Build Lean Muscle
Wednesday, July 8th, 2009When you start seriously lifting weights, building lean muscle should be first and foremost on your mind. Our aim is to get bigger but not just get bigger for the sake of being big. Anybody can get bigger by adding fat but that goes against what we are really trying to accomplish. If you look in the mirror and don’t notice any significant muscular definition then you are training incorrectly. Muscle confusion,nutrition, strength training and cardio will all play an important role in helping you to build lean muscle mass and you must begin to bring these into your training.
Four things you must include when we are thinking about how to build lean muscle
Muscle Confusion
You can build lean muscle mass by restricting the rest period and increasing the weight you use for each exercise. Limit your rest period to 30 seconds between sets, which will give you just enough time to recover to start another set. This rest cycling is a great way to keep you muscles guessing and forcing them to adapt and grow. By confusing your muscles you don’t give them an opportunity to fully adapt and is also a great way to burn calories which will lead to a more pronounced muscular physique.
Strength Training
There are a lot of reasons why people lift weights; strength, size and a leaner muscular appearance. Strength training and fat burning go hand in hand and should be included in your overall weight lifting program. When weight training to build lean muscle mass you should also workout the larger muscle groups. Increasing your overall core strength is a direct result of working out these big muscle groups. This can be done by using compound exercises that target the large muscle groups, which include the chest, legs and back.
Strength training using compound exercises will create an anabolic response and allow you to continue to burn calories and build muscle long after the workout is done. It really is all about building lean muscle and using the best strength training routine to bring you to the next level.
Cardio Training
If you neglect your cardio workout: ie: treadmill, walking, stationary bike etc you are missing out on the added benefits that cardio training will add to your goals of building lean muscle mass. I know cardio can be boring and we always find a reason why we don’t have to do it but these are excuses that you must eliminate if you are going to meet your goals. It would be hard to see all that new lean muscle mass if it were hidden behind a layer of fat. Make your new muscles stand out by losing that layer of fat hiding it. Start cardio training now!
Nutrition And Protein
Proper nutrition is a major part of building lean muscle and it is a good idea to eat only those foods that will help you achieve your goals. When we talk about bodybuilding nutrition we must talk about protein and consuming the right amount every day. To accurately calculate the amount of protein you need take one gram of protein for each pound of lean muscle mass. Beginning weight lifters can use the older method of calculating protein intake by using one gram of protein per one pound of total body weight. As you gain experience and are looking to really refine your protein supplement then you can use the newer more precise method of calculating protein intake.
If your goals are to build lean muscle mass then keeping these four things in mind will provide a great foundation to get you started and keep you on track.
Start building lean muscle today or keep complaining about how you look. It is up to you how you look and feel.
