I. Introduction

Building a “jacked” muscular physique is a common goal for many fitness enthusiasts. But not everyone wants to resort to steroids or SARMS.

In this ultimate guide, you’ll discover 6 scientifically proven ways to build lean muscle as a natural and get jacked fast.

This guide covers everything from:

• Nutrition
• Strength Training
• Testosterone Optimisation
• Natural Supplements To Build Muscle
• Recovery And Sleep Optimisation
• Common Mistakes To Avoid

To help you transform your physique.

Get ready to take your fitness results to the next level.

II. Planning Your Journey to Get Jacked

A. Set Realistic Goals

SMART goals are key to effective muscle building. Goals should be:

• Specific
• Measurable
• Achievable
• Realistic
• Time-bound

Gaining 10 pounds of muscle naturally in 1 month is an un-realistic fitness goal. But you can gain naturally between 0.5 to 2 pounds of muscle per month. This is an achievable fitness goal to aim for. (Benito et al., 2020).

To lose 10 pounds of fat in 1 week is un-realistic and un-healthy. A sustainable fitness goal is to lose 0.5 to 1 pounds of fat per week. This will will help you preserve muscle mass and prevent rebound weight gain. (Kravitz et al., 2017)

B. How Long Does it Take to Get Jacked?

Getting jacked can take anywhere from 6 to 12 months, depending on your starting point. Beginners can gain between 20 to 25 pounds of muscle in their first year of lifting. Only if they are training correctly and eating at a caloric surplus. (Krzysztofik et al., 2019)

III. Training to Get Jacked

A. Importance of Resistance Training

Training 3 to 5 times per week will help you achieve an aesthetic physique.

You can implement every other tip on this list. But if you don’t lift weights or practice bodyweight training, your muscles won’t grow.

B. Workout Routine for Maximum Gains

There are 3 effective workout splits for optimal muscle growth:

• Whole Body Split: 3 weekly full body workouts with 4 rest days. Ideal for beginners and busy individuals. Optimal results for minimum time spent in the gym.
• Upper Lower Split: 4 weekly workouts with 3 resting days. Ideal for beginners to advanced. If you want high intensity training sessions with killer pumps and short resting times, this is for you.
• Push/Pull/Legs (PPL) Split: 6 weekly workouts with 1 rest day. Ideal for beginners to advanced. If you want to live in the gym and can’t stand not exercising, this is the split for you.

C. The Science Of Building Muscles

The 2019 study “Maximizing Muscle Hypertrophy: A Systematic Review” reveals the science of building muscles. It involves 3 key mechanisms:

• Mechanical Tension: Created by heavy lifting with a full range of motion.
• Muscle Damage: Damage sustained during resistance training through eccentric and concentric contractions. The eccentric part of an exercise is when you lower the weight, lengthening the muscles. The concentric phase is when you contract a muscle and shorten it.
• Metabolic Stress: Stress refers to the accumulation of metabolites during exercise. This increases blood flow, transporting a large amount of nutrients to your muscles. It also enhances muscle pumps.

These mechanisms work together in combination to have an anabolic (muscle building) effect. Tension being the most important factor for muscle growth.

To maximize their effects, it’s recommended to:

• Lift heavier weights for tension.
• Lift lighter weights for high reps to create metabolic stress and get a good pump

Cycle through all three mechanisms for optimal gains.

D. Time Under Tension For Optimal Growth

Time under Tension (TUT) is the duration a muscle is under tension during a set. This includes the eccentric and concentric phases.

The optimal TUT for muscle growth is 40 to 70 seconds.

Spend at least 5 seconds on every rep, with 1 to 2 seconds on the concentric phase, and 2 to 3 second on the eccentric.

E. The Role of Volume and Intensity in Building Muscle

Volume and intensity are both crucial factors in building muscle.

Volume

Volume refers to the total number of reps and sets performed in a workout. Volume is important for both muscle growth and endurance. As you get stronger, increasing volume is essential to continue seeing results.

High volume training is ideal for increasing metabolic stress. It increases anabolic hormones, creating a better environment for muscle growth.

Intensity

Intensity is the exercise difficulty. Exercise intensity is calculated as a percentage of your 1 repetition max.

• Low Intensity: Lifting 50% or under of your 1 rep max
• Moderate Intensity: Lifting between 50% to 70% of your 1 rep max
• High Intensity: Lifting above 70% of your 1 rep max

To increase intensity, lift heavy.

High intensity, low volume training is better than low intensity high-volume training. It leads to greater size and strength gains.

F. Progressive Overload To Grow Muscles

Progressive overload means to increase workout intensity and difficulty over time.

This can be achieved by increasing:

• Weight
• Reps
• Sets
• Time under tension
• Reducing rest time.

Progressive overload challenges your muscles and places stress on your body. This forces your body to adapt to stress by increasing strength and muscle size.

General guidelines recommend:

• Increasing difficulty gradually over time to avoid injury,
• Increase overall volume by no more than 10% each week
• Increase the weight used by 2% to 3% each week

This can be applied to any exercise, including cardio.

Progressive overload helps to avoid plateaus while improving fitness results. It increases motivation, as you are getting stronger each week.

G. The Benefits of Compound Exercises

Compound exercises are movements than train many muscle groups at once, such as:

• Squat
• Bench press,
• Deadlift
• Weighted dips,
• Pull ups
• Rows
• Lat Pull Down

These exercises will help you achieve big back, chest and leg muscles in a short time period.

Compound movements have many benefits:

• They burn a lot of calories.
• They provide a large increase in anabolic hormones like Testosterone and HGH. Squat heavy and train legs if you are serious about boosting Testosterone.

H. The Benefits Of Isolation Movements

Compound movements will give you a wide back and super hero chest. Neglecting isolation exercises will leave you with small upper arms and weak calves.

You need both compound and isolation exercises to build an aesthetic physique. Isolation exercises will grow lagging body parts and increase your strength on compound movements.

Use a combination of exercises:

• Bicep Curls
• Hammer Curls
• Triceps Push Downs
• Leg Extension
• Hamstring Curls
• Calf Raises
• Glutes Press.

IV. Nutrition for Getting Jacked

The right diet provides your body the building blocks it needs to build a muscular physique.

A. Understanding Macros and their role in Building Muscle

There are three types of macronutrients: protein, carbohydrates and fats. These play a crucial role in building an aesthetic physique.

For optimal muscle growth and fat loss, the total daily calories in your diet should come from:

• 40% protein
• 30% carbohydrates
• 30% fats

B. Importance Of Protein For Building Muscle

What is protein?

Protein is a critical macronutrient for building muscle. It contains amino acids – the building blocks of muscle tissue. Your body uses protein to repair and build muscle fibres after exercise.

Best Animal Protein Sources

Best animal protein food sources are:

• Beef
• Chicken
• Turkey
• Salmon
• Tuna
• Eggs
• Dairy

Animal products are complete proteins as they provide all nine essential amino acids. They are rich in minerals like zinc, iron and vitamin B-12.

Animal products contain saturated fat and cholesterol – the building block of Testosterone. High Testosterone levels are essential for building quality muscle mass.

Best Plant Based Sources Of Protein

Best Plant based sources of protein:

• Nuts
• Seeds
• Soy
• Whole grains
• Fruits
• Vegetables

Some plant based proteins are complete proteins (such as quinoa and buckwheat). But most are incomplete, missing some essential amino acids.

Avoid consuming soy. Although high in protein, soy contains phytoestrogens (plant estrogens) that lower Testosterone production.

How much protein do I need to build muscle?

For optimal muscle growth, you need to eat 2.2 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight. (Stokes et al., 2018)

This equates to 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight.

For example, a man weighting 81 kg (180 pounds) needs to eat 180 grams of protein per day to build muscle.

What Is The Best Time To Eat Protein?

According to research, the best time to eat protein is:

• Morning, Afternoon and Evening – Eat protein with every meal. This increases protein synthesis more than eating all your protein in one meal. (Mamerow et al., 2014)
• Pre and Post Workout – Consuming 20 to 25 grams of whey protein before and after a workout has been shown to enhance muscle growth and recovery. (Moore et al., 2008)

C. Importance Of Carbohydrates For Building Muscle

What Are Carbohydrates?

Carbohydrates are nutrients your body uses to make glucose (sugar) for energy. Carbohydrates are stored as glycogen inside muscle cells. During exercise, glycogen gets broken down into glucose to provide your muscles with energy (Holesh et al., 2022)

Complex Carbohydrates

Complex carbs are in foods like whole grains, vegetables and legumes. They release energy slowly throughout the day and maintain stable blood sugar levels.

Simple Carbohydrates

Simple carbs include fruit and sugar. They get rapidly broken into glucose to provide energy, spiking blood sugar. They should make up a very small part of your total daily calories.

The best time to eat simple carbs is:

• Before Training: To provide your muscles with energy
• After Training: To replenish depleted glycogen stores. This aids muscle recovery and growth.

How Much Carbohydrates Do I Need To Build Muscle?

To build muscles, consume 4 grams of carbs per kilogram of bodyweight daily. This equates to 2 grams of carbs per pound of bodyweight per day. For a 180 lbs (81kg) man, this is 360g of carbs per day.

D. Importance Of Fats For Building Muscle

What Are Fats?

Fats are made of glycerol and provide a slow energy release throughout the day. They play a crucial role in muscle growth by maintaining high Testosterone levels.

Fats increase the absorption of fat soluble vitamins like Vitamin A, D, E and K. (Dawson-Hughes et al., 2015). Dietary fat improves gut health and reduces inflammation (root cause of low Testosterone).

Aim to get 20-30% of your total daily calories in your diet from healthy dietary fats. Eating a low fat diet decreases Testosterone production. (Whittaker and Wu, 2021)

Best Sources Of Fat

The best sources of fat for your diet:

• Mono-unsaturated fats: found in olive oil, avocado and nuts like almond and cashew.
• Saturated fats: found in coconut oil, butter and fatty meats like beef and steak
• Omega 3 fats: found in fish like sardines, wild salmon, tuna and cod.

E. Setting Up Your Macros to Meet Your Fitness Goals

How Many Calories Do I Need Each Day?

Your total calorie intake is determined by your goal. If you want to:

• Maintain Weight – you should be eating at maintenance calories.
• Build Quality Muscle – you should be eating properly at a calorie surplus.
• Burn Body Fat – you should be eating at a calorie deficit.

You must be under 15% body fat to have visible abs and toned muscles. If your starting body fat percentage is over 20%, fat loss is your top priority.

Maintain Weight

To maintain weight, you should be eating at caloric maintenance. Calculate your maintenance calories using our free calculator:

Build Muscles

You need to eat enough calories to get jacked. Eat a calorie surplus of 300 to 500 calories per day to gain muscle while minimising fat gains. If your maintenance calories is 2,300 – you need 2,600 to 2,800 calories daily.

Burn Fat

To sustainably lose body fat, eat a calorie deficit of 300 to 500 calories per day. This will help you burn 1 pound of fat per week while preserving lean muscle mass. If your maintenance calories are 2,300 – you need 1,700 to 1,900 calories per day.

A calorie deficit larger than 500 calories may burn body fat faster. But it will make you lose muscle size and strength.

Extreme calorie deficit will slow down your basal metabolic rate (BMR) while crashing your Testosterone levels. This reduces the number of calories your burn per day, bringing fat burning to a halt.

F. Meal Planning and Preparation

If you’re serious about getting in shape, start cooking your meals in advance and in bulk.

Even if you don’t have enough time, you can oven cook in bulk so you have enough food for the next 3 days. Place chicken, beef, salmon and potatoes in the over. The food cooks itself – so you are free to do other important stuff.

V. Supplements To Get Jacked

Creatine

Creatine monohydrate supplementation improves athletic performance. It enhances strength by 12% to 26% and promotes lean muscle growth. Creatine increased muscle size by 2.6kg (5.4 lbs) in a 6 week study. (Cooper et al., 2012; Peeters et al., 1999)

Creatine works by boosting ATP (Adenosine Triphosphate) stores inside muscle cells. This boosts energy levels during intense exercise.

It accelerates post-workout recovery by hydrating muscle cells.

The optimal creatine dosage is:

• 5 to 10 grams per day.
• You can also load creatine at 20g daily for 7 days. This saturate your body’s creatine levels to help you experience benefits faster. Then you drop the dosage to 5 g each day.

The best Creatine Monohydrate supplement is OnNutrition’s Creatine Monohydrate from Amazon.

Testosterone Booster

High testosterone levels increase strength and muscle size while lowering body fat. (Vingren et al., 2010)

The fastest way to raise Testosterone is with a natural booster like Testogen. It contains 11 proven ingredients:

• Boron: raises Free Testosterone by 25% while reducing estrogen by 50% in only 6 days (Pizzorno, 2015)
• Zinc: increases Total Testosterone by 294% in 3 months (Prasad et al., 1996)
• Fenugreek: raises Testosterone by 46% in 12 weeks (Maheshwari et al., 2017)
• D Aspartic Acid: increases Testosterone by 42% (Topo et al., 2009)
• Magnesium: boosts Testosterone by 24% in 4 weeks (Cinar et al., 2010)
• Vitamin D3: enhances Testosterone by 25% (Pilz et al., 2010)
• Korean Gingseng: raises Testosterone, libido and sperm count. Enhances athletic performance and energy levels (Leung and Wong, 2013)
• Nettle Leaf Extract: raises Free bioavailable Testosterone by 10%
• Vitamin B6: reduces Estrogen levels to boost Testosterone production. (Symes et al., 1984)
• Vitamin K: deficiency is linked to low Testosterone (Takumi et al., 2011)
• Bioperine: patented black pepper extract that enhances nutrient absorption by 30%. This makes Testogen’s ingredients more potent. (Bioperine, 2023)

I’ve been using Testogen for the past 2 years with great results. It has helped me naturally triple my Testosterone levels from 370ng/dL to 934/dL.

You can get Testogen with free shipping from their official website by clicking here.

VI. Lifestyle Changes To Get Jacked

A. The Importance of Sleep for Muscle Recovery

Getting 7 to 9 hours of sleep each night is essential for optimal muscle growth and recovery.

During sleep, your body produces growth hormone and Testosterone. These anabolic hormones raise protein synthesis while you rest. This repairs muscle damage and creates new muscle cells.

Sleep has two main stages:

• REM sleep: Makes up 60% of sleep time. Testosterone is only produced during the REM stage of the sleep cycle. (Lavie et al., 1999)
• Non-REM sleep. Makes up 40% of sleep time. Crucial for muscle recovery, promotes growth hormone secretion. (Ritsche et al., 2014).

A 2021 study found long term sleep deficiency reduces muscle mass (Lamon et al., 2021). Sleep deprivation:

• Decreases Testosterone By 24%. Lowers Growth Hormone Production By 34% – Reducing protein synthesis by 18%.
• Raises Stress Hormone Cortisol By 21% – This puts your body in a catabolic (muscle wasting) state. High stress levels increase body fat. (Hewagalamulage et al., 2016)

B. Staying Hydrated for Optimal Performance

Staying hydrated is essential for optimal physical performance. Water helps transport nutrients around the body your muscles need during exercise.

Dehydration causes muscle cramps and can prevent muscles from properly contracting during exercises. Being dehydrated by just 3% can reduce performance in the gym by as much as 20%.

Most people need to get at least 2 litres of water to ensure adequate hydration.

C. The Benefits of Intermittent Fasting

Intermittent fasting raises:

• Testosterone by 180% (Röjdmark et al., 1989)
• Growth Hormone by 500% (Hollstein et al., 2022).
• Metabolism by 14%, enhancing fat burning (Zauner et al., 2000)

Intermittent fasting improves insulin sensitivity. This enhances your body’s ability to use carbohydrates for energy. High insulin sensitivity is linked to lower body fat percentage. (Yuan et al., 2022)

Intermittent fasting can help you achieve low a low body fat percentage while preserving muscle.

D. Tips for Boosting Testosterone Naturally

Bosting Testosterone naturally is essential to get jacked. According to a 2010 study, high Testosterone levels:

• Stimulate protein synthesis and muscular hypertrophy. This aids recovery from workouts and builds lean muscle.
• Strengthens neural adaptation, increasing strength.
• Raises metabolism, increasing total calories burnt each day. This helps you lose more fat at a faster rate.

To raise Testosterone naturally:

• Practice semen retention. This raises Testosterone by 45.7% in 7 days. (Jiang et al., 2003)
• Never skip leg day. The squat provides the largest boost in Testosterone out of any gym exercise. (Shaner et al., 2014)
• Stop drinking alcohol. Alcohol suppresses Testosterone production. (Emanuele et al., 1998)
• Lower high estrogen levels
• Decrease stress
• Fix vitamin deficiencies
• Have more sex to boost Testosterone by 109%. (Escasa et al., 2011)

I reveal 20 proven ways to increase Testosterone naturally in my ultimate guide, the Testosterone God Blueprint.

VII. Common Mistakes to Avoid When Trying to Get Jacked

A. Overtraining

Overtraining places excessive stress on muscles and physical systems. This leads to decreased performance, fatigue and injury. (Grandou et al., 2019)

Studies show overtraining decreases muscle size and strength, impairing muscle growth via decreasing protein synthesis.

To prevent overtraining, most people need to rest at least 48 to 72 hours before training the same muscle group.

D. Not Tracking Progress and Adjusting Plans Accordingly

Tracking your fitness progress allows you to see if you are correctly implementing muscle building techniques like progressive overload. The “Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research” found individuals who tracked progress and adjusted their training plan had significant increases in muscle size and strength compared to those who did not.

Track calories with MyFitnessPal. Studies show adjusting calorie intake based on results improves body composition. If you’re not gaining strength and muscle, you need to increase your caloric surplus. If you are gaining too much body fat, you need to lower your calorie intake.

VIII. Conclusion

If you’re serious about getting jacked:

• Train hard 3 to 5 days per week consistently using a proven workout plan
• Eat 2.2 grams of protein per kg of bodyweight. This equates to 1 gram of protein per pound of bodyweight.
• Eat at a caloric surplus of 500 calories to build muscle while minimising fat gains. Calorie deficit of 500 calories to torch stomach fat while preserving muscle tissue.
• Get 7 to 9 hours of sleep daily to enhance recovery
• Rest 48 to 72 hours before training the same muscle group to prevent overtraining
• Supplement on Creatine and a high quality Testosterone booster like Testogen
• Track fitness results and calorie intake with MyFitnessPal

X. Frequently Asked Questions