If you are trying to put on muscle mass, one thing that needs to be considered for each exercise is the tempo at which you are performing it. I know NASM and many other certifying agencies and textbooks want you to believe that 1 to 5 reps builds power, 3 to 7 reps build strength, 8 to 15 reps is for hypertrophy, and more than 15 reps in one set is for muscle endurance, but this is just not true. What these sources are actually trying to provide is a recommended "time under tension" for each training goal. However, because most people don't carry a stopwatch to gauge how long they have been lifting during a particular set, a rep count is used instead.
With this in mind, you can see why popping out a quick set of 12 reps isn't letting you pack on the pounds you are desiring. Next time you lift, instead of repping out sets as fast as you can with as much weight as possible, try adhering to a 3-second eccentric contraction (or negative) and then move the weight up (or down) as fast as possible during the concentric contraction. You will have to use less weight, probably anywhere from 20 to 40% less than you would normally use, but you will experience just as much fatigue as you would with greater weight and your muscles will have a greater time under tension, which will lead to greater growth.
Be warned, the eccentric contraction is what causes the most damage to a muscle fiber, so even though you are using less weight, with an emphasized eccentric like this you could experience significantly more muscle soreness a day or two post-workout than you normally would.
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