As a fitness instructor, people regularly ask me how to build muscle quickly. Today's article will give you a quick overview on the simple things you need to focus on if your goal is to build a bigger body over the next couple of months.

You may be scrambling back to re-read what we just said but don't worry we did not make a mistake. We will show you how to get results within a couple of months, not a couple of years.

For most people the main obstacle which has held them back over the years is not lack of potential but rather lack of solid advice. Everywhere they turn they see somebody telling them they need to do something different or buy the next big supplement.

You can turn anything into a rocket science if you analyze it enough, but the fact remains that the principles of improving muscular strength and size remain the same as they were twenty years ago and they are very, very simple.

#1 Go with compound movements for maximum results.

#2 Your range of repetitions will help you target hypertrophy.

#3 Diet is important even when it comes to adding size.

It might seem quite simple, given the number of next big thing plans out there which promise to give the the 'secrets' of building a better body, but those three rules are dynamite in your pocket. If you can take advantage of those three steps you will not have any issues building the body you desire.

Compound movements are multiple joint exercises which force your body to recruit more muscle fibers and therefore work harder. Exercises such as bench press and squats are perfect examples of great compound movements.

Don't spend hours working smaller muscles. For example, there will be countless guys at your local gym doing endless sets of bicep curls or triceps pushdowns. You will notice far better results if you focus your time on the big movements which recruit more muscle fibers to perform.

Of course, there is more to this than just knowing which exercises will get you the results. You also need to know how many repetitions to aim for and have a system in place to consistently progress you to new levels.

Studies show that optimum strength gains are achieved when we try to hit the hypertrophy zone, which means pushing for 8-12 reps with your main resistance exercises. If you're smart you can also use that as a system to tell you when you need to increase the weight. Think about it for a second, when you can get more than 12 reps out you are no longer in the ideal zone for building, therefore you should think about increasing the weights.

Of course, we wouldn't be very much help to you if we didn't cover the third point which is diet. Try not to make the common mistake of assuming just because you want to get bigger you can eat anything you want. You don't just want to add size, you want it to be the right kind of size.

You need to make the most of your daily calories and that means getting a good split of carbs, proteins and fats into the food you choose to eat. Whether it's through supplements or actual food, try to ensure around 50% of your daily intake comes from carbohydrate sources with the focus on complex carbs rather than sugary simple carbs. Follow that up with around 30% from protein and 20% from healthy fats and you have yourself a great diet platform to operate from.

If you've had a certain body part which has proved difficult to get results with, you will find that the three steps will help you to bring it back up to speed. So before you spend hours pouring over the best shoulder building exercises or top chest workouts we recommend getting on top of the basics first.

Too many people are endlessly trying to figure out how to build muscle that they miss the obvious answer by over complicating it. Once you know the three simple rules you are ready to go.