Summer is almost here, so it’s time to kick your muscle-building workouts into high gear. Call it vanity, but I personally am more comfortable in a T-shirt when my arms actually fill it out. Fortunately, this can be achieved if you have the right muscle-building strategy. (Watch Patrick Willis’s muscle-building workout.)

When you’re in a pinch, you need to focus on the small details of your workout to help you get swole in a hurry. Training volume, rest time and the exercises you perform become much more important. Follow these guidelines:

Muscle-Building Workout Guidelines

• Schedule your workouts in upper- and lower-body splits, meaning you focus on each area on separate days. This allows you to train each muscle more frequently in your weekly cycle without risking overtraining.
• Keep your rest intervals low. Your goal is to break muscle down and exhaust all muscle fibers. The amount of weight you lift doesn’t matter as much as a regular strength program.
• If you have weight-lifting experience, add extended sets (e.g., drop sets, split sets, paused reps, etc.) to your program.
• Superset grouped exercises (as in A1 & A2, B1 & B2, below). (Try these supersets.)
• Use the “three-on, one-off” schedule, meaning you work for three consecutive days, rest for one day and repeat.

Muscle-Building Workout Program

Day 1 – Upper Body

• A1) DB Low Incline Bench Press – 4×12
• A2) Wide-Grip Rows – 4×12
  • Rest 90 seconds between supersets
• B1) DB Neutral-Grip Floor Press – 4×12
• B2) Neutral-Grip Pull-Ups – 4×10
  • Rest 90 seconds between supersets
• C1) DB Bent-Over Rows – 4×12
• C2) Decline Fly – 4×12
  • Rest 90 seconds between supersets
• D) Face Pulls – 4×15
  • Rest 60 seconds between sets

Day 2 – Lower Body

• A1) Front Squat – 5×6-8
• A2) Vertical Jumps – 5×10
  • Rest 2 minutes between supersets (technically a contrast set)
• B1) Barbell Walking Lunge – 4×10 each leg
• B2) Leg Press – 4×10
  • Rest 2 minutes between supersets
• C1) Eccentric Glute-Ham Raise – 3×8 (lower for 4 counts)
• C2) DB Bulgarian Split-Squat – 3×10
  • Rest 90 seconds between supersets
• D) Breathing Squats — 1×20
  • Complete 20 Back Squats performed with your 10 to 12 rep max. Take as much time as you need between reps, but don’t put the bar down until all 20 reps have been completed. Calculate the weight based on what you feel you can do for 10 reps at that moment—NOT when you’re fresh.

Day 3 – Isolation and Specifics

• A1) Seated DB Shoulder Press – 4×12
• A2) Close-Grip Pulldown – 4×12
  • Rest 2 minutes between supersets
• B1) DB High Pull – 4×10-12
• B2) DB High Incline Fly – 4×10-12
  • Rest 2 minutes between supersets
• C1) DB Hammer Curls – 4×10
• C2) Decline Skull Crusher “Plus”– 4×10
  • Rest 2 minutes between supersets

Mobility Check

Always remember to focus on tissue quality and mobility, especially when your goal is to add muscle. Larger muscles often cause mobility issues if proper measures aren’t taken. Foam rolling and dynamic mobility work should precede every workout. Also, static stretch all worked muscles after a session.

Better flexibility and mobility can actually help you build more muscle because it increases your range of motion. The greater your range of motion, the more time your muscles will be under tension during each rep. You will do more cumulative work, accelerating muscle growth.

Try That on for Size

In as little as four weeks of disciplined training, you should notice significant muscle size gains. Bonus: this program is designed around supersets, which keep your heart rate up and get you in better shape. It won’t be long before you are calling in sick from school or work, explaining that you’re suffering from a bad case of swoleosis.