Every man wants to know how to build lean muscle fast. But there is a right way and a wrong way to go about it. Many of the weight training methods and muscle building diet guys are using just aren’t as effective as they think. So today we’ll look at the most effective way for building lean muscle mass.
When people ask me for advice in the gym about how to gain weight and build lean muscle mass, I usually ask them a few questions like, “What muscle building exercises are you doing… How many meals are you eating a day… How many calories are you eating a day… How long are your weight training sessions…Usually they will not be able to answer the questions I throw at them which leads me to believe that they are obviously missing something in their muscle building program. And today we’re going to find out what YOU are missing.
The most effective way to learn how to build lean muscle is by understanding the basic fundamentals. But don’t be fooled by the term “basic.” This isn’t beginner stuff. What I’m about to tell you are the core principals you need to know in order to put on serious muscle mass in the shortest time possible.
Use Compound Multi-Jointed Exercises
Your goal when you’re in the gym is to stimulate the most muscle fiber possible. By using compound lifts you’ll be able to stimulate more muscle groups instead of isolating just one muscle group. This is why you should limit the number of isolation exercises you do. They won’t be as effective if you want to build the most lean muscle possible in the shortest amount of time.
Below, I’ve listed multi-jointed movements you want to focus on in your core weight training routine. I’ve also included the muscle groups that are being worked.
- Bench press (chest, shoulders, triceps
- Pull-ups & barbell rows (back, biceps)
- Overhead press (shoulders, triceps)
- Squats (legs, lower back)
- Bar Dips (shoulders, chest, arms)
- Deadlifts (legs, back, shoulders)
These are the “holy grail” of muscle-building workouts and this is how to build lean muscle. It overloads your entire muscular system like no machine ever could.
Lift Heavy Weights
This should go without saying, but I’ll say it anyway. To build lean muscle you need to lift enough weight to force your body to grow and adapt.
By heavy weight, I mean a weight that’s challenging for YOU to lift. Don’t worry about what the guy next to you is lifting. That’s a trap many guys in the gym fall into… They compare themselves to the guy benching 300 pounds so they feel like they need to lift a ridiculous amount of weight so they pile on the weight and either end up hurting themselves or using terrible form and completely wasting their workout.
So how do you know if the weight is heavy enough for you… Or TOO heavy for you? It’s simple. You should only be able to complete between 8 – 12 reps with good form. Any more than that and the weight is too light for you.
When you’re training to increase lean muscle mass, using a rep range of 7 – 12 reps will yield you the biggest size gains. And a rep range of 1 – 6 reps will give you more strength gains than muscle size gains.
Marathon Training Sessions Is NOT How To Build Lean Muscle Mass!
Lifting heavy weights for longer than 60 minutes in the gym will do you more harm than good. When you’re trying to build lean muscle your job in the gym is to break down your muscles as quick as possible so you can get out of there and eat and rest.
When you weight train for an hour, your body begins to enter a catabolic state, otherwise known as a negative nitrogen balance, where it begins to break down muscle tissue for energy. Obviously this is not helpful to build lean muscle.
So your job is to get in and get out in under 60 – 75 minutes. Got it?
Another point you need to know about overtraining is how many days a week you should train. Ideally I find it’s best to workout using a 3-day split. You need to give your body time to repair and build new muscle tissue so taking a day off in between training days is crucial especially for hardgainers.
Here is an example workout that shows you how to build lean muscle:
- Monday – Chest, Shoulders, Triceps
- Tuesday – Rest
- Wednesday – Legs
- Thursday – Rest
- Friday – Arms, back, biceps
- Saturday – Rest
- Sunday – Rest
This guide should have given you a better understanding of how to build lean muscle quickly by following a simple set of principals. Simply stick to your workout plan, stick to your diet, and get plenty of rest and soon you’ll be adding slabs of lean muscle to your frame.
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