You will be agreed with me that most of us want to build lean muscle, But building muscle without gaining fat is a challenging task.
You need a proper balance of diet and training to ensure that all your hard work in the gym and kitchen results in maximum lean muscle growth and minimum fat accumulation.
So, How To Be Lean But Muscular?
To gain lean muscle mass, you must consume slightly more calories than usual, primarily in the form of carbohydrates and protein.
You must include both heavy and light weights in your workout routine. also, you must progressively perform more sets and repetitions on weekly basis.
In this article, we will discuss how you can gain lean muscle mass and be muscular. So stay with us till the end.
What Is The Difference Between Muscle And Lean Muscle?
Not all muscle is the same, and as you build muscle, you want to make sure it’s lean muscle.
Lean muscle is densely packed with contractile tissue, as opposed to lesser quality muscle, which contains more fat and connective tissue.
Simply said, lean muscles are those that don’t have a lot of fat around or inside them.
Most women are afraid of becoming muscular and want “toned” muscles, which means having less muscle mass and a more toned and lean physique.
Just by looking in the mirror, you cannot guess how many lean muscles are in your body. If you want to measure your lean muscle mass, you’ll need the Tanita Body Composition Scale for that.
Why Is Lean Muscle Good?
You can reap many benefits by increasing your lean muscle mass. This creates a good cycle that will help you maintain a healthy weight and body.
Because muscle tissue with a higher metabolic rate burns calories faster than associated fat, increasing your muscle mass will improve your metabolism or basal metabolic rate.
Most athletes have their body fat as lower as 5 to 13% (male) and 14 to 20% (female) of their body weight. This shows the importance of lean muscle mass for your athletic abilities.
Building muscle is also important for long-term health protection. Having more lean muscle mass;
- May help reduce the risk of ligament and tendon injury;
- Can improve your posture by strengthening your core and back muscles;
- May reduce the chances of muscle loss associated with menopause and aging.
- May protect your bones from weakening later in life by increasing bone density and strength.
- Boosts the immune system so that you can better fight disease, infection, or stress.
- And it can also help protect you against cholesterol, blood pressure, and heart-related diseases.
How To Be Lean But Muscular | 10 Effective Ways
Increasing lean body mass is an important aspect of fitness. The increased lean body mass helps in the aesthetic, metabolic, and fitness aspects of the body.
Although exercise is the framework for increasing lean body mass, there are 10 basic steps you can take to speed up the process.
Must Read:- Best And Effective Exercises For People Over 50
Eat Appropriate Amount Of Protein To Gain Lean Muscle
Protein is a fundamental element of muscle. Not only does it aid in muscle growth, but it also aids in hormone production and recovery.
Protein is very essential for muscle growth and if you want to develop lean muscles then you must take it in an appropriate amount.
Ideally, you should try to consume 1 gram of protein per day for every pound of your body weight, as this may be more appropriate for people who exercise on a daily basis.
It is important to note that in the phases of muscle building and fat loss, about 1-1.3 grams of protein per pound of body weight per day is recommended by experts.
If you are not able to meet your daily protein demand through your diet, then protein supplements are a good option for that. You can try:-
Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard 100% Whey Protein Buy Now
Prioritize Carbs In Your Diet To Train Recover And Gain
Carbohydrates, like protein, are important in the muscle-building process. Without carbs in your diet, your muscles won’t perform as well during exercise,
And you often won’t be able to train as hard, as heavily, or as often as you could if you were adequately fed the body with carbohydrates.
Glucose is the primary fuel source for muscle, a byproduct of the breakdown of carbohydrates.
While the body can use fat as fuel and even metabolize them for energy use during exercise, using fat as a fuel source to build muscle is not the best option.
According to research, carbohydrate-restricted, high-fat diets may not improve athletic performance and may even be harmful.
The same study noted that a carbohydrate-rich diet has repeatedly been demonstrated to promote muscle glycogen production, muscle growth, and recovery time between training sessions.
You may like to read:- 10 Best Vegan Foods To Lose Weight Fast
Increase Your Workout Frequency
If you want to maintain your current muscle mass, going to the gym twice a week is enough;
However, if you want to gain muscle, you should consider increasing the frequency of your workouts to 4-5 times a week.
Even though these sessions should be shortened to allow for recovery, additional exposure to a training stimulus can aid in muscle gain.
Vary Your Strength Capabilities
While sets of 8 to 12 reps are highly effective for building muscle, consider the fact that your body is an adaptive organism that needs to be pushed to change its capabilities.
Instead of following a set-and-rep strategy for the entire season, try doing some higher-rep (20- to 30-rep sets) strength-endurance work for a training block followed by some lower-rep strength work for four weeks.
These variations can aid in increasing muscle growth, so try to push yourself and vary your workout strategy for the most appropriate.
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Both Heavy And Light Weights Are Necessary
Lower rep ranges of one to three can help you break the strength plateau. However, this makes training a sufficient amount to encourage muscle growth difficult for someone who is not a powerlifter.
Too many repetitions, on the other hand, can make it impossible to increase strength.
It works as follows: You have 2 types of muscle fibers, which are really essential for the development of strong and well-defined muscles:-
Type I, or “slow-twitch,” is great for endurance and long-lasting energy, but type II, or “fast-twitch,” fatigues faster but is needed for gaining lean muscle mass and fueling explosive bursts like sprinting or clean and press.
According to Brad Schoenfeld, Ph.D., chief of the Human Performance Laboratory at CUNY Lehman College in the Bronx, New York,
“Emerging research indicates that larger loads target type II muscle fibers while lower loads target type I muscle fibers.”
That means if you only work in one loading zone, you’re missing out on some muscle-building opportunities.
Schoenfeld’s study, published in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, shows that 6 to 12 repetitions best enhance muscle growth.
Aim to alternate between larger loads at the lower end of the rep range and lower loads at the higher end.
Perform Compound Exercises To Build Lean Muscle And Strength
Compound exercises are great for building muscles and strength as well these exercises effectively train various muscles at a time so are time efficient.
And If you’re looking to build muscle, heavy compound workouts are a great option for getting started.
The squat, deadlift, pullup, bench press, and overhead press are some of the basic activities for most muscle growth and strength regimens.
When you do compound exercises, you may often be able to push your body under a higher load, Which can promote muscle growth, and hormone production that helps you to gain muscle mass and strength quickly.
Don’t Skip Isolation Exercises
Biceps curls and calf raises are examples of isolated exercises. These exercises help you increase the volume of your program (another important factor in muscle growth) and help bring up the lagging parts of the body.
And because you can’t overload them with the same weight as you could in a squat or deadlift, they’re not as stressful on your nervous system, so you’ll be able to recover from them much faster.
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Stay Hydrated
Just as we need specific macro and micronutrients to feed the body, it is important to get the proper amount of fluids and electrolytes for your body to function efficiently.
So if you’re dehydrated, you’ll be fighting fatigue, nausea, and headaches with each rep—unless you skip a set too early because you just can’t keep going.
Furthermore, several studies have shown that people usually feel they are hungry when they are actually dehydrated, so staying hydrated might actually assist you to avoid overeating and covering that muscle with fat.
Focus On Recovery
While your time in the gym is undoubtedly responsible for establishing a training effect, your time away from the gym is essential for repair and growth.
In addition to making sure your diet is in order, make sure you get enough sleep like 8-9 hours each night and try to limit your exposure to outside stress as much as possible.
You’d be surprised how much these elements affect your ability to modify your body composition.
Include HIIT In Your Workout Routine
HIIT simply means High-Intensity Interval Training. The Fastest Fat Burning Workout is also one of the easiest, taking less than 20 minutes from start to finish. HIIT challenges you to act quickly, very quickly, for a short period of time.
When it comes to muscle growth, you should stick to HIIT-style workouts and limit them to 2-3 times a week.
They will greatly help you to become lean, but please note that they should not be done too much, because along with the fat you may lose muscle mass too.
HIIT will particularly help you to burn extra calories you consumed and excess fat in your body, So it can be a good strategy to include High-Intensity Interval Training in your workout routine.
Must Read:- Best HIIT Workouts For Beginners
The Bottom Line
If your goal is to be lean but muscular, you must follow a dedicated workout regime along with a good nutritious diet plan.
Whether you want to lose weight or gain muscle or get lean and muscular, calories play an important role in any workout regime. That is why it is important that you keep an eye on your calorie intake.
Rest is also a key factor in muscle building, So it is advisable to give your muscles a proper time to recover.
