Building Lean Muscle

A useful guide on "Building Lean Muscle".

The best approach for building lean muscle is really a threefold approach. While it might be obvious that working out is key to bulking up, that is only a part of what it actually takes to build lean muscle mass. Equally important is the fact that some consideration needs to be given to nutrition and rest. Muscles need food and rest just as much as they need to be worked, and in most cases maybe even more.

Best Foods for Building Lean Muscle

Just as an automobile isn’t going anywhere if it is out of fuel, the human body will literally shut down without nourishment. When working on building lean muscle, it is essential to find foods that are known to provide energy for working out while also providing nourishment to grow those muscles. Foods that are high in lean protein are excellent sources of nutrients for building lean muscle. Eggs, dairy products, liver, fish, beef, poultry, nuts, legumes and even some of the grains are extremely good sources of protein. The general rule of thumb is to eat some lean protein every few hours totaling approximately 1 to 1 ½ grams per pound of body weight daily. As a result, a healthy male weighing 180 pounds would need to eat a minimum of 180 grams of lean protein each day with the high end rounding out to 270 grams. Obviously it is also advisable to abstain from snacks that are high in refined carbs and saturated fats.

Best Exercises for Building Lean Muscle

Any exercise that is performed in proper form is adequate for simply staying in shape or adding some amount of bulk, but in order to focus on building lean muscle it is always best to workout with as many multi-joint exercises as possible. This is perhaps best stated with the old adage that advises to work smarter, not harder. Multi-joint, also referred to as compound, exercises like Deadlifts, Squats, Barbell Curls, Chin-ups and Bench Presses are examples of intelligent use of workout time. This leaves more time for adding reps and poundage for major gain instead of jumping from one set to the next. Also, it isn’t necessary to work the entire body in one day. Work the back and shoulders one day, the legs and back the next time at the gym and so forth. This allows ample time for recovery in between workouts as well as for working the groups being exercised.

Rest is Vital

The point that many new weight trainers or body builders just don’t understand is that muscles really don’t grow during workouts. Muscles actually grow during the resting phase. This is one of the reasons why most athletes plan an on and off workout schedule. Some athletes workout every other day while some work four and rest one or work three and rest two. It’s a matter of preference and scheduling that works around other areas of life. It is understandable that when time is limited it is tempting to get as much time as possible in at the gym, but this could be counterproductive in the end.