There are many different techniques and ideas when talking abouthow to build lean muscle. Some are effective and some aren't.The key is to understand some of the basic fundamentals so thatyou can put together, and use, programs that will help you buildmuscle mass as quickly and easily as possible.
Here are some tips you can use to build lean muscle and developeffective weight training programs.
It's important that you use a training program that is designedto help you gain weight and build muscle. I know this soundsobvious but many people miss the point.
I've had people ask me for training advice because they can'tseem to add weight. Then I find out they are eating only two orthree meals a day, not getting enough protein, not gettingenough total calories, and they are extremely active,participating in endurance, calorie burning sports such asbasketball and soccer.
Not to mention the problems with their weight training routine -wimpy isolation exercises on machines, two hour workouts, nottraining with enough intensity, etc.
Use Multijoint (compound) Exercises
This seems like an obvious tip but I'm reminded every time Istep foot into a gym that very few people understand it. Itamazes me how many people who are trying to build lean muscleare toiling away on machine dominated weight training routinesand isolation exercises with wimpy weights.
And when I say wimpy weights, I'm not knocking anyone. We allstart somewhere and we all have limitations. Heck, there are alot of people that can lift heavier weights than I can.
What I mean by wimpy weights are based on exercise selection.Anyone can use a lot more weight on seated shoulder presses witha barbell than they can on a lateral raise machine. If you wantto learn how to build lean muscle, remember this tip. Alwayssubstitute multijoint exercises for isolation exercises.
Basic compound movements are an essential key when it comes tohow to build lean muscle. This means exercises like squats,deadlifts, bench presses, stiff legged deadlifts, bent-overrows, close-grip bench presses, chin ups, lat pulldowns, closegrip bench presses, and barbell curls.
When your focus is on how to build lean muscle, stay away fromisolation exercises. This means exercises like flyes,concentration curls, leg curls, leg extensions, lateral raises,etc. Stick to the basics.
There's a reason the basics are hard and a reason the guys whoavoid them don't gain muscle mass the way they want. You candevise a fantastic muscle building weight lifting program with ahandful of the big, basic exercises.
Stick To A Limited Number of Sets
You're not training for a marathon. You want to build musclemass. Forget two hour workouts with an endless number ofexercises and sets. All you'll do is burn out, overtrain, andNOT build muscle!
It's just not necessary to go to the gym every day, do 20 setbody part routines with a gazillion different exercises to"blast the muscle from all angles." What a joke! Forget theroutines of the "champion's", or the big guy in your gym whogains muscle mass just by thinking about training.
Workout hard, heavy and infrequently on the big basic exerices,get enough rest and good nutrition, add weight to your exerciseswhenever possible, and you'll build muscle. Some of you willlearn how to build muscle and build a lot of it and fast, andsome of you will take a long time to add a measly five pounds.That's where genetics come into play. But you can maximize yourpotential as quickly as possible by following these rules.
Use Heavy Weights
When I say use heavy weights, I mean what's heavy for you. Imean stick to lower rep sets. Forget the high rep "pumping" setsfor now. If 100 pounds on the bench press is heavy for you, thenthat's a heavy weight. Don't compare yourself to anyone else.
Sure, you'll probably want a little variety but you can get thatwhen you stick to low reps. You can use such weight liftingtechniques as the five-sets-of-five system (2 warm-up sets offive, and then three sets of as heavy a weight as you can usefor five reps per set); the three sets of three format; thefive, four, three, two, one system; progressively heaviersingles, and, when you crave something really different (not tomention brutally tough and very effective try the eight by eightsystem (you can read about it at http://www.buildleanmuscle.com).
Get Some Rest!
Your muscle grow when you are resting, not when you are workingout. You need to give your muscles enough rest and recuperationto allow the building process to take place. If you head back tothe gym too soon, you won't build muscle. Eventually, you'll getweaker, lose muscle mass, feel like crap, and stop working out.And you definitely don't want that to happen.
Your whole body needs rest. Working back one day, chest thenext, and legs the day after that may give your individualmuscles some rest but this is definitely not how to build leanmuscle. Why? Because each workout puts a systemic stress on yourentire body, no matter what muscle groups you are working. Yourkidneys, etc. don't understand or care that you are workingdifferent muscle groups each day. So get out of the gym, getsome rest, and grow!
About the author:Gregg Gillies is the founder of Build Lean Muscle.comHis articles have appeared in Ironman Magazine. He has writtentwo books and writes for Body Talk Magazine. He publishes a freenewsletter available at his site. See how you can get acustomized nutrition plan at http://www.mynutritionjournal.com
