Gaining lean muscle mass improves your strength and overall body composition. A body with more lean muscle mass tends to burn more calories at rest and appears tight and toned. Body builders and figure competitors follow specific formulas to develop these results, but anyone who adheres to a consistent and dedicated exercise and diet routine can encourage the growth of lean muscle.
Weight Train
To build muscle, you must train with weights. You should lift weights so heavy that you can only complete a maximum of 10 repetitions in any one set. Opting for free weights also enhances lean muscle mass gain because they activate synergistic and supporting muscles more so than weight machines. Rest for at least 24 hours between weight training sessions; three sessions a week is recommended.
Increase Calories
You must eat to build muscle. Fueling muscle growth requires eating approximately 18 times your body weight in calories, according to fitness expert Anthony Ellis of "Iron Magazine." This means if you weigh 150 lbs., you should consume approximately 2,700 calories per day. Remember, these are not just any old calories---choose quality foods with a high nutritional value so that your body uses the food, rather than stores it as fat.
More Protein
You should consume as much as 35 percent of your daily calories from protein, the upper limit recommended by the Institute of Medicine's dietary recommendations. D.J. Weinert, Dean of Academic Programs at the Palmer College of Chiropractic in Iowa concluded in the "Journal of the Canadian Chiropractic Association" in 2009 that controlling the timing, type and amount of protein consumed enhances muscle growth, after reviewing over 30 papers and studies on the topic. Again, the quality of the protein you choose is paramount---lean sources that do not cause you to over consume saturated fats are preferred. Focus on tuna, egg whites, skinless poultry, lean cuts of beef, and whey or soy powders.
Eat Often
A trick used by many bodybuilders is to eat many mini meals throughout the day. Dividing up your calories helps keep your energy levels even and prevents a spike in blood sugar. Eating often also helps you get all the calories you need to build muscle and maximizes the body's use of nutrition. For example, a study from lead author T. B. Symons of the University of Kentucky and published in the "Journal of the American Dietetitc Association" in September 2009 showed that 30 g of protein in one sitting increases muscle synthesis by 50 percent. However, consuming more than 30 g had no further effect; the body cannot store extra protein for later use so it is either stored as fat or excreted in the urine. Dividing your protein intake up over the course of the day maximizes your body's ability to use it to help develop lean muscle mass.
Consume Healthy Fats
Make sure your diet includes healthy monounsaturated fats to support hormone systems that help with the development of lean muscle mass. Stay away from saturated fat found in animal proteins, full fat dairy and palm kernel oils. Plant-based oils like canola and olive oil and nuts are the best sources of healthy fats. Make every effort to eliminate man-made trans fats from your diet. These are found in processed snack foods or fried fast foods and can be identified in the ingredient list as "partially hydrogenated" oil. These fats contribute to fat development, an enemy of lean muscle growth, as shown in an animal study in which monkeys who ate trans fats gained excess belly fat even when following a restricted calorie diet. The results, reported in the journal "Obesity" in 2007, concluded that long-term consumption of trans fats causes weight gain and enhances intra-abdominal deposition of fat.
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