Building Muscle - How to Gain Lean Muscle

Many men and women see the bodies of bodybuilders and fitness models and think that having that kind of physique is totally unattainable for them. This is almost certainly untrue. The facts are that although it does take lots of hard work and dedication, most of us can have the body of a fitness model if we are willing to put in the time and effort required. To get into the muscular, athletic shape that you desire, it takes a balance of a good, muscle-building exercise regimen combined with and a well designed diet. Here are several tips to remember when striving to gain lean muscle and lose excess body fat.

Eat Right:

When trying to build muscle and lose fat, what you eat is just as important as your workout. Many spend hours in the gym every week and see little progress because they do not stick to the right diet plan. When trying to build muscle be sure to take in the proper amount of protein for your body-weight. A good rule to follow is to consume one gram of protein per pound of body weight. This means that if you currently weigh 170 lbs., you should be eating 170 grams of protein a day while trying to gain muscle. Good sources of protein include lean meats - like chicken and fish - egg whites and protein shakes. Protein is the building block of muscles and you will not see an increase in your muscle mass unless you take in the proper amount of protein each day.

Try to keep the rest of your diet healthy when attempting to gain muscle mass, but do not eat so little that you put your body into a calorie deficit. Eat a balanced diet with a source of quality carbohydrates and a portion of healthy fats at every meal. Carbohydrates provide the fuel that you need to power through your workouts. A moderate amount of 'good' fat is essential for overall health, and you need to keep in tip-top health to optimize your training.

Stick to a Proper Workout Regimen:

A good workout routine to follow when trying to gain muscle is to work out five days a week, and allow your body two days a week to rest. A good beginning to each workout is a 15 to 20 minute cardio session. Cardiovascular exercise helps keep the heart and blood vessels healthy, and it can help to increase your overall energy levels. Avoid overdoing the cardio exercises or you may end up putting your body into a catabolic state and burning-off some of the lean muscle that you are working so hard to put on.

Weight training is the backbone of a muscle-building workout. Many bodybuilders follow a workout routine that includes working out each muscle group only one time per week. While this may be the ideal strategy for an advanced body builder, a beginner can stick to a program that alternates an upper-body workout one day and a lower-body workout the next. Good upper-body exercises for gaining muscle include bench presses, push-ups, overhead presses, bicep curls and triceps kickbacks. Some popular lower-body muscle-building exercises include squats, lunges, hamstring curls and dead lifts.

Do not forget to add exercises to tighten-up and strengthen the abs and core muscles. These exercises can be added during the upper-body workout or the lower-body workout, whichever you find suits you better. Classic crunches are popular for building up the abdominal muscles. Cable crunches are also great for those who are looking for a more challenging abdominal workout.

Rest Properly:

Another often overlooked aspect of a muscle-building lifestyle is making sure that you rest properly. Proper sleep allows your muscles to repair themselves quickly. When muscles repair themselves is actually when they are getting bigger and stronger. Sleep at least eight hours a night, and take at least two days of a week from working out entirely. Soon, you will start developing the muscular body that you have always wanted.