Science-Backed Ways to Build Muscle Faster

33. Cold/Heat Therapy Cycling (Mitochondrial Adaptations)

Beyond the immediate recovery benefits, deliberate exposure to alternating cold and heat (e.g., sauna followed by cold shower) triggers beneficial cellular adaptations known as hormesis. Heat stress elevates Heat Shock Proteins (HSPs), which help prevent protein breakdown and assist in folding new proteins. Cold exposure, meanwhile, is theorized to boost mitochondrial biogenesis—the creation of new, more efficient powerhouses in the muscle cell. This cycling creates a system-wide boost in resilience, improving how your muscle cells generate energy, recover from stress, and utilize nutrients, ultimately supporting faster long-term hypertrophy and healthspan.

34. Dietary Nitrate Loading (The Oxygen Efficiency Hack)

While protein is the building block, the efficiency with which your muscles use oxygen and nutrients during high-volume training is a limiting factor for growth. Dietary nitrate loading, typically achieved via concentrated beetroot juice or specific vegetables, significantly boosts the conversion of nitrates into Nitric Oxide (NO) in the body. NO is a powerful signaling molecule that reduces the oxygen cost of exercise, meaning your muscles require less oxygen to produce the same amount of power. This reduced metabolic stress allows you to perform more high-quality repetitions and volume before fatigue sets in. By increasing your effective training volume and maintaining higher intensity late into your sets, nitrate loading provides a direct performance-to-hypertrophy link, maximizing the hypertrophic signal from every workout.