Building Lean Muscle
With Weight Training
for More Muscle Mass

So how do we go about building lean muscle and not piling on lards of definition blurring fat instead?

Well, for one, when engaged in weight training for more muscle mass, don't be obsessed with the scale.

Sure, it can help guide you, but if moving the scale upward is what you focus on, you're sure to add a lot of fat gain.

If you're going to use the scale make sure to also get a pair of skinfold calipers so you can monitor how much of the added weight is muscle and how much of it is fat.

Now, having said that, don't be afraid to add fat.

I know, I know, but go with me a minute. Yes, you're goal is building lean muscle through weight training, but unless you are a genetic freak (and I mean that in a good way), you're most likely going to have to add a little fat along with your muscle mass.

That's just the way it is. That's why I want you to get skinfold calipers as well. Adding five pounds of fat is really know big deal if it comes along with 15 pounds of muscle. But you don't want the scale going up 20 pounds only to find out it's 5 pounds of muscle and 15 pounds of fat!

Let's take a look at some of the best exercises for building lean muscle that you can use in your weight training program for more muscle mass now.

Quads

• Squat

  Did you really think I was going to say something else? Wimpy leg extensions, maybe? Yeah, go for the burn and tear up your knees while you're add it. But you won't build huge quads from leg extensions. I know squats are brutally hard work. And that's why they are so freaking effective. If you want to bulid slabs of muscle all over your body, you need to squat.

Hamstrings

• The Stiff Legged Deadlift (knees slightly bent)

  Sorry, no leg curls here. Once again, it's the hard exercise using a lot of weight that is most effective for building massive hamstrings that aren't overshadowed by overdeveloped quad muscles.

Calves

• Standing Calf Raises

  Basic is better. You can use a heck of a lot of weight on this exercise. Go for it. An alternative is to do them on a leg press machine.

Chest

• Dips

  Surprised that it's not the bench press? Sure, the bench press is the most popular chest exercise. That doesn't make it the best. First off, it's not a hard exercise. You lie flat on your back. Yeah, that's real tough. Try an all out set of dips versus the bench press and you tell me which has you working harder. I guarantee you, it'll be the dips.

  The flat bench press can wreak havoc on your shoulders and rotator cuff. It puts them in a very awkward position.

  The dips works your chest, triceps and shoulders more thoroughly and effectively than the flat bench press does. Many people have called it the upper body squat. If you want to build massive muscles through the chest and shoulder area, make dips a focal point of your weight training program.

  I have to give honorable mention to my personal favorite when it comes to building lean muscle in the chest and that's the decline bench press. This weight training exercise is much easier on the shoulder and rotator cuffs than the flat bench press. In addition, it puts the stress of the exercise more squarely on the chest instead of the triceps and front delts. If you have long arms, this is a much better choice for muscle mass than the flat bench press.

Midback and Lower Back

• Deadifts

  Yes, another exercise that far too few trainees perform. Yet, it should be the cornerstone of your back training program. The deadlift works your back like no other exercise can. Yes, like the squat and stiff-legged deadlift, it's brutally hard. BUt it works. Learn to like hard work.

Lats

• Chins

  Chins, not lat pulldowns. If you can't do enough chins now, work hard on lat pulldowns until you can. Once you are strong enough, go to chins for your lat development.

Building Lean Muscle in the Shoulders (Delts)

• Dumbbell Upright Rows

  Why not some form of overhead press? Because overhead presses focus more on the front delt. To hit the bulk of the muscle, you need to hit the side head, which involved moving your upper arm out to the side. So you'd think lateral raises.

  However, this is a light exercise. You can't really overload the delts with side lateral raises. It's not the best shoulder exercise for building lean muscle.

  So what's left? Dumbbell Upright Rows done the right way. You gotta do these with dumbbells, not a barbell. This allows you the freedom of movement to do them in the most productive manner.

  As you pull the dumbbells up, your upper arms should move slightly out to your sides as you lean slightly forward. Your upper arms move into the same finishing position as if it were a lateral raise but your forearms finish as if you were doing a row. You can use more weight this way and it really overloads the delts and traps. This weight training exercise will add muscle mass to your shoulders.

Triceps

• Dips

  Yep, the same exercise as for chest is the best exercise for building lean muscle in the triceps. To emphasize the triceps more, make sure your body is straigh up and down as you lower and raise yourself each rep.

  If you want a separate exercise, go with the close grip bench press. I prefer doing this on a decline as opposed to a flat bench. There is less emphasis on the shoulders. It's also easier on your wrist if you use an EZ Curl Bar instead of a straight bar. My third choice would be the lying tricep extension with an EZ Curl bar, also done on a decline.

  If you want a really effective routine for building lean muscle in the arms, try the following:

  For triceps do one rep of super slow dips - 30 seconds down, 30 seconds up and 30 seconds down. For biceps do the same on chins. You'll probably have to work up to it. Start with 30 seconds up and 30 seconds down.

Biceps

• Standing Dumbbell Curls

  The dumbbell curl is much more effective than the barbell curl or ez curl bar curl for a couple of reasons. First, the ability to supinate your hand adds to the effectiveness. The barbell curl also has a tendency to place more emphasis on the forearms than the biceps as you curl the weight up.

  The ez curl bar is not effective for the biceps as it puts your hands in a position that de-emphasizes bicep contraction. Go with the dumbbells and supinate your hand as you curl so that your pinky is above your thumb at the top of the rep.

When focusing on building lean muscle, no matter what kind of weight training routine you use, make sure to include most of these muscle mass builders as often as possible. This way, you'll be sure to get the most muscle building bang for your buck from every routine you use.

For a lot more articles on building lean muscle, weight training, and gaining muscle mass, check out our weightlifting articles