Nobody wants to wait for results. You post a photo on Instagram, and you hope to see at least 100 "likes" within an hour. You keep up with your favorite team's results just by opening an app on your smart phone for play-by-play coverage. Even Bodybuilding.com offers next-day delivery on orders to most of the United States.
With that sense of urgency in mind, I consulted with powerlifter-turned-bodybuilder and Dymatize athlete Geremy Satcher for his best tips on not just gaining muscle, but doing it in the fastest time possible. He provided his best "build muscle in a hurry" advice for those who simply don't have time to wait.
1

Substitute multijoint movements for isolation exercises.

Most workouts consist of a collection of multijoint and single-joint movements—say, presses and a fly movement in a single chest routine. The biggest difference between them is that multijoint exercises engage more muscle groups, allowing you to push heavier weights.
Because they recruit a large amount of muscle mass, multijoint exercises trigger a more significant hormone response than single-joint movements. In fact, workouts that stress a large amount of muscle mass tend to produce the greatest increases in both growth hormone and testosterone.1
Take a closer look at your workout. If you're doing more than one single-joint exercise for any body part (with calves, biceps, shoulders, and forearms being the exceptions), retool it by substituting more multijoint movements.
Because they recruit a large amount of muscle mass, multijoint exercises trigger a more significant hormone response than single-joint movements.
2

Challenge yourself in the gym and push outside your comfort zone.

A couple of years ago, I worked out with a younger guy who could do 80-pound dumbbell presses for eight reps. When I suggested he try the 90s, he insisted he couldn't handle those. I insisted, though, and he found out on the very next set that, in fact, he could handle them—and just not for eight reps. He actually did nine reps!
I suspect my friend did an additional rep with a heavier weight just because I was there encouraging him. You've probably noticed a similar phenomenon whereby you completed more reps than you thought possible when you had a spotter on hand, especially if you normally train alone.
If you never leave your comfort zone, you never force your muscles to adapt to new demands. "Staying within your comfort zone leaves room for stagnation," says Geremy Satcher. "Challenging yourself and going beyond what's comfortable directly links to your overall confidence. Build your own confidence and take baby steps toward increasing the weight you train with. Whatever you do, avoid becoming stagnant!"
"Challenging yourself and going beyond what's comfortable directly links to your overall confidence. Build your own confidence and take baby steps toward increasing the weight you train with. Whatever you do, avoid becoming stagnant!"
3

Train with a workout partner who will push you.

A workout partner can do more than just force you to show up for your workouts. He or she can push you to new heights by helping you handle more weight, more reps, or both. And they can help you do this safely. Taking a set of squats or overhead dumbbell presses close to failure, for example, is less prone to disaster with an experienced spotter on hand.
However, don't take every set to failure. In "Jim Stoppani's Encyclopedia Of Muscle & Strength", the author says, "Australian researchers discovered that when trained lifters completed one set to failure of the four sets they trained with on the bench press for eight weeks, they had double the strength gains of lifters who did not complete any of the four sets to failure.2 And in a follow-up study, the same team of researchers discovered that doing more than one set to failure on the bench press for eight weeks offered no additional increase in strength gains.3 It appears that performing only one set to failure allows for enough stimulus to be delivered to the muscle fibers without fatiguing the muscle too much, which can limit muscle strength during the workout when training with too many sets to failure."4
"Developing a friendship with someone and having them in the gym with you is one of the most important things you can do when it comes to getting past training plateaus," says Satcher. "That person is one of the few you can trust to give you straightforward input regarding corrections you need to make, your physique, and your attitude."
4

Add a pre-bedtime meal of cottage cheese or casein.

Hard-gainers complain they can't gain weight—but are they doing everything they can to consume all the protein they need? No dietary change is easier to make than adding a pre-bedtime snack that includes slow-digesting proteins of the sort found in cottage cheese or a casein protein shake.
Slow-digesting proteins are especially useful during sleep—which is an eight-hour fast—because the amino acids they release are available all night long, which is more useful to fasting muscles than a quick-digesting protein like whey.
No dietary change is easier to make than adding a pre-bedtime snack that includes slow-digesting proteins of the sort found in cottage cheese or a casein protein shake.
5

If you're not taking creatine, add 5 grams' worth to your shake.

An avalanche of research supports creatine for bodybuilders and strength trainers. Creatine works by increasing the number of energy substrates capable of high-intensity work within the muscle, helping you maintain energy for more reps. Long-term usage has been shown to lead to 5-15 percent greater gains in strength and performance.5
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As Of 9/25/2015