How to Get Lean Muscle: 3 Ways to Avoid Another Year with a Depressing Body

At the time of writing this article, there are 15 days left of 2008. You can't help but think about what you've achieved, what you wanted to achieve but never did and what you've got going for you in the coming year. I can't guarantee it, but I'm pretty sure that most people tried to either maintain their body in good shape or improve it. It's a tough ask, especially in a fast paced, dog-eat-dog world where a peak condition body might seem unnecessary. For men especially, it's learning how to get some lean muscle. It's hard enough staying fit, is it still possible for the average guy to get bigger and stronger, while juggling a career, social life and family, to say the least? Start by making a regular exercise routine for yourself.

1. Maintain a log book.

By doing this, you document all the exercise you've done for the day and plan the days you're going to exercise next. All professional athletes use a log book to track their progress and improvement. There's no reason why you can't maintain one too.

2. Have company

This point in itself will single-handedly help you improve your body as much or as little as you want. You don't have to join an expensive gym to find people who want to exercise too. What sport do you like playing? Find a club where you can participate in a local team, or just ask mates who share you passion for the game and hire a court, or bring out the equipment. Make it a social gathering and make it fun. Who says it has to be painful? Remember, birds of a feather flock together!

3. Find guidance

For sports that require more discipline, like lifting weights, specific advice and routines are required to keep you on track. You could casually lift some weights and notice slightly more prominent muscles, but if you really want a significantly better body, it's best to find someone who knows their stuff and is happy to give you some guidance without asking for too much in return. This could be a mate who knows their way around the gym, for example. Of course, this isn't always so easy, but you can always find help elsewhere.

Whether your new year's resolution be to maintain good health or earn $1,000,000, all you need is one thing: focus! Those three points mentioned above are pretty flexible and and can be applied to different scenarios but I'm specifically talking about exercise here. It might seem hard, but as long as you have a goal to focus on, you can achieve anything, even gaining lean muscle.