Muscle Building Strategies That Won’t Make You Gain Fat

Muscle Building Strategies That Won’t Make You Gain Fat

We all want more muscles right? But a muscly body only looks good if you have a nice low level of body fat so that those nicely toned muscles show through.

Unfortunately, gaining muscle at the same time as losing fat (or vice versa) is virtually impossible, or at least difficult (more difficult the leaner you get too). If you want a muscly physic without added fat, it can be rather frustrating, and it’s certainly not going to be quick…

Fortunately, I’m not one to accept the inevitable and neither should you be. If you want to pack on muscle without adding fat, here are a few strategies to consider:

Before reading This make sure you have read : 5 ways of Building Muscles the Right Way

Intermittent Fasting

To gain mass you need a surplus of calories, this much we already know, but timing can play a role too. Your body will be more focused on muscle synthesis 5 hours after a workout than 24 hours after it.

Fasting has been shown to be more muscle sparing than a calorie deficit and by alternating between fasting and eating a calorie surplus you can actually gain muscle and then cut fat.

A common strategy is to fast in the morning before a workout. Eat pre-workout and then eat a calorie surplus in the hours after a workout right up to bed time. Then fast the following day to maximise fat loss whilst sparing that muscle.

Take Your Time

People make the mistake of thinking that to gain muscle they need as many calories as possible. But your body can only build muscle so fast and as soon as you start consuming too many calories for your body to put into muscle creation, you risk them being stored as fat.

In other words, trying to rush the process will just mean that you add extra fat unnecessarily.

Try to keep your calorie surplus at an optimal level and aim for only an extra pound of muscle each week. Remember that what is most important is the ratio of muscle to fat.

Fasted Training

Fasting has been shown to increase levels of testosterone in men and therefore, fasting prior to a workout can be a good way to force your body to build more muscle.

Of course training on an empty stomach can cause you to run out of energy sooner too, so this tip isn’t for everyone, but try it for yourself and see. You can also supplement Glutamine to aid recovery and keep those amino acid stocks high.

Alternate Muscle Groups

You probably care the most about your chest or arms right? Well that’s fine, but overtraining can slow down muscle growth. So instead, dedicate a workout day to each major muscle group.

A Typical breakdown is:

• Workout 1 – Back and Biceps
• Workout 2 – Chest and Triceps
• Workout 3 – Legs

The best bit is that weight lifting increases testosterone, so even if you don’t care what your legs look like, a leg workout may aid overall muscle mass.

Avoid Empty Calories

And finally, avoid consuming empty calories like sugary drinks and ‘recovery shakes’. These high carb non-meals really aren’t necessary and add extra calories.

Stick to consuming your calories through whole foods (like veg), add protein with whey powder if you want and aid your recovery by getting lots of vitamins (whether through fruit, tablets or both).

At the very least this strategy will reduce bloating and make you look leaner even if you do have to put on a little bit of fat!