8 Training Tips to Build Lean Muscle

Most people are not genetically gifted therefore you must follow these eight steps to get the most results possible.

Every wonder how the do it? How do they pack on all that muscle so quickly?

How do they pack on all that muscle so quickly?

An issue with most people, these days are they don’t exercise enough or they have poor eating habits.

Today we are going to talk about 8 Tips to Build Muscle and keep it on for good…

#1 Eat all the Time

Specifically you should try to eat about every 3 hours. Think of your body as if it’s an engine, if it doesn’t have enough fuels the engine starts running poorly; same with your body. In fact some nutritionists have said that if you don’t eat enough you are actually limiting the rate in which your body constructs new proteins.

Remember to consider your calorie surplus as well. If your consuming enough calories to maintain your current body weight, how do you expect to build more muscle mass? You won’t actually. You need to add a surplus of around 250-500 calories a day.

Eat at least One-gram of protein per pound of bodyweight
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#2 Take it Easy on the Carbs after a Workout

Carbs are great for rebuilding muscle don’t get me wrong here, and they are great on rest days. However, some new evidence is pointing to carbs slowing down the rate in which your body breaks down protein.

If you are going to embark on eating carbs select slower digesting carbohydrates so you will get a steady release of insulin over time. This will further help to keep your mass gains leaner. So this means putting high-quality foods down your throat such as whole grains, sweet potatoes, fruit, and vegetables.

#3 Consume More Protein

This seems like a no brainer I know, but you would be surprised that people often don’t make the switch when they start exercising. It’s very simple if you are trying to pack on weight you need to eat more protein. Think of protein intake like the bricks that are used to build your, “house”.

Most males will require around 1 grams of protein per pound of body weight while building muscle. You will want to consume foods that are rich in protein – eggs, cottage cheese, nuts fish and of course meat.

#4 Exercise Your Big Muscle Groups

Always remember this, if you exercise your largest muscle group it will lead to the most gains. Not only this but for instance if you train leg’s it can actually stimulate natural testosterone and growth hormone.

Besides if you don’t have strong legs, the rest of your body is just sitting on a weak foundation.

Squats & Deadlifts increase the release of Growth Hormone & Testosterone more than any other exercise.
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#5 Get lots of Sleep

This has been said time and time again in my blog posts, but it’s so critical for muscle growth. Recovery is very important and your muscles are growing in your sleep.  Without the sufficient amount of sleep, you will not make progress and give your body time to rebuild and repair muscle fibers.

It’s important to remember SOME people may need less sleep than others, but generally you want to shoot for around eight hours of sleep every day.

#6 Drink lots of Water

If your body is dehydrated forget performing at your peak, whether it’s mentally or physically for that matter.  To make sure you are performing at your peak, you must always make sure you are hydrated. Always drink a sufficient amount of water during the day.

If possible grab water with electrolytes, and especially have a water bottle handy if you are engaging in a very serious workout session.  Water will help regulate your body hear when lifting weights and deliver electrolytes to our muscles during the lift.

Remember this quick fact, your muscles are 80% water.

#7 Take it easy on Cardio

All right it’s important not to take this tip too far. What I mean by this is you need to make sure you’re not doing EXCESSIVE cardio. Burning a ton of calories will only make it more of an uphill battle when trying to gain muscle mass.  For example let’s say you’re a male and your calorie intake to maintain your body weight is 2800 calories, if you burn 800 on an intense run, you will have to replace the calories along with adding 300-500 additional calories for weight gain.

Again a run here and there is not going to make or break your gains, however if you’re doing an intense regiment you need to concerned, with it’s effects on your bodies ability to retain calories.

#8 Build Lean Muscle With Interesting Recipes 

If you’re not enjoying the foods your eating on your weight gain quest then it’s going to be especially hard to stay on track. It’s important to keep your food interesting and to keep it to things you enjoy eating.  This way at least your enjoying consuming more calories than normal.

Here’s two FREE Recipes from my mass building e-book:

Thai Beef Spinach Salad

5 oz. lean beef steak cut into thin strips 1 Tbsp. olive oil
1⁄4 clove garlic minced
1⁄2 red onion, finely sliced

2 cups spinach leaves
1 large carrot, chopped 1 Tbsp. olive oil

1 tbsp. lime juice 1 tbsp. soy sauce 1 tbsp. fish sauce 1 tsp. vinegar

2 tsp. white sugar 1 Tbsp. crushed chili 1⁄4 cup peanuts

Heat the olive oil in a medium skillet, add garlic, and then sauté the beef. Once browned, remove from skillet and toss together with the rest of the salad ingredients.

In another bowl, combine together the lime juice, soy sauce, fish sauce, vinegar, white sugar, and chili. Drizzle over salad and top with peanuts.

Nutrition Information (Makes 1 serving): 729 calories, 31 grams of carbs, 46 grams of fat, 56 grams of protein

Healthy Chicken Pizza

2 soft whole wheat tortilla

2 tbsp. tomato sauce

150 grams chicken breast, cut into pieces

1 sliced red pepper

5-6 sliced mushrooms

1 sliced green onion

1⁄2 cup reduced fat mozzarella cheese

Smear the tortilla with tomato sauce. Top with chicken breast, diced red pepper, mushrooms, and green onion.

Sprinkle cheese over top and then bake for 5-6 minutes or until tortilla is starting to crisp. Turn to broil and cook for another 1-2 minutes or until cheese is melted.

Serve immediately.

Nutrition Information (Makes 1 serving): 642 calories, 42 grams of carbs, 9 grams of fat, 61 grams of protein

For more muscle building recipes you can check out my eBook here.

Conclusion:

Well, now you have a good idea just what to incorporate when trying to put on muscle. Remember not one of these tips will be your answer it’s going to be a mixture of all of them together. So next time you are trying to bulk remember this list and soon you will be on your way to getting swollen!

-Terry Asher