I am amazed at how far off-base most people in the gym really are.

Almost everyone is desperate to gain muscle fast, but few people really know how to properly do it.

For most aspiring lifters, getting a massive chest and big arms is everything.

Week after week they slave away on endless sets of bench presses and barbell curls in search of the rippling muscle gains they want so badly.

Obviously, their dream of gaining muscle fast doesn't happen.

Even though gaining muscle fast in your chest and arms is a great addition to your physique, ultimately these muscles do little compared to the much more intricate muscle groups that most people neglect.

I'm talking about your back. Working out your spinal erectors, lats, traps, rhomboids, and lower back muscles will do much more for your physique.

Lifters neglect these all-too-important muscles for basic reasons...

1) The back is not easy to see in a mirror and is definitely not a "showy" muscle.

2) Back training is much more stressful and taxing as compared to training the chest or arms.

3) Most lifters don't have any idea of these muscles and their development.

Allow me to let you in on a little secret...

Trying to appear wide, thick, and powerful is achievable in a short time span once you have a well developed back.

Actually, almost 70% of your upper body muscle mass is in this area!

If you want a strong, thick upper body, all you need are bulging lats and wide trapezius muscles that can be obtained by gaining muscle fast on your back.

Please, get up off that bench press and put down that EZ-curl bar for just a moment and let me share a simple, step-by-step workout that you can use when gaining muscle fast, in order to build the muscular back you so desperately need.

Here are four major movements to properly develop your back...

1) Deadlifts

This lift is the key to building a bigger back. There is not a single exercise out there that can even come close to matching the effectiveness of a basic, bent-legged barbell deadlift when gaining muscle fast is a priority.

The deadlift will work you from finger to neck to toe and is irreplaceable in developing strong, thick back muscles.

The deadlift stimulates growth throughout the entire back complex and is the cornerstone of any effective bodybuilding routine.

2) A vertical pulling movement

Are you ready to target your lat muscles and enjoy that wide, v-tapered look from behind?

Some of the best vertical pulling movements are overhand or underhand chin-ups, lat pull downs, and v-bar pull downs.

If you want to gain muscle fast, I'd recommend the overhand chin-up.

This will stimulate growth in the lats like no other exercise.

3) A horizontal pulling movement

Often called "rows", horizontal pulling movements lay emphasis on the upper/middle portion of the back and also help to stimulate the lats.

When it comes to gaining muscle fast, free-weight rowing movements are the best option.

I normally recommend bent over barbell rows, but bent over dumbbell rows are good, too.

4) A shrugging movement

Even though this is not as important for gaining muscle fast, using a shrugging movement at the end of the workout can help target the upper traps and develop a mountainous back.

You can use a basic barbell or dumbbell shrug.

To put it in a nutshell...

Deadlifts - 2 sets of 5 to 7 reps
Overhand Chin-Ups - 2 sets of 5 to 7 reps
Bent Over Barbell Rows - 2 sets of 5 to 7 reps
Barbell Shrugs - 2 Sets of 10 to 12 reps

If your goal is gaining muscle fast, try the above routine for optimal gains in back size and strength.

I'm still seeing steady progress in both back size and strength after using this same routine for many years.

Make sure to keep a written record of every workout that you perform, and focus each week on increasing either the weight that you lift or the number of reps that you perform within the given rep range.