Build Lean Muscle

Tips to Build Lean Muscle Mass Fast

Can you build lean muscle? You might think it's impossible when you look at all the people who struggle building muscle mass. You might even think you need the genetics of a pro bodybuilder, or maybe even a pro bodybuilder's drug connection, to add muscle mass to your body.

Let me assure you, if you want to build lean muscle then you've come to the right place.

While you may not have the genetics to be a pro bodybuilder or have 20 inch arms, you can definitely add enough muscle mass to your body to turn a before into an after and look better than 95% of the population.

An important muscle building key is that you forget about the weight training routines the top bodybuilders use.

Their genetics alone make them practically another species, not to mention the drugs.

But with the correct weight lifting programs, the right muscle building diet and lots of hard work, you can build lean muscle mass and make incredible changes to your body.

After all, I'm as naturally skinny as they get. I started training at 141 pounds and I weighed in this morning at 192 pounds.

Not all of it is muscle, but most of it. I'm not ripped, but I'm not fat, either. I've added over 3 inches to each arm!

So, let's review some weight training tips that will help you build lean muscle, too.

Build lean muscle with progressive overload: I'm sure you've heard of the overload principle. But how many people in your gym adhere to it? If it's like any of the gyms I've been in, the answer is not many.

Most people are using the same workout poundages day after day, month after month, and year after year. How can you expect to build lean muscle if you don't challenge those muscles by increasing the weights you use on your weight lifting exercises?

Don't forget post-workout nutrition:

Proper post-workout nutrition is crucial when it comes to muscle building. If you want to build muscle mass, you absolutely MUST have a post-workout shake.

Here is a version of my favorite muscle building post-workout shake.

1 1/2 cups of Orange Juice
40 grams of whey protein isolate (I use vanilla 100% Whey from Optimum Nutrition)
1 serving Creatine
1 cup frozen fruit (raspberries, strawberries, blueberries)

You can alter this any number of ways to suit your taste buds. You could add banana, or even some yogurt, which will also make the shake a little thicker in its consistency. To turn these muscle building shakes into more of a smoothie, you'll want to add some ice as well.

One thing I've found that has helped my progress is to add a few more calories than I normally would and then drink part of the smoothie right before my workout, or even sip some of it during my workout so my muscles are constantly getting the nutrients they need, both to power my workout and to recover from it.

If your goal is purely burning fat, you don't have to add more calories, just have about a third of your shake before your workout and the rest as soon as you've finished your training session.

Consider creating your own pre and post-workout muscle building supplements and smoothies so you can build lean muscle mass fast.

If You Want to Build Lean Muscle - Train Your Legs! - You have to build your lower body if you want to gain muscle mass, even if you are interested in bigger arms. Your body will only allow itself to get so far out of wack. If you want to add muscular body weight you need to train your legs and train them hard.

So what does this mean for gaining muscle mass? You've probably seen this answer in other articles on this site, but it's worth repeating. Squat - Yes, squat. If you are at all serious about gaining quality weight in the form of lots of muscle, you'll begin squatting as is your life depended on it. Your ability to gain a lot of muscle sure does.

I recently wrote an article for my newsletter Mass Building Tips about how to gain an inch on your arms in one week.

I received the following email from one of my subscribers, "Do you have to build your legs to have big arms? Because I dont work my lower body."

Sadly, this is true of a lot of people who train with weights.

I had a friend in college who only trained biceps, triceps and chest. And he wondered why he couldn't build lean muscle after awhile.

Your legs and your back are your body's biggest muscles. If you want to build lean muscle, you have to train your back and legs hard. I think the two most muscle buliding exercises around are the deadlift and the squat.

Unfortunately, you rarely see anyone working these exercises hard in the gym. Even worse, most so-called gyms discourage this kind of work and don't even have power racks. If you can find a gym with a power rack, become a member!

Back to squats. Squats are the absolute king of weight gain exercises, bar none. If you hate to squat you can do one of two things - you can forget about gaining lots of muscle, or you can learn to love the results you get from squatting so that you learn to love the squat itself. Hard work on the squat is a surefire way to build lean muscle.

And the best way to make squats work for you and work fast is to do them in 20 rep breathing style. What does this mean? In short, it means be prepared to do the hardest work you've ever done in your lifting career. Progress comes with a price and that price is hard work on the squat.

You need to use all the weight you can handle and then add some more. Since the squat is the toughest weight lifting exercise you can do physically, it's also the toughest mentally.

Your mind gives in on the squat well before your body does. If you want to gain lots of muscle, you need to put an end to that. Everything you have has to go into your squatting program.

Hard work on the squat is the single most important thing you can do to ensure your bodybuilding success. Forget about the latest greatest high tech routine or the newest supplement fad. The key component to any program you do is hard work. Hard work will take you much further than your choice of exercises, sets or reps.

The key to the success of rapidly gaining muscle mass by squatting is the amount of work you put into it. After your warm ups, load the bar to a weight you normally do 10 reps with. Now, do 20 reps.

No, I'm not kidding. Like I said before, the squat is the most mental exercise there is. I've never seen anyone, when properly prepared mentally, fail to get 20 reps with their 10 rep weight.

When you're finished, stagger over to a bench. If you can walk, you didn't work hard enough. Flop over the bench and do a set of light pullovers, 20 reps, with no more than 25 pounds. Get a good stretch.

Do this twice a week for 6 weeks. Each time add 5 pounds to the bar from your previous workout. That's 12 workouts and a 60 pound increase in your squat weight. You can do this. And you will build lean muscle. Fast.

Remind yourself each time you workout, you only have X more workouts to go. Think about it, it's just 12 sets over 6 weeks. You can do that, right? Of course you can, if you want to gain weight as badly as you say you do.

If you don't get your squat up to over 300 pounds on this program eventually, you aren't going to get the muscle gains that you want. If you do, you'll build lean muscle. In fact, you'll build a heck of a lot of muscle mass!

There are plenty of muscle building articles available, including a variety of weight training routines, muscle building tips, muscle building diets and more. Check out lots of Muscle Building Articles