, and cut down my workout time considerably, then these are great ways to do so if used wisely!
I hope you will post an Arabic report, thank you
Hi Jeremy, for super sets what combination of muscle groups do you recommend, would be awesome if you could make some plan/ tutorial on this fir your members
@Saleem Abbas There is a video of him talking about it (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h1X0v34deyo)
Perfectly summed up everything I was going to comment!
@mhz maybe u could buy a dumbbell? Perhaps?
pls make a video about resistance bands
I have been subscribed to you for years. For some reason, this is first notification in 3-4 months from YouTube.
Happened to me at some point , actually I wasn’t getting any notifications at all
So if ir phone is android go to apps in the settings and clear data’s of YouTube in the settings
This will delete everything and restore the default YouTube app
Lmfao nothin like an intro like Jeremy rapidly pumpin through his workout
stfu
@Hellenic Navy Seals stfu
@Joe A. @Hellenic Navy Seals Stfu!
@MysticAnime stfu
The 3/7 method looks very interesting! I hadn’t thought of that before. I wonder if there are any negatives to it. I’d definitely recommend a spotter for things like bench and squats for safety reasons if you’re going to do 3/7. Increasing reps each set after short rest periods can be a little scary.
The rest-pause method is one I’m familiar with. There’s a modified version called “myo reps” that I like to do.
Supersets definitely save me time in my current workouts. I’ll have to incorporate 3/7 in my next training cycle!
3/7 method doesn’t fall in the same numbers of reps compare to traditional method of 3×10… 3/7 total reps is only 25
@ialciR in the example, traditional method uses 8 sets x 6 reps = 48 reps
the 3/7 method repeats one more time so it means 25 reps x2 = 50 reps
Idk if it’s best to do with compound exercises. I think it’s better to use this video for isolated exercises etc instead except maybe the supersets
I don’t like supersets because certain exercises like bench press just take so much out of you that going hard for an opposing exercise just seems counterintuitive. Also I’m doing a Push Pull Legs routine so I’d have to reconfigure my entire workouts so not trying to do that lol
@sadbravesfan That’s true. Depends on the program you’re on.
Dropsets and Supersets have been game changers for me. Can’t wait to try to implement the 3/7 method and rest pauses.
i always worry that i havent worked hard enough during short sessions even if i feel more depleated than longer ones. Psychological i guess.
What a username
@Lee Taylor eh with a short session I feel like I SHOULD add cardio because after the long ones I feel like I’ve been at the gym for too long lol
@Lee Taylor Because cardio isn’t strength training and strength training isn’t hypertrophy training. Not all workouts are built the same or for the same purpose.
0:48 3/7 Method
3:26 Rest Pause Method
5:44 Dropsets
7:58 Supersets
the 3/7 and Rest Pause are new for me and I’ll try them out. The one thing I find challenging with all 4 methods is tracking progressive overload (compared to traditional methods), especially with gyms closed (in Canada) I only have access to a few different weight increments.
@Jozo Kulis Same. Gonna start from tomorrow. Will also experiment with 3/7 method. Don’t like doing supersets. Too much strain on my central nervous system
@skyejacques welcome
My Uncle has been doing the rrest pause one for the past 7 weeks and it is helping him gain more biceps, chest , leg gains
I will also try it
Confused at 5:10. Words do not match graph for rest pause. Is it equal (words) or significantly different (graph)
i wanna know that too
@Renaissander Gonna try it anyway, because the idea sounds good.
@PowerToSpare this is the link to the study…seems the graphs are wrong in the video and the speaking part of it is right, as the study says the gains were pretty much the same…
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28617715/#:~:text=and%20Willardson%2C%20JM.-,Strength%20and%20muscular%20adaptations%20after%206%20weeks%20of%20rest%2Dpause,resistance%20training%20in%20trained%20subjects.&text=In%20muscle%20hypertrophy%2C%20the%20rest,set%3A%201%20%C2%B1%207%25).
@Renaissander Thank you! Guess I could/should have taken the time to look it up. Haha. Seems the leg press showed the significant gains – in size, whereas the other exercises had similar results. That what you saw?
@PowerToSpare If it’s true it still gives less time which is better overall but I never tried this
I just got a full-time summer internship. Between that and being a parent my available time to work out is really being squeezed. This is exactly what I needed! Thank you!
I’ve been doing a single set to absolute failure (except on squats and deadlifts, where it’s pretty much max effort mechanical failure) with a drop set. It’s a sort of Mike Mentzer/John Heart approach.
It’s been good for increasing strength and some size. I’m north of 50 and only supplement with creatine.
you can also do a multi rep pause set from sean nalewanyji or whatever his last name is, the video title is build muscle with one set but he recommends it on exercises that is not a compound exercise
This is really interesting. I feel like incorporating these might make 3-day full body routines much more practical from a time standpoint.
tfw when you’ve been doing the second method the whole time without realizing it
Same
I watched this video at x2 speed and saved 5 minutes and 51 seconds
Nice
I find an ideal speed for Jeremy’s videos is 1.5x. He talks pretty slow so it’s a much more effective pace for me.
I watch all vids at 2x ey so much better
A man of culture I see
My workouts have become unsustainably long, I think I’m going to try and incorporate this into my isolation exercises (tri, bi, shoulders, quads, hamstrings, calves ect) while keeping my compound work traditional, see if I can cut a significant amount of time off my workouts. Thanks for the video.
I train half the time, just by skipping half the sets
you can save more time by skip the day LOL!!!
When I started working out, my two main mistakes were lack of sleep and not eating enough (not being in a caloric surplus). I always thought I was eating enough and was disappointed because my weight stagnated. Then I got my first diet plan created (I think it was from website called Dietarize). I realised that my previous food intake was way below my needs, although I thought I’m good. At the beginning it was hard to eat 3200 kcal in a day, but I got used to it. I started noticing real gains and it felt amazing. I wish I’d understood the importance of diet earlier.
lol i bet this is an ad
@Ice maybe but he’s not wrong. The same thing happened to me, you think you’re eating enough but when you track your calories you realize you’re in a caloric deficit rather than a surplus
@Lee yea even though its prob an ad, its true and same happened to me
@Lee yeah i never said he was wrong lol, but i mean if you got a scale at home its kinda easy to get a basic idea if you are getting enough macros or not
@Lee Same here. I made more gains in 3 months of caloric surplus than 1 year of deficit
This is a phenomenal video.
Many people love gym, but dont have time to workout as much as they would like. So they dont even try.
This is a very benefical video. Less time for more gainz ? Hell yeah.
This is fantastic for those still in “lockingdowns” as my home gym has a tv and I find a 90 min workout takes 180 (slacking) and when the gyms reopen here there is a 50 min booking blocks. My question is Jeremy, in regards to bench pressing how does the 3/7 method hold up to the study that showed a 3 min rest period had better muscle activation than 1 minute rest periods?