How to Increase Lean Body Mass

Explore this Article

parts

1Reducing Total Body Fat

2Increasing Muscle Mass with Exercise

3Maintaining Lean Muscle Mass

Other Sections

Expert Q&A

Tips and Warnings

Related Articles

References

Article Summary

Increasing your lean body mass may require you to make some changes to your diet, exercise routine, and lifestyle. In addition, you may need to decrease your overall body fat percentage as well. This will help you decrease weight while increasing your lean mass. Reaching your goal will take some time, but following the right type of diet and exercise plan can help you reach your goal.

Steps

Part 1

Part 1 of 3:

Reducing Total Body Fat

1. 
   1
   Fill up on lean protein. Eating adequate protein is essential for a healthy diet, weight loss and important for increased muscle mass. Ensure you're eating the right types and amounts to help you reach your goal.

   • The amount of protein you need will vary on your gender, age and activity level. However, if you're trying to gain muscle mass, aim for 1 g of protein for every pound of body weight.
   • Try to eat leaner protein sources as they also contain fewer calories. Go for foods like: poultry, eggs, lean pork, seafood, legumes, tofu and lean beef.
   • You'll need to include one to two servings of protein at each meal and snack to help you meet your goal. Measure out a 3 – 4-oz serving or a serving about the size of a deck of cards.
2. 
   2
   Eat five to nine servings of fruits and vegetables. Both fruits and vegetables contain a wide variety of nutrients that will help support a healthy body and weight loss. Together with a higher protein diet and exercise, they can help you meet your goal.

   • Fruits and vegetables are high in fiber, low in calories and high in many vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. This makes them nutrient dense foods.
   • To meet your daily goal of 5-9 servings, you'll most likely need to include one to two servings of a fruit or vegetable at each meal or snack. One serving of fruit is 1/2 cup and one serving of vegetables is either 1 cup or 2 cups of salad greens.
   Advertisement
3. 
   3
   Consume limited amounts of grains. Limiting carbohydrates may help you decrease your total body fat while maintaining your lean muscle mass. Combined with exercise, this can help you increase your lean body mass.

   • Following a low-carb diet has been shown to result in weight loss and the reduction of body fat.
   • Grains are found in a wide variety of foods, but are most prevalent in grain-based foods (like bread, rice, or crackers). These foods do not offer as many nutritional benefits compared to other carb containing foods like dairy or fruits.
   • If you include a grain based food, try to stick to an appropriate portion size which is 1 oz or 1/2 cup.
   • Also try to choose 100% whole grains when you can. These foods have additional fiber and other nutrients than more processed grains (like white bread or white rice).
4. 
   4
   Include pre- and post-workout snacks. You may need to add in a snack before and after your workout to help you fuel up and recovery properly.

   • If you do not have enough fuel to carry out exercise or to recover, you may notice poor performance over time.
   • It's typically recommended to eat some type of complex carbohydrate-based foods before a workout. This can help give you the energy to power through your exercise routine. Go for a piece of fruit, a small yogurt, or a bowl of oatmeal.
   • After you've completed a workout, go for a combination of protein and carbohydrates. This helps resupply your body with energy used during the exercise and provide protein to repair your muscles. Try a banana and peanut butter, trail mix or a greek yogurt with fruit.
   • Depending on when you're scheduled meals are, you may be able to use these as your pre- or post-workout fuel. For example, if you workout in the morning, your breakfast can serve as your post-workout fuel.
5. 
   5
   Limit sweets, high fat foods, sodium, and alcohol. Foods that contain higher levels of added sugar or fat in addition to alcohol can cause you to consume excess calories. In addition, studies have shown that these foods may lead to increased body fat, especially in your stomach area.

   • Limit these foods as much as you can. This will help support any needed weight loss or reduction in body fat.
   • Added sugars are those that are added to foods during their processing. It doesn't add any worthwhile nutritional benefit — only calories. Limit foods like: candies, sweetened beverages, pastries, sweetened canned fruit and desserts.
   • Remember that sauces, dips, and dressings often contain lots of sugar and/or sodium. By adding these to your meal, you can be consuming additional calories without realizing it. Ask for your sauces and dressings on the side, or skip them altogether.
   • Also limit alcohol. It's not recommended for women to have more than 1 glass daily or men to have more than 2 glasses.
6. 
   6
   Do 150 minutes of cardio each week. Cardio is essential for good health, but can also help you reach your goal. Although it doesn't necessarily build lean muscle mass, it can help decrease body fat.

   • It's typically recommended to do at least 150 minutes of cardio each week, which works out to 5 30-minute workouts. Aim for moderate-intensity activities that increase your heart rate, get you to sweat and to be out of breath.
   • Exercises can include: jogging/running, swimming, doing an aerobics class or cycling.
   • Try making one to two of your cardio sessions into a high intensity interval training program or HIIT. Studies have shown this type of exercise helps decrease body fat more efficiently than your typical steady-state cardio (like a 30 minute jog). It also helps increase your metabolism which can help you burn more calories naturally.
   Advertisement

Part 2

Part 2 of 3:

Increasing Muscle Mass with Exercise

1. 
   1
   Do two to three days of strength training each week. These exercises can help build and strengthen your muscle mass.

   • In addition to reducing your total body fat, increasing lean muscle mass will require you to do strength or resistance training. Cardio and diet alone cannot increase your lean muscle mass.
   • Strength training comes with a lot of benefits outside of increasing lean muscle mass. It also helps prevent osteoporosis and strengthens bones and helps increase metabolism.
2. 
   2
   Choose to do higher amounts of repetitions. In regards to weight lifting, you can choose to do many repetitions of an exercise or just a few repetitions. Both offer different benefits to both mass and strength gains.

   • Doing a higher amount of reps per exercise is typically recommended if you want to build more lean muscle mass. Aim for about eight to 12 reps per set instead of lower amounts (like four to six reps).
   • Doing more reps forces your muscles to work for a longer time under the resistance weight. This is the reason for the physical gain of muscle mass.
   • Lower reps do have their place in strength training (and it may be something you want to consider). Lower reps with higher weights exhaust your muscles extremely quick and result in quicker strength gains.
3. 
   3
   Do more compound exercises over isolation moves. Compound and isolation exercises offer you a variety of benefits. Most people do a combination of both, however if your goal is to increase lean muscle mass, go for compound exercises first.

   • Compound exercises recruit multiple muscle groups and joints. They can help strengthen multiple muscles and increase muscle mass. These types of exercises can also cut down on overall workout time.
   • Isolation exercises only focus on one specific muscle. These exercises are generally for fine-tuning, not for making large gains in muscle mass.
   Advertisement

Part 3

Part 3 of 3:

Maintaining Lean Muscle Mass

1. 
   1
   Take measurements. To keep track of your progress towards your goal and to make sure you maintain your goal once you reach it will require continued effort. Taking regular measurements can help you see how far you've come and help you maintain your goal.

   • Since increasing lean muscle mass will require you to also lose some body fat, weighing yourself regularly is ideal. As you lose body fat you should see the number drop slightly on the scale.
   • Remember, if you make large gains in muscle mass, you may notice your weight increases as muscle weighs more than fat. You'll need to incorporate other types of measurements to get an accurate indicator of your body fat and lean mass.
2. 
   2
   Track your body fat percentage. There are a variety ways to measure your body fat. You can do a skin fold test, electrical impedance test. Both of these methods can generally be done by a doctor or a personal trainer at your gym.

   • Monitor your body fat percentage as you monitor your weight. Your goal should be that your body fat decreases (your weight may also increase) and your lean mass should be increasing.
   • Even if your weight "stalls" or increases, as long as your body fat percentage is decreasing, you're on the right path for increasing your lean muscle mass overall.
3. 
   3
   Get adequate sleep. Those who are chronically sleep deprived are at higher risk for higher levels of body fat and unhealthier and higher body weights.

   • Aim to get at least seven hours (or up to 9 hours) of sleep each night.
   • Sleep has a variety of benefits outside of weight loss and weight maintenance. It helps you focus and concentrate, stabilizes your mood and supports your immune system.
4. 
   4
   Manage stress. Like sleep deprivation, chronic low grade stress has also been associated with higher rates of obesity and body fat percentages. They both trigger the release of the hormone cortisol which encourages your body to maintain fat around your abdomen area.

   • Stress can be caused by just about anything in your life. When its ill-managed, you might notice some side effects. Outside of having difficulty managing your weight or noticing weight gain, stress can cause mood swings, fatigue and even sleep problems.
   • Try self-soothing activities to relieve stress. These can include: reading a book, taking a hot shower, talking to someone, going for a walk, listening to music, or repeating a mantra.
   Advertisement

Expert Q&A

Search

Add New Question

• Question

  How can I get more lean?

  

  Francisco Gomez
  Fitness Coach

  Francisco Gomez is the Head Coach at the FIT Potato Gym, a training gym established in 2001 in the San Francisco Bay Area. Francisco is a former competitive runner who helps endurance athletes train for major marathons like the Boston Marathon. Francisco specializes in Injury Rehab, Flexibility, Marathon Training, and Senior Fitness. He has a B.S. in Nutrition and Exercise Physiology & Running.

  

  Francisco Gomez

  Fitness Coach

  Expert Answer

  Start by watching what you eat and reducing the number of calories in your diet. To build muscle and get a toned look, start doing strength training exercises.

  Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
  Thank you for your feedback.
  If How.com.vn has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission.Support How.com.vn

  YesNo

  Not Helpful 0Helpful 2

Ask a Question

200 characters left

Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered.

Submit

Advertisement

Tips

• Always talk to your doctor prior to making any changes to your diet or exercise routine.
  Thanks

  Helpful0Not Helpful0
• Increasing your lean body mass will require you to lower or maintain your body fat percentage while working on muscle building activities.
  Thanks

  Helpful0Not Helpful0
• Increasing your lean muscle mass is not something that can be achieved quickly. It will take time and patience for you to reach your goals.
  Thanks

  Helpful0Not Helpful0

Show More Tips

Advertisement

You Might Also Like

The Truth About Mental Health: Separating Myth from Fact

How to

Survive a Heart Attack when Alone

How to

Get Rid of Parasites

How to

Do Savasana (Corpse Pose)

How to

Recover from a Bone Fracture

How to

Become a Sterile Processing Technician

What Is Adrenaline? How an Adrenaline Rush Affects Your Body & More

How to

Discuss an Unplanned Pregnancy With Your Spouse

How to

Encourage Big Kids to Wear Diapers

How to

Fix Strawberry Legs

How to

Identify Pathological Demand Avoidance in Autistic Children

How to

Treat Dry Eyes Naturally

How to

Take Shilajit

How to

Go on a Ketogenic Diet

Advertisement