Bodybuilding Tips – How To Build Lean Muscle
To build lean muscle and burn fat you need to undergo intense workouts. Training with lower intensity only burns calories during the activity. As soon as you stop the exercise, you will stop burning extra calories. This is because low intensity training hardly elevates the metabolism. However, intense training elevates the metabolism during the exercise and maintains this elevated state for up to 48-72 hours. Here are a few ways to add more intensity to your workout.
1) Perform shorter bouts of exercise – Short, training session (30-45 minutes) stimulate growth hormone release and minimizes the release of cortisol. Cortisol is a hormone that is released by your adrenal glands to help the body deal with a fight or flight response. It is often referred to as the “stress hormone.” If cortisol continues to be released into the system, fat gain will occur. This is because cortisol will breakdown your muscle for energy and increase fat deposits, especially in the abdominal region.
2) Cut down on your rest between set – You won’t be able to lift as much weight but cutting down on the duration of your rest between sets will keep your heart rate up and have you burning more calories. Shorter rest periods also cause the greatest increase in growth hormone response. Here’s an example of varying the rest periods between sets:
Start with moderate weights and rest 1 minute between sets. Then, lift heavier and rest 3 minutes between sets. Return to 1 minute rests for the next couple of sets and finish with only 30 seconds rests between your final sets. This can be applied to any muscle group.
3) Use Intense Exercise Techniques – Using intense exercises techniques such as super sets or drop sets can really aid in burning body fat and building muscle. Learn more about different techniques here:
4) Focus On Recovery – Getting enough rest after exercise is essential to not only high-level performance in the gym or field, but for muscle recovery and rebuilding. The primary goal, in recovery, is to get at least 7 hours of sleep per night. This is critical because only when you sleep does your body begin rebuilding, repairing and strengthen itself. If you can’t get seven continuous hours of sleep, try to work in a nap during the day. The best approach is a 20-minute “power nap”. The power nap has many benefits including increased alertness, stamina, motor performance, and improved muscle memory.
Include a Recovery Day - Since rest and relaxation is the time your body packs on lean muscle and creates the results you’re looking for, be sure to take one day and completely rest from exercise. Don’t feel guilty about taking a day off, over training is counter productive. As the saying goes, “Muscle is built in the bed, not in the gym.” Also, keep in mind that continuous training can actually weaken your system and set you up for injury.





