No Products in the Bag
It often happens that no matter how many hours you put into your workout sessions, the results are just not visible. Many factors could be in the way of your fitness progress.
One thing you should focus on is the intensity of your workouts. Many people are scared to challenge their bodies and lift heavier weights. To progress, you have to train at a high intensity. Staying with the same weights for months will do no good; stop underestimating yourself and grab some heavier weights. However, increasing weights has to be done gradually, don’t jump to hefty weights straight away; you have to judge how much is too heavy. Increasing your weights by 5 pounds for your upper body and 10 pounds for your lower body is a great way to progress. If you are not sure, talk to a trainer in your local gym.
Another critical factor in your progress is consistency. There are many ways to organize your weekly workouts, but we believe that six sessions per week are great for a muscle-building routine. It is important to alternate muscle groups with every session to avoid overtraining. Switching between upper body and lower body workouts is a great way to build muscle.
Performing isolated exercises like bicep curls and focusing on specific muscles is a great strategy, but it should not be prioritized. Instead, focus on compound, multi-joint exercises such as deadlifts, which engage several muscle groups. You should be working all parts of your body in an equal proportion, don’t let any muscle group fall behind.
Progress doesn’t depend on your workouts alone. Nutrition and sleep are critical to building muscle. Drinking plenty of water and eating nutrient-dense foods is as important as your workout routine. Ensure you are getting a solid 6-8 hours of sleep per night and don’t lose sleep to have an early morning workout. Losing sleep will only hurt your progress.
Why do people put so much effort into gaining lean muscle?
Benefits of building lean muscle
1. Increased Metabolic Rate
Muscles are efficient at burning calories even when you are resting. The more muscle you have, the more calories you will be burning throughout the day, which means you will develop faster metabolism. A faster metabolism helps burn fat and speeds up weight loss.
2. Strengthen your bones
Bones play an important role in our overall health by supporting our body and allowing us to move. Training with weights will only make your bones stronger by increasing their density. In a way, they are like muscles; weight lifting will make bones grow and become stronger.
3. Great physique and confidence
As you build muscle and follow a healthy diet, your body will obtain a great shape. Muscle is denser than fat, which means it takes up less space. Do not be discouraged by the scale. It might not change drastically, but your body measurements do when you train, your fat percentage decreases, and your muscle percentage increases.
Building lean muscle for beginners
1. Proper exercise form
We can’t stress it enough how important proper exercise form is. Dedicate some time, or even better, talk to a personal trainer to learn about appropriate form if you are unsure. Without proper form, you are risking sustaining a serious injury, and health is above all. Demonstration videos from knowledgeable trainers are a great place to start.
2. The goal is to become stronger
Getting stronger is important for everyone. If you are a beginner, you must develop fundamental strength. Seeing results is a great motivator to keep on track with your fitness goals. Usually, beginners progress real fast in their strength parameters due to neural adaptations.
3. Don’t worry; you will not get a bodybuilder’s physique
One big misconception is that lifting weights makes women bulky and massive. It is a myth that is still circulating for many years. What makes women look bulky is excess fat and not muscles (unless someone uses anabolic steroids). Lifting weights will boost your metabolism, burn body fat, and helps you get toned.
4. Be consistent
Nothing comes easy. But everything comes with consistency, including your fitness goals! Building your body takes time and effort, but do not let this put you off. You will notice improvement as time passes, and you will want to continue until you can’t live without your daily workouts. Some are able to see changes in their physique and mood from the very first week.
Procrastinating is always bad news. Don’t say “I’ll start tomorrow” or “ill start in the new year.” Act today; this is the best way to get on track. Start looking for local gyms, find a local trainer to show you how to perform specific exercises if you are unsure, and start moving towards your goal. Whatever the first step is for you to get into the gym, start today.
5. Twelve-week strength training
This twelve-week program will help you build muscle and tone up your body. This routine entails multiple exercises such as squats, deadlifts, and more. The first four weeks of training are designed to increase muscle endurance, the following four weeks will cause muscle hypertrophy, and the last four weeks will increase your muscle strength.
Monday
|
Exercises |
Sets |
Repetitions |
Rest time |
|---|---|---|---|
|
3 |
10 |
60 seconds |
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3 |
10 |
60 seconds |
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3 |
10 |
60 seconds |
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3 |
10 |
60 seconds |
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3 |
10 |
60 seconds |
Tuesday
|
Exercises |
Sets |
Repetitions |
Rest time |
|---|---|---|---|
|
3 |
10 |
60 seconds |
|
|
3 |
10 |
60 seconds |
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3 |
10 |
60 seconds |
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3 |
10 |
60 seconds |
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|
3 |
10 |
60 seconds |
Wednesday - Rest
Thursday
|
Exercises |
Sets |
Repetitions |
Rest time |
|---|---|---|---|
|
3 |
10 |
60 seconds |
|
|
3 |
10 |
60 seconds |
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3 |
10 |
60 seconds |
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3 |
10 |
60 seconds |
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3 |
10 |
60 seconds |
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|
3 |
10 |
60 seconds |
Friday
|
Exercises |
Sets |
Repetitions |
Rest time |
|---|---|---|---|
|
3 |
10 |
60 seconds |
|
|
3 |
10 |
60 seconds |
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|
3 |
10 |
60 seconds |
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3 |
10 |
60 seconds |
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|
3 |
10 |
60 seconds |
Saturday
|
Exercises |
Sets |
Repetitions |
Rest time |
|---|---|---|---|
|
3 |
16 |
60 seconds |
|
|
3 |
16 |
60 seconds |
|
|
3 |
16 |
60 seconds |
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3 |
16 |
60 seconds |
|
|
|
40 mins |
60 seconds |
Monday
|
Exercises |
Sets |
Repetitions |
Rest time |
|---|---|---|---|
|
3 |
8 |
90 seconds |
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3 |
8 |
90 seconds |
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|
3 |
8 |
90 seconds |
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|
3 |
8 |
90 seconds |
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|
3 |
8 |
90 seconds |
Tuesday
|
Exercises |
Sets |
Repetitions |
Rest time |
|---|---|---|---|
|
3 |
8 |
90 seconds |
|
|
3 |
8 |
90 seconds |
|
|
3 |
8 |
90 seconds |
|
|
3 |
8 |
90 seconds |
|
|
3 |
8 |
90 seconds |
Wednesday - Rest
Thursday
|
Exercises |
Sets |
Repetitions |
Rest time |
|---|---|---|---|
|
3 |
8 |
90 seconds |
|
|
3 |
8 |
90 seconds |
|
|
3 |
8 |
90 seconds |
|
|
3 |
8 |
90 seconds |
|
|
3 |
8 |
90 seconds |
|
|
3 |
8 |
90 seconds |
Friday
|
Exercises |
Sets |
Repetitions |
Rest time |
|---|---|---|---|
|
3 |
8 |
90 seconds |
|
|
3 |
8 |
90 seconds |
|
|
3 |
8 |
90 seconds |
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|
3 |
8 |
90 seconds |
|
|
3 |
8 |
90 seconds |
Saturday
|
Exercises |
Sets |
Repetitions |
Rest time |
|---|---|---|---|
|
3 |
16 |
60 seconds |
|
|
3 |
16 |
60 seconds |
|
|
3 |
16 |
60 seconds |
|
|
3 |
16 |
60 seconds |
|
|
|
40 mins |
60 seconds |
Monday
|
Exercises |
Sets |
Repetitions |
Rest time |
|---|---|---|---|
|
3 |
6 |
120 seconds |
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|
3 |
6 |
120 seconds |
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3 |
6 |
120 seconds |
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|
3 |
6 |
120 seconds |
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|
3 |
6 |
120 seconds |
Tuesday
|
Exercises |
Sets |
Repetitions |
Rest time |
|---|---|---|---|
|
3 |
6 |
120 seconds |
|
|
3 |
6 |
120 seconds |
|
|
3 |
6 |
120 seconds |
|
|
3 |
6 |
120 seconds |
|
|
3 |
6 |
120 seconds |
Wednesday - Rest
Thursday
|
Exercises |
Sets |
Repetitions |
Rest time |
|---|---|---|---|
|
3 |
6 |
120 seconds |
|
|
3 |
6 |
120 seconds |
|
|
3 |
6 |
120 seconds |
|
|
3 |
6 |
120 seconds |
|
|
3 |
6 |
120 seconds |
|
|
3 |
6 |
120 seconds |
Friday
|
Exercises |
Sets |
Repetitions |
Rest time |
|---|---|---|---|
|
3 |
6 |
120 seconds |
|
|
3 |
6 |
120 seconds |
|
|
3 |
6 |
120 seconds |
|
|
3 |
6 |
120 seconds |
|
|
3 |
6 |
120 seconds |
Saturday
|
Exercises |
Sets |
Repetitions |
Rest time |
|---|---|---|---|
|
3 |
16 |
60 seconds |
|
|
3 |
16 |
60 seconds |
|
|
3 |
16 |
60 seconds |
|
|
3 |
16 |
60 seconds |
|
|
40 mins |
60 seconds |
Nutrition plan
You will not get results without a healthy diet to go along with your workout program. Building lean muscle, accelerating weight loss, improving overall health, increasing metabolism, decreasing body fat, reducing waist circumference mainly depends on the diet you follow.
Moreover, as you learn more about your body, what healthy foods you like and dislike, you will realize that it’s a fun activity to track your calories and cook healthy, nutritious food. You will probably not notice a drop in weight during the first weeks; that’s because you are gaining muscle and losing weight at the same time. Your weight might not change, but your body parameters do! You will notice a reduction in fat and an improvement in physique.
Before we share our meal plan, we want to stress the importance of protein intake. It is recommended to have an intake of 0.6-1 grams of protein per pound of bodyweight daily. In case you are not managing to take in this amount of protein, you should consider getting a good quality protein shake.
So now that we have covered the basics, here comes the meal plan! Keep in mind this is just a sample plan; everyone has to have a personalized diet made for their needs and taste. We highly advise you to visit your local nutritionist or find a nutritionist online.
|
Breakfast |
Snack |
Lunch |
Snack |
Dinner |
Snack |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Monday |
One single-serving container of Greek yogurt from Danone One apple One whole-grain toast
|
24 almonds One orange |
4 oz turkey with salad leaves ½ avocado 2 slices of turkey bacon 15 baked tortilla chips
|
3 oz chicken breast and a half cup of marinara sauce Side salad with balsamic vinegar
|
1 cup of strawberries |
|
|
Tuesday |
½ vegetable frittata 1 whole-wheat English muffin ½ tbsp of honey
|
1 pear 1 hard boiled egg |
3 oz Turkey breast with lettuce ½ avocado |
1 cucumber 2 tbsp hummus |
4 oz shrimp stir-fried in olive oil Red bell pepper ¾ cup of brown rice
|
3 cups baby carrots 2 tbsp hummus 2 tbsp cottage cheese
|
|
Wednesday |
½ cups of Old-fashioned oats 1 cup blueberries ⅛ cup chopped walnuts
|
4 cups edamame |
4 oz turkey in a small whole-grain pita with lettuce and tomato. 5 oz baked sweet potato
|
1 slice whole-wheat toast 2 tbsp apple butter |
Omelet made of 1 whole egg and ¾ cup egg whites with low-fat cheese, spinach, and tomato
|
One apple 1 tbsp soy nut butter |
|
Thursday |
½ cup old-fashioned oats 1 scoop vanilla whey protein ½ cup berries
|
8 oz non-fat Greek yogurt ½ cup melon |
4 oz grilled chicken breast 2 tbsp avocado 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
|
8 cocktail shrimp 4 tbsp cocktail sauce |
Large salad with 4 oz grilled steak with balsamic vinegar 1 cup whole-grain pasta
|
2 mini cheesecake cups |
|
Friday |
5 banana pancakes 2 oz sugar-free maple syrup 1 whole-grain toast
|
1 Luna Bar 1 banana 1 protein shake |
4 oz tuna in water, romaine lettuce, 4 grape tomatoes, ½ bell pepper, ⅛ cup walnuts
|
1 cucumber 2 tbsp hummus |
4 oz shrimp stir-fried in olive oil Red bell pepper ¾ cup of brown rice
|
3 cups baby carrots 2 tbsp hummus 2 tbsp cottage cheese
|
|
Saturday |
½ cups of Old-fashioned oats 1 cup blueberries ⅛ cup chopped walnuts |
24 almonds 1 orange |
3 oz Turkey breast with lettuce ½ avocado |
1 pear 1 hard boiled egg |
4 oz turkey with salad leaves ½ avocado 2 slices of turkey bacon 15 baked tortilla chips
|
8 oz non-fat Greek yogurt ½ cup melon |
|
Sunday |
5 banana pancakes 2 oz sugar-free maple syrup 1 whole-grain toast
|
1 slice whole-wheat toast 2 tbsp apple butter |
4 oz turkey in a small whole-grain pita with lettuce and tomato. 5 oz baked sweet potato
|
4 cups edamame |
3 oz chicken breast and a half cup of marinara sauce Side salad with balsamic vinegar
|
1 apple 1 tbsp soy nut butter |
Strength training is for everyone and has several benefits mentioned above, such as having a toned body. According to research, people start losing muscle at the age of 30, so as you can imagine, building muscle is important for everyone. As far as workouts go, strive to increase weight or reps with each week. Women neglect strength training more often than men, and this can impact our daily lives. It was shown that 80% of Americans diagnosed with osteoporosis are women and strength training is essential to increase bone density.
As far as dieting is concerned, there will be no way to see progress without eating food with good nutritional value. The diet shown above is a sample diet, which will not fit everyone’s needs. We highly suggest visiting your local nutritionist and having a diet plan made for you.
There is no time to waste! Begin your health journey today!
