Rules to Build Lean Muscle
Do you struggle with building lean muscle? This is quite common for many people, even when they feel like they are exercising and eating properly. With a few tweaks here and there, let’s set you on the right path to get the muscle you have been working so hard towards!
Building lean muscle is a combination of these three things:
#1 Proper Nutrition
#2 Strength Training
#3 Recovery
To effectively build muscle, it is important to prioritize consuming adequate protein, consistent resistance training and allowing for sufficient rest and recovery. Follow these tips and you will get to where you want to be in no time:
Increase your training frequency - while working out twice a week is great for maintenance, if you are working to build lean muscle, increase your training frequency to 4-5 times per week.
Add variety - try doing some lower-rep (8-12 rep sets) strength work as well higher-rep (20-30 rep sets) strength endurance work.
Focus on big lifts - squats, deadlifts, overhead presses and pull-ups, these all use a lot of muscle and deliver mass-building benefits very effectively, plus you can add on more weights with these types of exercises.
Use targeted isolation movements - these exercises can include bicep curls and calf raises etc. They add to your program and can help with the parts you are lagging in. They are not as taxing as big lifts and you can recover quicker from them.
Focus on recovery - your time outside of the gym is just as important as in the gym, it is for repair and growth. On top of nutrition, get good quality sleep and try to reduce stress.
Consider supplements - multi-vitamins, fish oil or protein shakes have been proven to help with strength, performance and recovery.
Eat protein - research the right amount for your body type and eat the recommended amount. These foods include eggs, salmon, chicken, greek yogurt, tuna, whole grains, beans and lentils, soybeans and almonds etc.
Find a training environment that you love! - ensure it is equipped for your goal, and full of like-minded people that will encourage and support you.
The right attitude and mindset - even a mediocre program done with the right attitude will give you more success than a perfect program with the wrong attitude and mindset.
Stick with it! You need to follow whatever program/schedule you have set for yourself and stick with it to see results and reap the benefits.
Get out there and find yourself a program, set a schedule, set goals and prioritize these rules and enjoy the results! You got this!