Lean and Mean - How to Get Lean Muscle

What is Lean Muscle Anyway?

When someone says that they are trying to build "lean muscle" they are actually referring to having a fairly decent amount of muscle while appearing lean at the same time. In other words, how to get lean muscle has more to do with tightening them than bulking them up.

Caloric Deficit

In reality the aim of achieving lean muscle has to do with losing fat, NOT muscle. Most people say that they want to lose weight through cardio exercises. What they fail to realize is that weight is a very tangible concept that can denote anything from water content, muscle, fat or glycogen.

Weight Loss Should Be Achieved With Weight Training!

Weight lifting (also referred to as strength training) keeps the metabolism elevated while shifting weight loss to fat stores instead of precious muscle. Losing fat also requires a "caloric deficit". A caloric deficit is what happens if a person consumes less calories than her/his body needs to make the body burn energy for the tasks that it needs to perform for the duration of the entire day like moving, breathing, digesting what you had for breakfast and other tasks.

Of course, the body needs to burn calories for the energy it needs, a nutrient that will be hard to come by in case of a caloric deficit. As a result the body will look for alternate sources of fuel to burn. The next in line would be stored fat. However its choice of fuel can also be lean muscle tissue.

Muscles grow through proper nutrition intake and training. This would involve eating the right foods, training with the right equipment and getting enough rest. However, in their quest to build lean muscle most people often go overboard with their nutrient intake in a bid to add bulk first and "cut" off the fat after through exercise.
But how does a person avoid cutting off the muscle as well? Here is how -
Protein

This particular nutrient is by far the most important dietary requirement for maintaining muscle. How to get lean muscle through it? A person will be able to lose fat and maintain muscle mass if he/she consumes enough protein throughout the day. A gram of protein per body weight is an achievable goal for people who want to know how to get lean muscle. Foods like fish, meat, eggs and meat are a staple diet for those who are trying to build muscle mass while dealing with a caloric deficit.

The human body is designed to get rid of muscle and fat while it loses weight. Call it a survival mechanism. Some body types are better suited to facilitate simultaneous muscle and fat than others. For example if a person happens to be significantly overweight he/she may be able to increase muscle mass even on a caloric deficit.

Training is the only way to let the body know that it needs muscle. This is also why most people rely on strength training exercises. The key to maintaining such vigorous training is to rest up while the muscles repair themselves for the next workout.

Building a Fat Loss Routine

Your weight training efforts should be focused on 3 full body workouts per week. Try not to think about your body as isolated body parts. Rather, use large compound movements such as squats, deadlifts, pull ups and overhead presses to build lean muscle and loss fat when calories are low.
David Haas is an engineer and body transformation expert author. His primary site is NeMuscle.com where he provides many articles that outline ways to build lean muscle and burn fat. On his site, you can also learn more about how many reps to build muscle.
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