Skip to main content

Your Cart

Your cart is empty

Add physician-formulated supplements to get started.

Browse Products
Musculoskeletal Health9 min read

5 Ways to Build Lean Muscles Fast

What is Lean Muscle Mass Lean muscle mass refers to the muscle in the body, excluding fat tissue. It is crucial for health and contains muscle tissues, bones, internal organs, blood vessels, and skin. Adequate lean body mass also helps improve posture and reduce injuries from exercising or carrying out daily chores, which is especially […]

Dr. Ava Bell-Taylor, M.D.

Board-Certified OB/GYN & Functional Medicine Physician

October 25, 2023
5 Ways to Build Lean Muscles Fast

In this guide, we explore everything you need to know about how to build lean muscle fast — from the science behind it to practical steps you can take starting today.

What is Lean Muscle Mass

Lean muscle mass refers to the muscle in the body, excluding fat tissue. It is crucial for health and contains muscle tissues, bones, internal organs, blood vessels, and skin. Adequate lean body mass also helps improve posture and reduce injuries from exercising or carrying out daily chores, which is especially important for older adults. 

The above excerpt suggests that lean muscle can improve physical performance. Lean muscle mass can also be beneficial to support postural alignment as well as proper biomechanics, which enhances physical and life performance. In addition, lean muscle improves overall health. Like other components of health, lean muscle mass, unlike fat, has to be maintained, too, as it can be lost in processes like aging. 

An athlete’s lean muscle is often retained when normal metabolic processes happen. However, other activities are less or almost entirely sedentary. As with any skill or technique, a variety of approaches in bone measurements should result in lean body mass. Methods like dual-energy X-ray, ultrasound, underwater weighing, bioelectrical impedance analysis, and skinfold calipers can all contribute.

lean-muscle-mass

Why is Lean Muscle Mass Important

Having a low amount of fat in the muscles is needed for proper mental as well as physical health. It helps in controlling metabolism, reduces fat, and helps the body to feel active and energetic. In addition, it helps in maintaining a proper body composition, improving the quality of life, and reducing the chances of getting a disease. 

For both men and women, low fat in the muscles has many benefits. In men, it helps increase testosterone which helps build strength and enhance libido. In women, it helps maintain bone density which lowers the chances of osteoporosis later on in life. In addition to these, having lower fat in the muscles improves balance, coordination, and posture which are all essential to being healthy and fit. 

Apart from the physical benefits, having lower fat in the muscles has also been linked to lower stress levels and greater self-confidence due to improved body image. 

The secret is to create a system that works both in burning off excess calories as well as ensuring that enough protein and fat for creating lean muscles are taken in, may it be for performance or aesthetic reasons.

First, ensure that you are consuming an adequate amount of protein. Next, check that you are consistently exercising. Third, make sure you are performing movements that use all of your muscle fibers. Fourth, results don’t come overnight, so slow down and be patient. 

To conclude, you should maintain a healthy diet and consume a lot of water. It is very important to formulate an exercise plan that incorporates muscle training, aerobic activity, and stretching. Moreover, you should also have a diet that contains proteins, carbs, fats, vitamins and minerals. The following can help you with gaining muscle mass efficiently. 

Here are five ways to build lean muscles in no time at all

lean-muscle-mass-tips

Building muscles is a big thing these days, look at any bodybuilder or athlete, and you will see why. You do not have to worry, because if you want to build lean muscle then simple steps can be followed. Keeping motivation high is important while you are achieving your goal, shattered during a long time what is needed to reach it, and set up your mind for a better mental state. 

1. Control Your Calorie Consumption for Muscle Growth

There is no guideline that does not come with restrictions. Watching your calorie intake is vital, too, as no one wants to exceed their average daily need. Your body has functions that require energy, such as physically engaging with your surroundings and thinking. You also have the muscle mass that needs to burn energy. Therefore, you can stay on the low end of the scale when it comes to muscles. 

To get an idea of how important nutrition is, Did you know that if you weigh 200 and are living only on 1,200 calories a day, then you are starving yourself? Surprised? So was I. Your daily calorie energy divide (Combined) divided by 10 should equal your weight. Example: 200 pounds is the weight. Divide it by 10 to get the daily calorie target of 2000. 

Always keep in mind, don’t restrict too much. Try to consult an expert. Explain your pain carefully. If you do not have enough control over your muscles, you risk losing them, in addition, your body does require lower calorie intake. Consuming protein daily is important. 

A rough estimate for lean muscle growth requires a daily protein intake of 50-70% of welting calories; these estimates allow bankers or certified nutritionists great mantle obstacles you must dash over. Shake powders can aid you in accomplishing your daily protein goals. Additionally, to keep your muscles feeling full, protein consumption and caloric value need to be significantly heightened.

Moreover, reduce your carbs and opt for interval training. You’ll need to up your calories in order to gain weight, which will facilitate muscle growth. Although, it is necessary to make sure that the majority of those calories are sourced from protein in order to build muscle instead of fat. 

Raising protein consumption is crucial when attempting to build lean mass. After all, protein is what enables the body to repair and rebuild muscle tissue through the amino acids provided. For best results, try to reach a goal of roughly 0.8 grams per pound of body weight a day.

2. Limit your daily intake of carbohydrates 

Carbohydrate management must be done extremely carefully, especially when building lean muscle. Carbs supply the energy necessary for physical exercise, permitting the body to engage fully during weightlifting and other training activities. In addition, it can help during muscle recovery processes in addition to building muscle fibers. 

The question stems from the following: How many carbohydrates can be consumed to achieve lean muscle? The answer will almost certainly encompass a wide range of factors, including goals, body type, and even genetics. Nevertheless, a good place to begin would be with 2-3 grams of carbs per pound of body weight on a daily basis for maintenance or lower activity levels.

If more vigorous exercise is involved or fat loss becomes the goal, these estimates may need to be modified to 1-2 grams of carbs for every pound of body weight on a daily basis. This approach will allow sufficient energy while preventing unnecessary blood sugar spikes and storing calories as fat.

Removing all carbohydrates from your diet will only make failure inevitable. You will see a drastic change in your body from skipping processed sugars, such as candies, cakes, and even pies. Nonetheless, carbs can assist in building lean muscle mass when consumed from healthy sources. As a guideline, aim for 25% to 30% of your diet to be carbohydrates at the beginning, and adjust from there. 

Be sure to get your carbs from healthy sources like leafy vegetables, nuts, legumes, seeds, whole grains, and low glycemic index fruits. Stay clear from sugary fruits such as bananas, peaches, mangoes, pineapples, and even apricots. Also, remember to avoid starchy vegetables such as potatoes. Reducing your carb intake can also be beneficial while building lean body mass. Make use of an app like Carb Manager or Fitness Pal to ensure you are tracking the carbs consumed.

3. Locate Yourself a Hill and Grab a Dumbbell

lean-muscle-mass-building

The key to gaining muscle and remaining healthy is exercise and diet. You may think that you have to spend hours a day at the gym. Interval training involves alternating short periods of intense activity with periods of rest and can yield great results. This is an excellent way to burn fat and build lean muscle. To further optimize your gains, you should perform compound movements that target more than one muscle group at a time.

According to Jim Ryno, CPT, hill sprints are incredibly effective for anyone looking to get lean fast. Hill sprints achieve fat loss and muscle gain without the muscle quality loss seen in traditional long cardio sessions. For the best results, Jim said aim for 15 to 20 of these sprints per workout, four or five times a week.

Using resistance bands is yet another way to build muscles effectively. They are inexpensive, relatively simple to use, and great for strength training. Program: Focusing on large muscle groups: legs, back, and chest. To build lean muscle faster, lift heavier weights for lower reps (4-6). In addition, regularly working through different exercises keeps your muscles from adapting, which means you continue to see improvement.

Step 4. Make Sure You Eat More Protein

lean-body-muscle

Your body’s fuel comes from different sources, and protein is a key component of a well-balanced diet. It fuels the body, providing the energy, it needs to carry out activities and also repairs the muscles post workout. Increasing the daily intake of protein isn’t difficult as there are many foods to choose from. 

Breakfast, lunch, or dinner, eggs are a meal that can be feasibly paired throughout the day. A large egg offers six grams of protein, which is considerable. In addition to the protein, eggs also provide crucial vitamins and minerals like iron and zinc. Nuts and seeds in the form of cashews, almonds, and peanuts are a great protein source; an ounce of nuts can provide seven grams of protein. Dairy items, including yogurt, milk, cheese, and cottage cheese, can be counted on for eight grams of protein or more as you increase the serving size. 

Plant-based proteins like tofu or tempeh also contain eight grams, but heavier prep work is required before consumption. Eating enough protein is crucial if the goal is to get lean muscle mass. New muscle requires protein in order to be built. Insufficient protein can lead to losing muscle and adding unnecessary weight. 

Our metabolism is highly dependent on muscle mass. Low muscle mass decreases the basal metabolic rate, resulting in a reduced ability to burn calories and an increased ability to store fat.  Supplements include lean meat, plant-based protein, and protein shakes, which can all facilitate an increase in protein intake.

5. Keep Track

Monitoring the progress of a workout plan and a dietary regime is essential. Knowing which adjustments can further benefit the process is advantageous. In some cases, putting in further effort does not yield greater results.

To build muscle efficiently, tracking progress, such as changes in body composition, is essential. You can utilize a photograph, take measurements, or step on a body composition scale. Instead of focusing on a regular weight scale, which can be misleading, inches should be the primary focus since muscle can cause the scale to rise.

Building lean muscles is a daunting task, yet doable with the right set of instructions. Following these 5 elements will guarantee results.

Dr. Ava Bell-Taylor, M.D.

Board-Certified OB/GYN & Functional Medicine Physician

Dr. Ava Bell-Taylor is a board-certified OB/GYN and functional medicine physician specializing in hormone balance, adrenal health, and whole-body wellness. She is the co-founder of Taylor MD Formulations and Taylor Medical Group in Atlanta, Georgia.

Learn more about Dr. Bell-Taylor
Original text
Rate this translation
Your feedback will be used to help improve Google Translate