How to Get Lean Muscle: How to Get 20 Pounds of Lean Muscle by This Time Next Year

One year to get 20 lbs of lean muscle is a respectable goal. Many men may make a new years resolution like this, but so few actually achieve it. It's doable, but it requires a good understanding of what it takes to get lean muscle. A lean, muscular body will get you the admiration and respect of your friends, if you're willing to work for it. These three things are required:

1. Heavy weights and fast, short reps

This is the foundation of gaining lean muscle. If there's anything you gain from this article, let it be this. You can only gain lean muscle by lifting heavy weights and by lifting it quickly. Simple as that. It's logical if you think about it. You feel pain when your muscles experience an uncomfortable amount of force. Your muscles grow bigger to oppose this force in case it comes around again. You increase the weight and amount of force, your muscles feel pain and get bigger again... see where I'm going with this?

The reason why you do fast, short repetitions is because you get most pain from it. See, there's something called "muscle overload", a.k.a "training to failure" where you maximize your muscle gain by pushing your muscles beyond their muscular threshold. It's characterized by a cold, burning sensation in the muscle group that you're exercising. Don't confuse this with feeling tired or a dull ache in your muscles when you're working out. This kind of pain is the only kind that will make your muscles grow. If you can remember to use heavy weights and to lift them quickly, you're already ahead of 50% of the men in the world who still don't realize that this is how you gain lean muscle.

2. Good diet and rest

This is another common sense sort of thing. Having said this, many men are still in the dark that about why they are important, so I'll go through it for their sake. By good diet, there are the obvious things I'm referring to like low GI foods rich in vitamins and minerals to keep you going and going all day without feeling dead tired before the end of the day, as well as keeping all your organs working in good in condition and omega-3 fatty acids to keep your cardiovascular system in tip top shape so you don't get puffed out during a work out. Of course, there is also the aspect of protein that is always contentious.

We have allowed our lack of understanding of protein spawn the hundreds, if not thousands of "miracle pills" and "super supplements" that are said to "unlock our dream body." Truth is, these supplements should only ever work in conjunction with a balanced diet and exercise. They will never make your body more than anything it already is, unless you work out. Take easy to absorb organic proteins, like whey, banana and various legumes. Because they're organic, they will give your body all the protein it needs. They are also cheap.

Now, for the aspect of rest. Most men don't know this but your body doesn't physically grow muscle when you're working out. Ready for it? You only get lean muscle while you're sleeping. See, this is when your body is resting and your muscles are "regrouping" and "calling reinforcements", meaning they're getting bigger and stronger. Deprive your body of rest and no matter heavy you lift or how quickly, or if you eat all the right foods, you won't gain a pound of muscle.

3. A muscle routine to tie it all together.

It's a lot to take in but it can be easier to follow. How? If you had a muscle routine to take it all in. By this I mean something that includes snacks and meals you have, the types of exercises you do and for how long, etc. Unfortunately, this is the main reason that many men struggle to gain any lean muscle. They understand all the basics for gaining lean muscle but because they have no organized structure, their muscular gains are next to nothing. Muscle programs offline are hard to find; they're usually online, hidden amongst numerous advertisements. They do exist, but it takes some effort to find them.

I'll say it again. Learning how to get lean muscle is straight forward. See, in a few minutes you've already learned more than most guys will ever learn about lean muscle in their lifetimes. All you need is a drive to find or design your own muscle routine.