Many people want to add lean muscle—and you can find a lot of bad advice on the internet.
So here’s the real deal: seven simple but effective tips to help you add muscle but not fat.
Keep in mind that this is very general info. For the best results, consult a qualified coach who can create a plan that’s tailored to you and your goals.
One more note: Remember that anyone who promises extreme muscle growth in a very short amount of time is either selling snake oil or steroids. Adding muscle is a slow, steady process that involves sound training, excellent nutrition and adequate rest over a period of months and years. If you are looking for a quick fix, this article probably isn’t for you.
But don’t worry: The investment is more than worth it, and you will see physical changes and strength improvements all along the way as you work toward your ultimate goal.
1. Work out Regularly
You must do the work, and you must keep doing the work.
The exact plan will vary depending on a person’s goals, physiology and training experience, but here’s a general starting point: Work out three to five times a week for about an hour.
2. Train Properly
So what should you do in your workouts to add lean muscle? The answer is resistance training.
In many cases, people will do conditioning work to lose body fat, which makes muscle more visible, and certain high-intensity interval workouts can help you build muscle. But the most direct path is to lift weights.
Here are some very general starting points:
- Workouts should include a selection of movements that work all major muscle groups: legs, arms, shoulders, chest and back.
- Some people will divide that list up and focus on just one body part per day, some will hit the entire body in a single workout, and others will combine certain body parts. For example, it’s common to see people work the chest and back on one day, shoulders and legs on another, and so on.
- In a workout, use about two different exercises per body part and perform 2-3 sets of 6-12 reps of each exercise. Rest 30-90 seconds between sets.
- It’s OK to work the same body part twice a week as long as you give it time to rest (see below).
- Select loads that are challenging by the final rep—and it’s OK if you can’t quite get the last rep in the last set. That means you worked “to failure,” which can help muscles grow.
3. Use Compound Movements and Isolation Movements
Isolation movements work a select muscle or muscle group, while compound movements work many muscles at once.
It’s common to use dumbbells and machines for isolation work and barbells for compound movements, but that isn’t a hard and fast rule.
Compound movements give you an impressive bang for your buck: A squat works a ton of muscles in the legs and core, for example. On the other hand, isolation movements allow you to give more attention to a specific body part, such as the biceps.
To gain muscle, a combination of compound and isolation movements can work wonders.
4. Eat the Right Amount of Protein
Muscles need protein to grow, and many people don’t eat enough. You’ll see lots of internet arguments about how much is “enough.” There are lots of different opinions, and some people need more protein than others.
Here’s a very general guideline that a coach can tailor to your goals, physiology, preferences and training style: Every day, consume 0.7 to 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight. So a 170-lb. person might eat 119-170 grams of protein in a day.
5. Eat (Exactly) Enough
To gain muscle, you’ll need to eat the right amount of food. This can be tricky: If you eat too much of the wrong stuff, you can end up gaining unwanted fat. If you eat too little, you’ll likely struggle to add mass.
I won’t provide a specific prescription here—it’s best to get a personalized plan from a coach. I’ll just say that an expert can help you determine the number of calories you need to build muscle without adding fat.
6. Rest and Recover
When you work out, you “stress” your muscles and cause them to grow in response. If you repeatedly over-stress them and never give them time to rebuild, they won’t grow.
How often should you take a rest day? Again, it varies from person to person, but most people rest for a day after two or three days of training.
7. Work With a Coach
If you’ve read this far, you know that a personalized plan will produce the best results. There are so many variables in fitness that it’s best to get some help if you aren’t an expert yourself.
An experienced coach can answer all your questions, put together a perfect plan and alter it regularly so you keep adding lean muscle and moving closer to your goals.
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