Can You Gain Muscle Fast Without Using Drugs?

If you haven’t already, make sure you also read my article on How to Gain Muscle Fast.  The fact is that there are many sites and sources out there that claim to have the secret of how to gain muscle fast, but the truth is that more than not they are based on no evidence and simply untrue.  In my early days of weight training I read several books to try to learn the secrets including Arnold Schwartzenegger’s  Encyclopaedia of Bodybuilding, but despite following the exact routines to the rep, I was simply not making the gains that were suggested.  I wanted to gain muscle fast without drugs as was promised, so this confused me at the time and left me bewildered, as it was quite clearly stated in one section that he had never touched anabolic steroids (Dianabol was actually the most commonly used steroid by bodybuilders at that time).

Eventually, frustrated by the lack of results for the amount of effort I was putting in, and still wanting to gain muscle fast, I altered my routines and through trial and error I eventually found that I did start to see more gains than before although I still never got anywhere near close to the bodybuilders I was trying to emulate.  I was only after I completed my Postgraduate Masters in Sports And Exercise Medicine that I realised that biochemically it just wasn’t possible to gain muscle fast as you see in Bodybuilders without using anabolic drugs (there is so much more available than the simple steroid nowadays!).

Realising this and understanding the medical science behind why you can’t gain muscle fast without using drugs was actually refreshing as it allowed me to concentrate on achieving what was actually possible and thus I was far happier with the progress I had made over the years as I realised how impressive it actually was.

The fact is that drugs are a common part of the modern weightlifting world.  There was a  time when they would only be available in the locker rooms of old school ‘hardcore’ gyms, but over time they have spread and now they have infiltrated even the common family oriented commercial gym.  I see many people in my local gym who are so obviously on steroids, although they are still not open about it and strongly deny it when questioned.  People are becoming more and more comfortable using drugs to gain muscle fast but are still not willing to come clean as they wish to pass the results off as their own.

The truth of the matter is that there is only a set rate of muscle gain that the human body is capable of in its native state.  After the initial gain experienced after starting training, you would be doing really well to gain 2 lbs every few months.  Although this may sound like little if you add it up it comes to 24lbs/year!!! Magazines and websites claim to have routines that can achieve far more than this but in reality this is not possible unless you take substances that cause muscles to artificially grow at a much faster rate.  Look at olympic weightlifters for example.  They are the strongest people on the planet yet weigh far less than many of the people you will experience in your local gym.

If you see people making large gains at ridiculous rates don’t be fooled into thinking they know something you don’t, and certainly don’t listen to their tips on how to achieve the same, as it is likely to really be a result of performance enhancing drugs.  A valuable lesson in trusting people who say they are not on drugs should be learnt from the case of Lance Armstrong, enough said.

So the fact of the matter is that it simply isn’t possible to gain muscle fast (by that I mean really fast!) or get to the size of competition bodybuilders, without the use of drugs, but don’t be disheartened by this.  Instead realise that good gains are possible and far more rewarding when achieved through hard work and skill rather than taking drugs.

Now if you want to gain muscle fast, and strength to that matter, there are a number of things you should optimise and do to make sure you achieve your maximum potential and see the gains you are capable of.  There are several things you can do apart from taking drugs to make you gain muscle fast.  Read my next post on Things You Should Do To Gain Muscle Fast if you want to make sure you maximise your growth potential.