How To Build Lean Muscle And Lose Body Fat
On this page we aim to give you an overview of how to build lean muscle. Putting on bulk is relatively easy, but if you do not put on lean muscle you will never get good definition. You will be fit and strong, but if your muscles are covered with a layer of fat you will not look like you hit the weights on a regular basis.
The four essentials for lean muscle growth
There are four things you need to do to put on tightly packed, well defined muscles:
- Eat properly and at the right time
- Take the right supplements
- Work out regularly and do the right kind of exercises
- Give your body enough rest and recovery time
Sounds simple, and to some extent it is. Do the above and you will put on more muscle. However, how you tackle each aspect makes a huge difference to how fast you put on muscle and how good the muscle you put on will be and look.
Here is an overview of each aspect and the basic principles you need to follow to be able to gain lean muscle and do it in as short a period of time as possible.
Focused muscle building workouts and adequate rest
In humans muscle growth only occurs in response to physical need. Your body is built that way. It will only build muscle if it sees a need to do so. Muscle represents additional maintenance for your body, so it is programmed to only build and maintain the muscle you really need.
This means that to gain muscle you have to push your body and put it under stress. The exercise you do needs to put a strain upon your existing muscles. In response to this your body will build new muscle to enable you to complete the exercises in the future.
However, if you put your body under too much strain too soon you can actually end up losing muscle mass.
This is because during exercise some of your muscle fibres tear and need to be repaired. As soon as you stop exercising the repair process begins. This is why sleep and recovery time are also vital for body building. If you do not give yourself enough time to rest and sleep your body will not have enough time to carry out repairs and build new muscle.
New fibres are made to replace the muscle that has been lost. To ensure you are prepared for future exerction a little extra muscle fibre is also formed for good measure. As a result, each time you exercise your muscles grow slightly.
The problem is it is possible to break down muscle at a rate at which your body cannot replace it. You have to pace yourself properly to ensure that you put on muscle rather than losing muscle. Going hell for leather in the gym every day is absolutely not the way to go. The best way to build muscle is to do it at a measured pace and only go as fast as your personal metabolism allows.
The role of diet and supplements
Fortunately, you can speed up the rate at which your body puts on muscle using the right diet and supplements. What you put into your body is critical when it comes to building muscle.
The process of building muscle is a complex one, which involves a range of bodily systems and organs. To build muscle fast every system and organ needs to work efficiently in tandem. This can only happen if you give your body the right fuel.
You can only get that fuel from food and supplements. Give your body the right fuel and it will work efficiently. Pour in fuel contaminated with pollutants such as saturated fat, too much sugar and salt and it will not work properly and build muscle as fast as possible.
It is practically impossible to give your body all of the healthy calories, vitamins and minerals it needs to build muscle at a fast rate using your diet alone. This is where supplements come in they bridge the gap for you by allowing you to boost the rate at which your body produces hormones like testosterone that are vital for muscle growth. They also provide you with the nutrients you need to have the necessary stamina to work out for long periods.