4 Essential Exercise Tips to Build Muscle Fast

Want to build more muscle? If so, you'll need to exercise. Regular exercise will break down your muscle tissue -- in a good way -- that causes your body to rebuild it with more tissue. Unfortunately, far too few people get the recommended amount of exercise. According to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), only about 5% of all U.S. adults exercise for at least 30 minutes a day. You can build muscle fast, however, by following these exercise tips.

#1) Focus on Resistance Exercises

You'll experience greater results with your muscle-building efforts by focusing your exercise regimen on resistance training workouts. What is resistance training, and why does it matter? Resistance training refers to any workout that places force, or resistance, on your muscles. This force can come from your body's own weight, or it can come from an external source, such as a dumbbell or barbell. Resistance workouts promote bigger muscles by engaging the muscle tissue with force. The end result is bigger muscles while spending less time at the gym.

#2) Reduce Cardio Exercise

While you should focus your exercise regimen on resistance workouts to build muscle fast, it's also important that you limit the amount of cardio exercises you perform. Also known as aerobic exercise, cardio exercise is great for burning calories and fat. It speeds up your heart rate and respiratory rate while subsequently burning calories and body fat in the process. The problem with cardio, however, is that it can also burn muscle tissue. If you spend too much time doing cardio, you may struggle to build bigger muscles.

#3) Isolate Muscles When Exercising

When exercising, it's important that you isolate your muscles. This means that you should target a specific muscle or muscle group when lifting weights or performing other resistance training workouts. Rather than allowing your entire body to "move," isolate the muscle or muscle group needed to perform the exercise. You'll experience greater results by isolating your muscles when exercising.

#4) Rest Every Other Day

It's also important that you allow your body to rest when exercising. Contrary to popular belief, visiting the gym to lift weights every day of the week isn't going to help you build muscle mass. It can actually hinder your efforts by preventing your body from repairing the damaged muscle tissue. This is why it's a good idea to rest every other day. If you exercise on Monday, wait until Wednesday before hitting the gym again.