The Ultimate Women’s Guide to Building Lean Muscle Mass
There are so many articles online on how women can lose weight. You cannot be blamed for thinking there are no women who want to gain lean muscle mass. However, just like men, women can get stronger without necessarily being huge.
It is easier for men to gain muscle thanks to the high amount of testosterone in their bodies. Even with the low testosterone levels in the female body, it is still possible for women to gain considerable lean muscle mass. By increasing muscle, a woman raises her functional strength, her metabolism, and her insulin sensitivity.
Increase Calorie Intake and Set Realistic Weight Goals
Muscles are a result of what you eat; you have to eat enough to fuel your muscles. To gain lean muscle mass, your body needs energy. As such, you have to take in more calories than you need to maintain your current body weight. This means that without calories, there will be no muscle growth.
However, taking in more calories does not mean throwing caution into the bin and eating everything you lay your hands on. You need to eat enough without consuming too much fat that might lead to weight gain with no lean muscles. You will gain a little fat mass in your quest for lean muscle mass – it is normal and expected, but you have to be careful not to gain too much fat mass.
To track how much calories you need to maintain your current weight and gain lean muscle, use a fitness app such as MyFitnessPal. Find your maintenance calories, using a fitness app, for three consecutive days. Find an average of your daily calorie requirement and add 500 to that. This means that you will be eating 500 calories on top of your daily calorie requirement every day. From there, add 80 calories to your daily intake every week.
By gradually adding your calorie intake, you can increase your metabolism. If you were to increase the calories all at once, your body would convert the extra calories to fat, seeing that your metabolism will not have improved enough to build lean muscle mass.
When Should You Start Building Muscle?
When should you start building muscle? When you have already shed most of the body fat, and you are super lean or when you still have body fat? You should not wait until you have lost almost all body fat to start building muscle. Again, unless you work hard for a long time, it is challenging to lose body fat through exercise until you are super lean.
When you start building muscle, you need to have about 40 pounds of fat to maintain normal body processes. When you are very lean, you interfere with the body’s hormone production and your ability to recover after exercise. If you are very slim, your energy levels will be low. Granted, you need body fat to gain lean muscle and for the proper functioning of your body.
Create a Workout Plan
A good workout plan should focus on the group of muscles you find challenging to grow. If, for instance, your quads need a lot of workouts to grow while your glutes grow just by looking at them, your workout plan needs to be more focused your quads. You can train your quads twice a week while cutting back on your glutes exercises.
Even when you are targeting specific groups of muscles, it is crucial to also focus on cardio workouts to keep your heart in perfect working conditions. However, keep cardio workouts to a minimum to reserve energy for muscle building and recovery.
Use Supplements, But Wisely
There are so many supplements promising lean muscle mass without workouts – those are not right for you. The right supplements, including creatine, whey protein, fish oil, beta-alanine, multivitamin, and SARMs, will help you gain lean muscle mass.
If you have a health condition, consult with your physician before taking supplements. You need to combine your supplements perfects, such as fish oil and creatine in the morning, to ensure you have great results. If you are taking SARMs (Selective Androgen Receptor Modulators), which stimulate the production of more testosterone, take them as prescribed without overdosing.
With supplements such as SARMs, a good workout routine and a planned diet, coupled with consistency and commitment, you will be useful to gain muscle.
YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE:
Leave a Comment