The Best Way to Build Lean Muscle: A Selection of Articles
A science-based guide on how to build muscle and burn fat.
It wouldn’t be unreasonable to suggest that a vast majority of people going to the gym want to build muscle and/or lose fat.
There is now a large amount of scientific literature that gives us evidence-based facts on how muscle is built and how fat is burned.
Over the past year, I have written several articles summarizing key findings from the literature.
This article provides links to the best of those articles.
There is no marketing and no affiliate links, so you have the peace of mind I’m not going to try and sell you anything.
I’m just giving the best possible advice to empower you with the capability to attain that beach body that you have always desired.
Exercise
What is the first contributing factor to building muscle?
Exercise. Or, as we say, “working out”.
More specifically, by consistently putting our muscles through excessive stress to force an adaptive response of growing back stronger.
What is the most effective way to put our muscles through said consistent stress? Progressive overload.
Many people fail to progressively overload and build much muscle.
Why? It’s often an effort thing.
Yes, many people go to the gym frequently enough. But, they don’t put in enough effort, set after set, to train close enough to genuine muscle failure.
If our muscles aren’t going through enough stress, our body doesn’t need to adapt and build stronger muscle tissue.
Moreover, people fail because they have no idea what they’re doing. Or, they get bad advice. Or (and), they do get good advice but they’re too stubborn to listen.
Try and avoid these common mistakes that people make in the gym when trying to build muscle.
Diet
The next aspect of building lean muscle is our diet. The food we eat impacts the number of calories we consume and therefore our weight, and our ability to recover and build muscle.
Therefore, the impact of diet is twofold:
- Fuelling our workouts and eating enough protein to recover and build muscle.
- Controlling the number of calories we consume, so we don’t gain too much of bodyfat.
To repair and grow new muscle, our bodies require protein. But, how much protein per day is optimal for muscle growth?
To build muscle, our body requires energy. Historically, people utilise bulk and cut phases to build lean muscle.
But can you gain muscle without gaining fat?
In certain circumstances, yes. This process is called Body recomposition.
Now, we look at some articles specifically about fat loss.
Staying lean isn’t as hard as you might think. But, when we're bombarded with fad diets and conflicting advice, fat loss does get overcomplicated.
But, it’s not.
However, it is if you make these common mistakes that you should avoid when trying to lose body fat.
Supplementation
The third factor that impacts building muscle is supplementation. It has far lesser impact than diet and exercise, and we can muscle without any supplements at all. However, some supplements can have a minor influence on how fast and effectively we build muscle.
The most hyped muscle-building supplement of 2021 and 2022 is definitely Turkesterone. But, does it work? And, what science is there behind the supplement?
Lifestyle
The final factor that influences our ability to build muscle is our lifestyle.
Our general health and wellbeing have a big impact on how consistently we can hit the gym over a long period of time.
Instagram and the marketing of fitness, in general, sell us lies and give false hope on what is required to build the physique we desire. Don’t be fooled.
Many people expect their fitness journey to be easy. When people find out it’s harder to look like their favourite Marvel superhero than they think, they lose motivation. Fitness takes sacrifices, but, smarter decisions go a long way when it comes to building a physique.
Try and avoid these 5 mistakes that newbies often make.
BONUS: how much muscle can we expect to gain naturally?
We are bombarded with images of steroids-enhanced people in the marketing of supplements and all over social media. You’ve probably even seen teenagers in your local gym looking like pro-wrestlers.
We start to think that if we work hard enough, these kinds of physiques are normal and/or possible for us to attain.
Maybe if I just buy this supplement?
We should never compare ourselves to steroids enhanced physiques. But, how do we know how much muscle we could build naturally? Read the article below!
Final Thoughts
In conclusion, this article provides links to useful content explaining best practices on how you can build lean muscle.
The advice in these articles is based on the scientific literature and therefore, is evidence-based. I’m not trying to sell you the hype!
It’s hard to get fitness advice online that isn’t full of marketing, so I hope you found this selection of articles useful.
Good luck on your journey of building lean muscle through exercise, diet, and better lifestyle choices.
Thank you for reading.
If you enjoyed the content, learn how I have added over 40 pounds of muscle to my lean frame.
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