In order to gain lean muscle you need to build muscle and lose body fat at the same time rather than just concentrate on putting on mass and worry about losing the fat later. Obviously this can be easier said than done. The mistake most people make is just trying to bulk up and they don’t realise that they are outing on fat also. After all there’s no point having all that muscle if it’s buried under a layer of fat.

A mistake many people make when trying to gain muscle is not eating properly . You should be eating 5-6 meals a day of good quality calories, not junk food, and should aim for roughly 50% carbohydrates, 25% proteins and 25% good fats. Foods such as lean meat, egg whites, pasta, brown rice, and lots of green veggies are ideal. It’s also important to make sure you get enough water. Lots of water is a must. You should be drinking roughly 2-4L a day depending on your caloric intake, paying special attention to before, during and after a workout. Your body performs best when it is hydrated.

To achieve muscle growth correctly you need to use the right exercises and get plenty of rest between workouts. Growth hormone levels rise 30-45 minutes after you fall asleep, so if you’re serious about gaining lean muscle you also need to be serious about your sleep.

The best way to gain lean muscle is with brief high intensity weight training and low intensity, long duration fat burning activities such as walking or jogging. The reason that cardio is so important is that it helps shed that fat and create muscle definfition. In other words you will appear more muscular than just bigger. Over time the intensity will increase and you must still make sure to get plenty of rest to allow your muscles time to repair and grow optimally.  A rough guide is to gain one pound of body weight per week, any more and you are putting on more fat than muscle. Follow these simple tips and you should be on your way to gaining some lean muscle

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