A term that you might have heard of if you are into bodybuilding and fitness is clean bulking. It means gaining lead muscles without adding extra fat to your body. Fitness isn’t just about shedding extra kilos from your body or fitting in a particular size. It means overall wellness and building lean and strong muscles. If you want to build lean muscles, the first and foremost requirement is to have a positive energy balance. Positive energy balance means you need to intake more calories than what you burn.
Here are some tips that you can implement to gain lean muscle without adding extra fat.
Don’t skip breakfast
Breakfast is considered to be the most important meals of the day. It charges you up and provides all the energy you need to go through your day. A lot of people who want to gain weight try and skip breakfast and drink weight gain or GNC protein smoothies instead. Don’t do that. Eat a hearty and healthy breakfast and let those whey protein smoothies be a post workout or mid-meal snack. Have a combination of eggs, healthy fats, a good serving of fruit and you’ll be sorted for the day.
Stock up on protein
We cannot emphasis enough on how important it is to load up on good quality protein for optimal muscle building. If you are into fitness and hit the gym regularly, you know how crucial protein is to help you with proper recovery as well. When you want to build lean muscles you need to train hard and give your muscles optimal diet and rest as well. You can start a high protein diet after consulting your dietician and also include whey protein supplements for better gains.
Add a mass gainer supplement
When it comes to fitness, whey protein supplements are the most common. But if you want to gain lean muscle without adding fat, then you should consider including a mass gainer supplement in your routine. Mass gainers are wholesome dietary supplements that help you increase your muscle size. GNC mass gainers are specially formulated and have rich protein and carbohydrate content, while being low on fats.
To gain lean muscle without adding extra fat to your body, you need to have the right balance of extra calories and an optimal workout routine. To get those extra calories, you cannot just depend on your daily diet. With a mass gainer supplement you can get the dose of extra calories and all the other benefits. Some of the main benefits of mass gainer supplements are – they are a rich source of fiber, they help you gain weight in a healthy way, keep you energized throughout the day to push through your workouts, and help build lean muscles.
Some of the top selling GNC mass gainer supplements are –
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GNC Pro Performance Weight Gainer
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GNC AMP Amplified Mass XXX
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GNC Pro Performance Bulk 1340
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GNC Beyond Raw Re-Build Mass XP
Make sure you consult your doctor before including any new GNC mass gainer supplement in your diet. Go through the dosage instructions carefully mentioned on each pack or follow the instructions of your doctor. Do not consume excess amount, as it may cause side effects or even trigger allergic reactions.
Eat every three hours
When you want to gain weight and that too in a healthy and balanced way, it becomes really important to note what are you eating and at what time are you eating. The easiest way to gain muscle mass without adding fat is to eat every three hours. Start by eating a protein filled breakfast, then a mid-morning snack or smoothie, lunch should be filled be vegetables and salad, post workout recovery drink, and then finally dinner.
You can eat small portions but throughout the day. This way you’ll be satiated and have less carvings, which means you wont eat junk which adds to most fat in the body. Not eating for long periods can cause you to over-eat at the next meal or making unhealthy food choices.
Skip processed foods
A burger and fries will help you reach that extra calorie goals, but it will do a lot of damage to your fitness level. All the sugar, unsaturated fat, and salt will only add an unwanted layer of fat to your body which is certainly not your goal. If your ultimate fitness goal is to build lean muscles, then you need to skip processes foods. Instead add fruits, vegetables, and lean meat to your diet. Also be careful in choosing your carbohydrate source. Some good ones are – whole grains, whole wheat pasta, oats, quinoa etc.
Don’t forget the importance of water
Strength training can lead to water loss in the form of sweat. You should keep your hydration levels up to make sure it doesn’t hamper the muscle recovery process. During intense workouts there is loss of electrolytes. You can add drinks like lemon water (without sugar), infused water, and coconut water to get the goodness of all the lost electrolytes and keep your body hydrated as well.
The right training will make a huge difference
Having an optimal training routine will help you achieve massive gains. You should ensure that your calorie intake should be aimed at muscle repair, recovery, and growth. Having a comprehensive and complex exercise routine that targets different muscle groups on different days will be the best if you want to gain weight. Moderate number of reps (8 – 12) and 5 or more sets should be a good number to help you reach your fitness goal. Also make sure you give your muscles ample recovery time post intense workout sessions to avoid muscle breakdown.
One thing that you need to understand and keep in mind is that even the best whey protein supplements will not show results if you don’t have them in conjugation with the right kind of diet and workout routine. Be consistent with your workouts and don’t let your dedication slip. You will surely see results in gaining muscle mass, just keep going.
