You can gain lean muscle through diet and exercise, but you also have to practice discipline with your meals and commit to spending time on working out. You can choose to exercise at home, outdoors or in the gym. While strength training is important when developing lean muscle tissue, you also should work on your cardiovascular endurance. Cardio can help you burn fat and calories and also assist in building lean muscle tissue when done with resistance. Before you begin your program, consult with you physician to make sure that it is safe for you to engage in strenuous exercise.
Design Your Program
Step 1
Stock up on lean protein sources such as chicken, fish and lean beef. Also, buy some other options that are high in protein, such as eggs and beans. Protein helps you rebuild your muscles after working out, so you will need to consume something with protein in it after you exercise. Make sure to eat plenty of fruits and vegetables, and limit carbohydrate intake to whole grains only. Avoid processed, refined foods that contain white flour and sugar. Limit sweets to one small serving when necessary. Eat five or six small meals each day, and be sure to have a little protein with each small meal.
Step 2
Decide whether or not you plan to work out at home or at the gym. Spend at least three days each week strength training. You can choose to work all body parts three days a week, or one area of the body each day. For example, upper body on Mondays, lower body on Wednesdays, and core on Fridays. Lift heavy enough weights so that the last three repetitions of each set are challenging. If you are working out at home and do not have weights, you can do body weight exercises such as push-ups, sit-ups and squats. Do three sets of eight to 12 repetitions of each exercise.
Step 3
Perform cardiovascular training to supplement your strength training. This helps your body burn fat so that your lean muscle will show more prominently. To speed up the rate at which you gain lean muscle, add resistance to your cardio sessions. If you are on a bike or elliptical trainer, increase the level so that the work feels challenging. If you are using walking or running, find an area that has hills, or raise the incline on your treadmill. The American Heart Association recommends 30 minutes a day, most days of the week, but 20 minutes would be sufficient in combination with your strength training. You can can do cardio on the same days that you strength train, or on alternate days.
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