How to Build Lean Muscle
Gaining muscle is not tricky, but the process is often misunderstood. Exercise experts consistently name certain habits as the top three ways to gain muscle. If you want to gain muscle keep these three in mind: 1. Rest and recovery, 2. Exercise intensity, 3. Proper nutrition.
Rest and Recovery
Many people attempt to put on muscle by starting a weight lifting program full-steam ahead; they think the more often they lift and the more weight they heft, the quicker they will see results. Experts caution that this is counterproductive, since it goes against the principle of muscle building.
Muscles grow stronger by being exerted over their limit and then recovering. During exercise muscle fibers are torn down; after the effort muscle cells begin to rebuild and recover. This recovery process is what makes the muscle grow stronger, but it can only happen with rest. Muscles need 48 to 72 hours to recover from a workout.
A particular muscle group should be worked every other day at most. If you want to workout every day, chose a different muscle group to work each day; for example, work the upper body one day and the lower body the next.
Exercise Intensity
Exercise intensity must be appropriate for your present fitness level. Experts caution that slow is best. Do not start your program by trying to lift the heaviest weights possible. If you are new to weight lifting, it is better to chose lighter weights that you can lift several times, rather than lifting a heavy weight a few times. Choosing lighter weights will help you avoid excess muscle soreness.
To tear down muscle and start the muscle building process you must exercise the muscle until it is fatigued and you cannot do one more rep with proper form. The key to this principle is proper form; you must control the weight during both parts of the exercise. For example, in a bicep curl you want to lift the weight up and then control it on the way down, not simply let your arm drop. Your movements should be slow, deliberate, and smooth, not quick and jerky.
Proper Nutrition
The third key to muscle building is proper nutrition. Lean protein is vital for muscle building, but think diet, not supplements. Stay away from refined sugars and trans-fats and eat plenty of complex carbohydrates and healthy omega-3 fatty acids.
Omega-3 fatty acids are found in nuts and in fish such as salmon, tuna, trout, and herring.
If you follow these top three ways to build muscle, you should see results in 8 to 10 weeks. You’ll begin to feel the difference much sooner than that; weight-lifting revs up your energy and increases your metabolism.
