Do you want to build more muscle in a short time? 12 professional strength coaches reveal their secret growth strategies to make your plan a success
Do you like reading fitness books? How many do you have on your shelf? Don’t worry – we don’t want to make you feel guilty. And nothing against books: Of course you benefit from reading up on expert knowledge and implementing it in your training. But that takes time, which not everyone has. The shortcut is: study Men’s Health. To save you a lot of research, we mercilessly bombarded 12 of the best fitness coaches in Germany with questions about their respective areas of expertise.
1. Increase strength levels to accelerate muscle growth
The strength expert: Andreas Pürzel is a natural bodybuilder and fitness trainer in Vienna. The powerful Austrian can lift a maximum of 240 kilograms when doing squats.
“Strength gains correlate with muscle growth. Together they form the decisive factor for performance and health. In addition, increases in strength are easy to measure, so you can document your progress. As a health-oriented fitness athlete, you should achieve a certain level of strength in the most important movement patterns – the so-called basic human movements. This trains all joints, creates a coordination basis for later, and builds muscle mass holistically. The goals are logically based on body weight. For example, you should aim for any form of squat with 1.5 times your body weight.”
2. High-intensity strength training instead of endurance training
The strength expert: Nico Airone is our men’s health coach, but also a personal trainer. The Hamburg native keeps his body fat below 8 percent all year round.
“You go running all the time , but you still can’t see a six-pack ? Because you go running all the time. The misconception that aerobic training leads to a washboard abs is still widespread. With high-intensity strength training , you burn your body fat more efficiently than with cardio sessions, and you also gain muscle instead of risking it. But you like putting one foot in front of the other? Do that, but quickly – in short sprint sessions, like 8 x 100 meters.”
3. Heavy squats for muscle growth in the thighs
The strength expert: Moritz Tellmann , strength coach and doctor from Düsseldorf with 60-centimeter thighs.
“How do you finally make your thighs grow ? If you can move it properly, then increase your training weight regularly and put strain on your quadriceps with sets of just one repetition – but then with maximum weight. The fact is: heavy squats make your thighs plump. The barbell version releases the most growth-stimulating hormones. Tip: go for a walk to recover – this way you flood your thighs with oxygen, nutrients and electrolytes . This optimizes your metabolism and the transport of all building materials to your muscles. Capillarization increases, making the next workout easier. Legs need movement. It’s in their nature.”
4. How to ensure maximum pumping in the breast
The strength expert: Edem Galley, better known as Coach Eddy , is a personal trainer and passionate YouTuber with more than 130,000 subscribers.
“For a monstrous chest pump, I recommend eating and drinking properly 2 to 3 hours before training. With minimal water and nutrient intake, the pump is minimal. My favorites: beetroot, tuna and some rice. 30 minutes before training, take 6 to 8 grams of citrulline or 4 grams of arginine for extra power during the workout. After a 5-minute warm-up, you devote yourself to the bench press . First work through 3 sets of 12, 10 and 8 repetitions and save another set for my specialty: 3 half and one full repetition. To do this, simply load up with half your maximum weight and press the bar 3 times from your chest to half the range of motion, slowly and in a controlled manner. Only then do a full repetition. Important: only count the whole ones! My record is 70 kilos, by the way, 9 repetitions. Every chest exercise that comes after that drives the King Kong pump further. Mandatory: Cable crossing from bottom to top and vice versa (2 sets of 12 repetitions each, bring them together, hold the tension for 2 seconds each). Also do 3 sets of 10 repetitions on the chest press with a deep seat. The focus is on the upper chest and lets you dream of a V-neck.”
5. Maximum recovery for rapid muscle growth
The strength expert: Boris Kurowski is a coach at the Men’s Health Camp and is also 100% fit in everyday life.
“How do you get maximum recovery? Only sleep and rest will help, depending on the volume and intensity of your training . High-volume workouts – that is, many sets and multiple exercises per muscle group – will make you a late riser. Try to sleep at least 8 hours after such training days. Training with heavy weights or with tough intensity techniques requires more intensive sleep, which means longer deep sleep phases. After such a workout, also take a power nap of up to 20 minutes. The Brain Wave app from Banzai Labs (for iOS, around 5 euros) is useful for this. The program uses audio frequencies and calming music to quickly get you into the deep sleep phase. Enjoy your rest!”
6. Bodyweight exercise for a broad back
The strength expert: Dennis Ratano is the German calisthenics expert. Very impressive: his huge lats.
” The best exercise for a broad back ? Front lever raises. This is how they work:
- Hang from the pull-up bar with both hands shoulder-width apart . Both thumbs pointing towards each other. Look forward.
- Tighten your core and bring your body into a horizontal position. The whole body forms a straight line, the arms remain stretched. Back to A.”
7. Avoid stiff muscles by stretching daily
The strength expert: Patrick Funk , athletic coach and Men’s Health Training Star 2016, knows exactly how important flexibility is for any sport.
“With the standing hip stretch, you declare war on stiff and stuck muscles. All you need is a box or a table. The stretch is both simple and ingenious because it opens up all the muscles around the hips and the large gluteus muscle. You switch off the latter almost completely when sitting, which means it quickly sticks together. You can check the correct height of the box by placing your knees on it. Is this possible without any problems? Then everything is right. If you can’t manage it, put your standing leg on a raised surface. Or you can grab a smaller box. Another tip: look for the so-called hotspots, i.e. points or positions in which you feel the stretch particularly strongly. Vary your position to gradually work through all parts of the hip muscles. Found a hotspot? Stay there for 20 to 30 seconds. The more often you do this stretch, the easier the exercise will be for you.”
Standing hip stretch
- Stand in front of a box or a table.
- Place your right knee on the raised surface so that your lower leg is almost horizontal. Apply light pressure to your right knee. Hold for 3 to 4 minutes and gradually increase the pressure. Switch sides.
8. These 5 supplements accelerate muscle building
The strength expert: Daniel Knebel brings hormones and muscles into balance; central factor: supplements
“1. Creatine monohydrate for building muscle and strength. Creatine increases the availability of phosphocreatine in the muscles. The muscles then have more energy, tire more slowly and recover more quickly during and after exercise. Dosage: 5 grams every day; alternatively, load for 5 to 7 days with 20 grams per day, then 5 grams daily. Important: take a 1-week break after 3 to 4 weeks.
2. BCAAs – branched chain amino acids that reduce muscle soreness and increase testosterone . Recommended dosage: 0.44 grams per kilogram of body weight per day; for maximum mass, take 15 grams after each workout and then a further 15 grams 4 times (every hour).
3. Citrulline Malate — amino acid component for more ATP (adenosine triphosphate) and less muscle soreness; the recommended dose: 4 to 8 grams 60 minutes before training.
4. Whey protein — for quick recovery and muscle building. Whey protein is more effective than casein; 30 to 40 grams after training.
5. Glutamine – for maximum regeneration and an intact intestinal wall. Dosage: mix 10 grams with whey after each workout.”
9. The ideal unit for fat burning
The strength expert: Mario Schafzahl ideally embodies the ripped look and also passes it on as a coach.
“Lots of leg work, supersets and reduction sets as well as extremely short breaks. And keep the training time under 60 minutes. Here I have my most effective fat burner workout ever for you. Do it with focus – like a mission!”
| Superset 1 | sentences | Repetitions | Break |
| Squats with barbell | 4* | 20/15/12/10 | without |
| Jump squats with your own body weight | 4 | 15/15/15/15 | 90 seconds |
Superset 2
| Deadlift with barbell | 3* | 15/12/10 | H |
| Step-ups with your own body weight | 3 | 12/12/12 | 90 seconds |
Circle
| Crunches with sling trainer | 2 | 20/20 | without |
| Walking lunges with light additional weight | 2 | 12/12 | without |
| Folding knife with own body weight | 2 | 10/10 | without |
| Deadlift with straight legs | 2 | 20/20 | 90 seconds |
Are you exhausted after that? Then get on the treadmill for another 15 minutes – go uphill at a 15 percent incline and 4 to 6 kilometers per hour. The harder interval alternative: 30 seconds sprint and 30 seconds recovery each, for 10 minutes.
10. The perfect meal before training
The strength expert: Philipp Rauscher has been sharing his expertise in sports nutrition for more than 10 years.
“Before your workout, eat something that is as easy to digest as possible and stays in your stomach for a short time. Also, reduce the amount of energy and the volume of your meals the closer you get to the start of your workout. The latest time for your last full meal is 4 hours before your workout. Then it’s best to eat lean meat or low-fat steamed fish with a small amount of sweet potatoes and a few steamed vegetables. Before exercising, avoid large amounts of fat and fiber in particular so that the food doesn’t stay in your stomach for too long. The perfect snack right before a workout includes half a banana and 2 soft-boiled eggs.”
11. How to stay injury-free in the long term
The strength expert: Johannes Kwella is best described by his motto: buff, strong, barefoot.
“The movement pattern is the foundation of your training career. First, practice the movement itself until you get it down. Also important: consistency. Repeat the movement over and over until you no longer have to think about it because it has become second nature. Only then is it about intensity. As soon as you can do the movement pattern in your sleep, you can play with the big boys.”
12. Get big arms with Comerford curls
The strength expert: Wolfgang Unsöld has coached professionals from more than 20 sports. His arm circumference: 51 centimeters.
“The underrated biceps exercise ? The Comerford curls, named after bodybuilding legend Vince Comerford. With the elbow position behind the body and the hand position turned outwards, this variation stimulates most of the fibers of the long biceps head. The latter is too weak in relation to the short head due to our everyday mechanics. The long head also plays a role in jumps and sprints in order to bend the shoulders upwards. It is therefore worthwhile to specifically strengthen this weaker link. Incidentally, Comerford curls also have a positive effect on your posture because a dominant short biceps head causes the shoulder to rotate inwards. The result of this imbalance is a hunchback or a hunchback. This exercise offers other advantages: it opens the chest and stretches the pectoral muscles.”
Comerford Curls – tips for fast muscle building
- Sit on an incline bench with a dumbbell in each hand, palms facing out to the sides, holding both weights with your arms straight.
- Bend your arms until the weights are next to your shoulders. Slowly lower the dumbbells.
As you can see, the answers from the professionals result in an absolute firework display of specialist knowledge about strength training and sports nutrition. With our strength-increasing strategies, you are guaranteed to reach your next training level.