How to Get Lean Muscle

How to Get Lean Muscle - How to Cut Fat 23 Hours After Your Workout

That would be a weightlifter/model's dream come true, wouldn't it? To work out for about an hour, then go about your life doing other things and still have fat melting off your body. The muscle industry and commercial shows like "The Biggest Loser" have popularized the motif, "no pain, no gain." Which is true, if you want to effectively lose weight. However, if you want to lose fat, not weight (yes there is a difference), you'll want to work out as short as possible while maximizing muscular gain. Stop doing cardio and learn how to cut fat the efficient way.

See, the problem with cardio is that once you stop doing it, you stop cutting fat. Also, when you're doing cardio you can't help but lose muscle as well. Cardio is akin to long distance running. It's all aerobic exercise which will strip your body of muscle to fuel the exercise, then turn to the emergency storage, fat. Unless you want to lose all the muscle that you spent forever gaining, then by all means keep on doing cardio. But if you want to keep your muscle and lose fat, you'll want to do more of what you're doing to gain muscle. That's right, by lifting weights, you can get shredded. Sounds crazy but it's true!

What's the golden rule of cutting fat? The amount of energy you take in has to be less than the energy you lose from working out, right? Keeping this in mind, cardio does work because you do burn more energy than you take in. The reason why it's not very efficient is because, like we discussed, our fat loss ends when the workout ends and our muscle density is also compromised. The reason why weight lifting is the way to go is because it's a very fast way to reach an energy deficit (by pushing your muscles to muscle overload).

In the recovery stage, your muscles are rebuilding themselves and your metabolism will speed up and try and reach a state of equilibrium in your body by turning to your emergency fat storages. This might last for 2 or 3 hours, depending on how intense your work out was. Or it could last a whole 23 hours after a one hour work out. You could be watching TV, reading a book, playing poker with your mates, whatever... you can theoretically lose fat while just chilling essentially.

This does work but of course, you'll need proper guidance, a well structured work out routine and a dependable meal plan to make sure your body can handle such a dynamic change.

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How to Get Big, Lean Muscles

Warning: this article is not for men who are looking for a short term fix for a long term problem. If you sincerely want to learn how to get lean muscle on your body, the basics about the kind of weights to lift, as well as how to lift them will be covered in this article. A muscle program at the end will be provided to tie it altogether and kickstart your muscle growth.

The first how to get lean muscle rule is this: lift progressively heavier weights. That's it. If the weights you lift gradually get heavier and heavier, you will build lean muscle. Of course you have to make sure that each workout you lift, the workout is more intense. For example, if you're lifting 20 lbs x 10 repetitions your overall load is 300 lbs. If you think you can take 30 lbs but you only do 4 repetitions your overall load will be 280 lbs. This means that either your muscle hasn't had enough time to recover, your diet isn't providing enough sustenance for your muscle to grow, or a combination of the previous two.

No matter what you might have heard about, "sculpting and defining" your muscles by lifting light weights. It's a myth and lifting light weights will only burn calories (not even fat!). That's all. So forget about it. "No pain, no gain" was created with how to get lean muscle in mind.

The second how to get lean muscle rule is this: lift high reps, not high sets. This basically follows the tenet of building lean muscle, "low volume, high intensity". It's pretty common sense really. If you lift a heavy weight 2 or 3 times, your muscle won't be given enough time to react to the force. However, if you lift it 8 to 10 times, your muscle will definitely notice it and work harder to grow to better oppose the force it's subjected upon. Why not high sets? Because between each set, you're giving your muscles a break. That means your muscles are not being pushed to their utmost limit, meaning there is less muscle to repair, meaning less muscle grows.

There are obviously more rules to building lean muscle, but if you keep these two in mind, lifting progressively heavier weights and doing more reps and less sets, you will definitely see muscular growth, no matter what your body shape.

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Body Weight Exercise Tips

Body Weight Exercise Tips - How to Do More Pullups

Pullups are the best overall upper body exercise to gain muscle mass in the upper back, biceps, and rear shoulders. A wide upper back is what gives a physique the much sought after V tapered look and can be quickly achieved by doing body weight exercises like pullups. If you struggle doing pullups check out these workout tips to get stronger and build your pullup strength fast.

What do I know about Pullups?

So why listen to me when it comes to pullups? I've been doing them for 25 years and found them to be superior for gaining upper body muscle and strength. When I graduated from Marine Corps bootcamp I did 55 pullups on the final physical test which was also because I didn't have an ounce of body fat adding extra weight to my frame. I can show you a thing or two about pull ups so take a look at a few simple workouts you can use to increase your strength.

Problem #1 - You can't do any pullups

If you can't do more than 1 pullup then you need to work on building your strength. It's not uncommon for men or women to not be able to do more than 1 pullup but it is easy to build from there. If you can do 1 pullup then we have a foundation we can start from.

Start off doing 10 sets of 1 rep on the pullup bar with about 60 seconds rest in between sets. Pull yourself up as quickly as you can and lower yourself down slowly with a 2 to 3 second count. This may not seem like you are doing much but you are in fact doing a strength workout and the back and arm muscles will adapt to this. You will need to do at least 10 sets of 1 and then each workout their will be a progression so log your workout. Writing down your workout is critical to success and consistent forward development.

During the 60 seconds of rest you aren't going to be resting. You are going to do a set of pushups in strict form. This is going to make sure there is a balance being built in the rotator cuffs. For every pushing exercise you do you should offset it with 1 pulling exercise. You could do the pushups in a separate workout but it is much more effective overall to use that time for a full upper body workout. So after you do your 1 pullup jump off the bar and do 5-10 pushups in strict form. Don't worry about doing more because you are going to do 10 sets total so the cumulative effect adds up quick and your chest will get a workout.

Phase II

As soon as you are strong enough to do 2 pullups start your workout doing sets of 2 reps and continue the workout doing sets of 1 rep until you have completed 15 sets. The goal is to achieve 3 sets of 10 reps. This may take a couple months depending on your diet, rest, and recovery but once you are at 3 sets of 10 you are ready for more advanced workouts and your strength will have skyrocketed.

There should be noticeable improvement of muscle built in the upper back and arms. Do this workout 3 times a week until you can the 3 sets of 10. If you have been doing this workout for 6 weeks but still can't do 3 sets of 10 reps you'll need to make some modifications to the workout because the body will start to go stale and progress will get slower so move on to phase 3.

Phase III

In this phase there will be a goal for total reps in the shortest amount of time. If you achieved the 3 sets of 10 goal you will now move on to a much loftier goal of doing 50 total reps. If you still didn't complete the 10 sets of 3 goal you will follow this same plan but your goal will be 40 total reps.

Do as many sets as it takes to get to 40 or 50 and rest about 2 minutes in between each set. Again you can do pushups in the rest phase keeping the supersets going. You might be able to do 8 or 9 reps for your first set but then you'll be only doing 5 or 6 reps per set. Keep adding them up until you hit 50 reps. Count to see how many sets it took you to get there and how much time.

The goal in each workout will be to decrease the total amount of sets it takes you to get to your goal of 40 or 50. After 3 weeks if you still haven't reached the target of 40 or 50 reps you will begin adding another intensifier. Instead of resting 2 minutes in between sets you will rest 90 seconds. It may take you more sets to get your workout done but that is o.k. because you are tricking the body to make it adapt and not go stale. You can setup a variety of exerise plans like this using the same foundation of boot camp workouts.

Meet the Goal!

Stick to this routine 3 days per week and the results will come. Make sure to take in some high quality protein right after your workout to assist in recovery of the muscles. I suggest whey protein because it digests very quickly and will go straight to the muscle. Then an hour later have another high quality protein meal consisting of lean proteins with some carbohydrates and healthy fats. Set some goals and be consistent and the gains will come.

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Build Muscle Strength Fast

Women Love Their Men With Big and Strong Muscles - This will Help You Build Muscle Strength Fast!

Those of us guys out there looking to be more attractive to their object d'amour already know the secret: Chicks dig muscles!

The problem for some guys who want to increase muscle mass though, is how to stay motivated through the initial start up to begin seeing results in fast muscle gain. And now, science is coming through again!

A Johns Hopkins scientist, Se-Jin Lee, MD, PhD, who first showed that the absence of the protein myostatin leads to oversized muscles in mice and men has now found a second protein, follistatin, whose overproduction in mice lacking myostatin doubles the muscle-building effect.

Initially, Lee, MD, PhD, had already observed follistatin being capable of inhibiting myostatin in muscle cells grown in lab conditions. In fact, when he gave it to normal mice, they 'bulked up.'

Next, he tested it in mice that were genetically engineered to lack the myostatin gene. To his pleasant surprise, the mice that lacked myostatin and had increased follistatin, bulked to nearly four times the size of normal mice!

What will be coming next as man evolves into a being able to be four times the size of normal men now? What will the wrestling world look like? What will the world of football look like? What about the Olympics? What about the world of fashion?

Lee's quoted as saying: "These findings show that the capacity for increasing muscle growth by targeting these pathways is much more extensive than we have appreciated," adds Lee. "Now we'll search for other players that cooperate with myostatin, so we can tap the full potential for enhancing muscle growth for clinical applications."

This is all good news to those of us who'd be interested in an exciting relationship with a beautiful woman because it's bringing you the opportunity to change your life faster, easier, and for a lifetime benefit. You know as well as anyone that women are drawn to strong men already. In doing it quicker naturally and suddenly you're also 'mysterious' too.

Additionally, this is also good news for the medical world, too. It turns out, patients with muscular dystrophy, have a whole lot more to hope for now too. This knowledge will help doctors enable their patients to develop more, and stronger muscle mass, enabling them to walk after recovery.

Therefore, supporting this research, by buying the products developed from it, not only are you helping yourself score chicks, you're also helping the handicapped! Could there possibly be a more motivating factor to increase muscle mass to draw chicks?

We all understand just how important it is to get more opportunities to get closer to more opportunities with the opposite sex. So, make sure you look into this with your personal licensed, medical care professional and make sure it's right, and safe, for you. As long as it's developed, it's safe, and it works, I'd seriously recommend you keep an ear out on the development of any 'follistatin supplements/treatments' to help you gain muscle fast!

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Six Pack Abs

Six Pack Abs - Getting Ripped (And Not Ripped Off)

Here's how to get ripped six pack abs while not wasting time and money on methods that don't work.

1. Avoid all the infomercial gimmicks you see on TV. These gimmicks and contraptions have come and gone and there will always be the "latest and greatest" machine that promises a six pack. None of these methods are tried and true, there only the buzz of the moment, and just like the fabled "thigh master" they will disappear in time due to their utter ineffectiveness. They've proven themselves to be a waste of time and money.

2. You likely already have some degree of developed abs. What many people don't realize is that they already have abdominal muscles essentially lying dormant, underneath some layers of fat. One of the most common exercises performed during our youth in gym class are sit ups. Many people have developed some degree of abdominal structure during the growing stages of their youth, but after years of non activity they have basically atrophied their ab muscles. By targeting your abdominal muscles through various exercises you can quickly build back up and accentuate your abdominal muscles while getting rid of fat.

3. Take on a full ab program that will hit all areas of your stomach, not only shaping up your abs but also making your midsection stronger, relieving lower back pain, and burning fat as well. Just doing crunches on the floor won't bring you the total six pack ripped results that you want. The easiest route towards real results will be by following a full on firming, flattening, and shaping abdominal program. Here you will build your entire ab structure, developing the ripped six pack look, while gaining the benefits of feeling and looking younger, stronger and more attractive.

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Muscle Fitness

Best Muscle Fitness Training System

The structure of a muscle fitness training system can take many forms, varying from extremely short and intense to overly lengthy and exhaustive.

One basic way in which a muscle fitness training system is structured is by utilizing a "split routine", dividing the muscle groups up and targeting a certain group one day and another group on another day and so forth. One of the best and basic muscle fitness training systems consists of a split 3 day a week routine which basic structure looks something like this:

Basic muscle fitness training system: 3 day a week workout:

Monday: Chest/Shoulders/Triceps

Wednesday: Back/Biceps

Friday: Legs

Looking at this basic 3 day a week muscle fitness training system, Monday three different muscle groups are worked. The pectorals (chest), the deltoids (shoulders), and the triceps. Since there is some overlap in muscles being worked, that is the deltoids and triceps will be assisting in pushing movements involving pectoral work. So it makes sense to also train shoulders and triceps in this workout as they're already being "activated". So shoulders are followed after chest, and the workout concludes with tricep training (the two larger muscle groups are worked first, and then the smaller triceps muscles are worked last).

Wednesday in the basic muscle fitness training system consists of back (latissimus dorsi) and biceps. Once again there is muscle overlap. When one trains the back performing pulling movements, the biceps also get activated to a degree. So the biceps will be trained on back day since they're already getting worked.

An added note to back and forearm training in Wednesdays muscle fitness training system. The back is sometimes split between upper back for width, and mid back for back thickness. After the biceps are performed, some trainees will also train their forearms, if their goal is overall arm development and especially if their arm development is particularly lacking in the forearm department.

Friday in this muscle fitness training system calls for legs, or in gym circles its "leg day", or in hardcore dungeon gym settings, its "DLD", "dreaded leg day". Since dreaded leg day can be so taxing on the entire body, two days rest are given for recuperation before starting up again with chest on Monday. Leg day consists of training the front leg muscles-quadriceps, the back leg muscles-hamstrings, and the calves round out the Fridays muscle fitness training system.

This is just one basic muscle fitness training system split, which provides the trainee the benefit of working overlapping muscle groups in the same day and allowing rest and recovery in between each muscle building workout. There are a number of other muscle fitness training system splits, routines, and workouts. Only through beginning a routine and seeing what personally works for your bodytype and genetic capabilities, can you begin to personalize your own ideal muscle fitness training system. Future articles will outline specific exercises one can implement within this workout split.

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Core Muscle Training

Core Muscle Training - The Mighty Spot The Good, Bad, And The Ugly

When one is potentially unable to perform a certain core muscle training exercise on their own, then they require "a spot".

1. Usually the case is that the weight is heavy for the trainee, and while he probably will be capable of a certain number of reps, he possibly will not be able to perform the complete exercise within his desired rep range, on his own. Hence he will enlist the help of a spotter. This is an important step in maximizing core muscle training as it allows the trainee to complete those last so important reps of the exercise which contribute the most to building size and strength.

2. Another reason the trainee utilizes a "spotter" during core muscle training has to do with maintaining proper form, performing a "one rep max" in which the trainee is only concerned with determining his strength level and progress by finding out how much weight he can lift for one repetition.

3. A third reason a spot is used for core muscle training, is as a psychological aid which will be discussed further below.

Common exercises which generally require a spot during core muscle training with heavy weight are free weight bench press, and free weight squats. Though any exercise can utilize the added core muscle training and building benefit of a good spot, these are the two big dogs that require a spotter when using heavy weight.

Procedure for a spot during core muscle training:

The spotter will generally only slightly assist the lifter in the reps where he begins to show signs of struggle. Then the spotter will increase his assistance until the trainee is clearly no longer able to perform another rep, at the completion of the previous rep. Here the spotter assists the trainee in racking the weight, thus completing his core muscle training set.

The universal problem: the "jackass spotter":

Unfortunately there are no "schools for spotters" in the typical gym. If there were perhaps there would be less of what we coin as, "the jackass spotter". This is the type of spotter who will practically lift the bar with all his might from the onset of the exercise. He will not even wait until you need the spot, he will begin assisting you from the get go with all his might, successfully negating any muscle building effect from your core muscle training.

Envision this:

One can imagine psyching up for a core muscle training big lift, only to have the jackass spotter end up doing all the work. At the end of the spot, the jackass spotter will immediately proceed to say, "good job bro, it was mostly all you." The trainee tends to be too exhausted, frustrated, and bewildered at this point to do anything more than nod his head. Now one may say, well he can just do another set, and use another spotter. Wrong. For the jackass spotter always follows up with, "let me know if you need another one bro, I'll be right over here." And again the trainee tends to give a frustrated head nod, while the core muscle training destroyer will wait nearby in the wings, periodically looking over ready to rush to the aid for another "spot". Hence the trainees entire core muscle training set is rendered essentially useless.

Precautions:

So it is necessary to be cautious when asking for a spot. A general and obvious rule is when looking for a spotter for your core muscle training heavy lift, attempt to choose the power lifter over the disco bodybuilder. That is, one who is engaged in the business of serious weightlifting, and not one whose neon shines as heavy as his hairspray.

Ego check:

It is worth it even if you have to travel across the gym and ask someone you know or have observed as being a more serious core muscle training lifter. Of course you run the risk of that individual being so serious as to not have the time or not wanting to break his concentration to give a spot. But, most of the time the lifter will be supportive as he's been there at one point himself, and will provide you with the spot. Though if not, don't feel slighted or insulted, instead appreciate and respect the individuals seriousness in regards to core muscle training, and simply move on, asking someone else.

But the main key is to always get a spot if your going to attempt lifting heavy weight during your core muscle training routine with free weight exercises such as bench press and squat.

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