What You Need To Know To Gain Lean Muscle
In order to gain lean muscle you need to build muscle and lose body fat at the same time rather than just concentrate on putting on mass and worry about losing the fat later. This can obviously be easier said than done. The mistake most people make is just trying to bulk up and they don’t realise that they are outing on fat also. After all it’s no good having great muscle buried under fat.
Another reason why many people fail in their quest to gain lean muscle is that they don’t eat the right amounts at the right times. You should be eating 5-6 meals a day of good quality calories, not junk food, and should aim for roughly 50% carbohydrates, 25% proteins and 25% good fats. Foods such as lean meat, egg whites, pasta, brown rice, and lots of green veggies are ideal. It’s also important to make sure you get enough water. Lots of water is a priority. You should be drinking 2-4L per day depending on your caloric intake, and it is especially important to maintain adequate hydration before, during and after a workout. Your body performs best when it is hydrated.
To achieve muscle growth correctly you need to use the right exercises and get plenty of rest between workouts. Growth hormone levels rise 30-45 minutes after you fall asleep, so if you’re serious about gaining lean muscle you also need to be serious about your sleep.
The best way to gain lean muscle is with brief high intensity weight training and low intensity, long duration fat burning activities such as walking or jogging. The reason that cardio is so important is that it helps shed that fat and create muscle definfition. In other words you will appear more muscular than just bigger. Over time the intensity must increase and so too must your rest to allow your muscles time to repair and grow optimally. A rough guide is to gain one pound of body weight per week, any more and you are putting on more fat than muscle. Follow this simple guide and you should be on your way to gaining lean muscle
