Top Tips For Building Lean Muscle

If you’re looking to lose weight, tone up and get fit then you’ll need to try and build up some lean muscle. Muscle can burn up to 50 calories per day to maintain itself, whilst fat will only burn something like three calories per day. Therefore, it’s an accumulative effect: the more muscle you build, the more fat you will burn off and the more weight you will lose.

So how do you go about building up this lean muscle? The first thing to do is to develop a well-balanced training programme to work on all your key muscle groups. If you’re unsure how to do this then you should consider hiring a personal trainer, at least initially, to work out the best routine for you.

Your muscle-building routine should be a combination of cardio and compound exercises. You should aim for about 45 minutes of intensive cardio three times a week. This will help you burn off excess fat before you start to tone your muscles. The compound exercises your trainer devises for you should work muscles and joints simultaneously. You should rotate these exercises daily, giving some muscles a chance to recover whilst you work on building others.

Taking some kind of whey protein supplement in a shake form can help to build up lean muscle quicker. Whey protein helps you develop lean muscle as it contains branch chain amino acids which are needed for muscle growth and regeneration. It is rapidly absorbed by the body so it can help your muscles recover quicker and more efficiently between work-outs. There are plenty of different whey protein supplements available, but make sure you choose one made by a reputable supplier that is recognised by respected nutritional experts.

It is also important, when trying to build up lean muscle, to restrict your calorie intake slightly. There’s no need to go overboard because you still need the calories to give you energy for exercising, but you should be able to look at your diet and cut your intake by around 250 calories per day. This will give you body less time to build up fat and your work-outs will be more effective. Avoid unhealthy, fatty foods such as pizza, chips, crisps or cake.

When you do eat, the rule is to have around six small meals throughout the day rather than three large meals. This will mean you can maintain your energy levels throughout the day and it will actually prevent cravings for ‘bad’ foods as well. Try to combine both protein and complex carbohydrates in each small meal – for example some lean meat on a wholemeal roll with some salad for lunch. Lastly, make sure you drink plenty of water throughout the day to keep your body hydrated.