One of the most prominent myths in the fitness world is that gaining muscle means you also gain fat. This is just simply false.
It’s on countless fitness magazines – you have to eat a lot to gain muscle and mass. For some people, this becomes an endless cycle of eating too much to bulk up and then go to awful crash diets to shed excess fat and reveal those hard-earned muscles.
Some turn into fat-burners, which are in most cases unhealthy, if not dangerous. Needless to say, this cycle is not the best way to go about it.
Also, many people get stuck at the first step and are unable to lose excess fat. This is why some people are turned off on the idea of weight training.
Ways on How to Get Your Dream Muscles without Fats
So you want to know how to gain muscle without fat? Here are some tips.
Eat Lean, Increase Your Protein
PHOTO COURTESY | UnSplash
Exercise and training are just parts of clean bulking. The other half of the battle is in the kitchen. And this battle can boil down to one word – quality.
Choose quality calories
Do your muscle a favor and stay away from refined grains, sugar, poor-quality protein. Examples of quality protein include lean and grass-fed meat, wild seafood, free-range eggs, beans, and nuts.
Of course, the readily available protein bars and protein shakes are good options. This is because they come with essential vitamins and minerals, but make sure it’s a good quality brand.
The key is to eat a balanced meal around protein. Also, make sure you include nutrient-rich food and low-glycemic carbohydrates (i.e. dried beans and legumes, most fruits, non-starchy vegetables, and some starchy vegetables like sweet potatoes, cereals, whole-grain bread, etc.). Healthy fats such as those from avocado, egg, cheese, dark chocolate, fatty fish, nuts, chia seeds, etc. are also good.
Fuel Right
When you’re working out, your body will need the right food to perform at its best and recover better. Try to breakdown your daily food intake into 40/30/30 percentage, that’s 40% protein, 30% carbs, and 30% fat. You need to save most of your carbs to your workout days for a quick energy boost.
Also, since your body’s metabolism is kicking after your workout, it is best to eat a big and healthy meal to help your muscles recover.
Skip the Processed Food
Burger and fries may be super convenient and can get you to your desired calorie intake. However, it can’t contribute anything to your desired goals and can hinder. All those salt, sugar, and saturated fat will cause your body to crash.
You will feel low in energy and unable to perform at your best at your workout. Do this while putting in extra and unwanted fat to your body.
When looking for fuel to get you through your workouts, choose healthy alternatives such as brown rice, whole grains, potatoes, yams, oats, etc. Also, stay away from refined oils, as this can add extra calories to your diet and leads to more fat.
Move Often
You are already training religiously five times a week, eating clean, and stayed discipline against food binges. However, if the rest of your days is sedentary (working in front of a computer), you are still on a fat-storing mode.
Prolonged sitting causes the body to release cortisol, the stress hormone. When this happens, the body turns on its fat storage mode. The best way to get around this is to get up and move around every 30 minutes, especially if your job is sedentary by nature.
If possible, you can also get a standing desk. Standing for a prolonged time can help your body burn fat. Of course, do it gradually to allow your body to develop those muscles required for prolonged standing.
Hit the Gym Hard
There’s no going around it. You can’t slack off at the weight room and expect changes to your body. You need to clock at work.
So talk to your trainer about your goals. Don’t have a personal trainer? Easy, there are lots of resources online that can help you get started.
As you progress in your training, or if you want to be serious in your training, then you need to find a fitness coach. Most gyms have their trainers that can guide you through the process.
Tone Down the Cardio
Cardio exercises have long been touted as the go-to fat loss solution. Many people assume they need to do hours on the treadmill or elliptical for it to be effective.
While this seems logical (as we always see lean runners), the catabolic activity that our body gets while doing cardio results in a tradeoff of muscle.
Cardio releases adrenaline and cortisol hormones, they breakdown tissues. Doing too much of it, especially when there are not enough calories, interferes with muscle development (anabolic process) and slows down your metabolism.
Should you need to do cardio, make sure you don’t exceed 30 to 45 minutes a day, a maximum of five times per week. Also, you can get a better and more challenging workout doing HIIT (high-intensity interval training).
These routines combine aerobic and anaerobic exercises. They are short, quick, but intense exercises that can challenge your whole body.
Get Enough Sleep
Rest is crucial for muscle development. We build muscles when we sleep. If your body is not getting enough sleep, or your sleep is constantly interrupted, then your body won’t be able to go to its recovery phase thoroughly and will switch out its fat-burning mode.
So how do you make sure you get enough sleep? Take enough calories throughout the day. You can supplement your diet with magnesium as well.
Take Supplements
You can double up on your effort to gain muscles with the intake of supplements. The right weight gainer supplements can fast track your way to building the muscles you want. There are supplements for women that workout and men, too.
Make sure you choose the right supplement for your needs to get the best results. If you have a hard time choosing the right supplement, you can consult with your trainer or nutritionist.
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