I’ve never had much lean muscle. How do I start? There is so much advice but I need it organized for me. Too many exercises and not sure how to begin.
3 Reasons YOU Want Muscle
By Joel Marion & Vince Del Monte
It doesn’t matter if you’re male or female, 22 or 62, attempting to lose fat or “get buff”, you WANT muscle. In fact, we’ll venture to say that virtually everyone wants muscle (whether they know it or not), and here’s why:
1. Building Muscle = Faster Fat Loss
Even if you’re primary goal is fat loss, you’d be extremely wise to build specific periods of time in to your training schedule in which you primarily concentrate on building muscle.
Why?
Muscle is metabolically expensive.
You see, for every pound of muscle you manage to add to your frame, you’ll burn an additional 40-50 cals per day. So, let’s say you gain 10 lbs; that means your body now REQUIRES 400-500 more calories to simply maintain its weight, posing several benefits:
- You get to eat the same amount and lose fat faster OR
- You get to eat more and lose fat just as quickly
Either way you look at it, that’s a pretty solid deal, only possible through the addition of calorie-burning lean muscle.
2. Building Muscle = Easier Weight Maintenance
Let’s say you lose 30 lbs, which is awesome, but you fail to put on any appreciable amount muscle, or even worse, you lose muscle mass in the process (which is extremely common).
In either case, metabolism will in fact be slower after you’ve lost the 30 lbs than it was when you first started your fat loss journey…NOT what you want if your goal is to actually keep the weight off.
With the addition of lean muscle mass, your metabolism won’t be slower, it will be faster, making maintaining your new body incredibly easy.
Muscle is the difference between losing 30 lbs once and for all, and struggling to losing 30 lbs over and over and over again for the rest of your life.
Wouldn’t you love to just lose the weight once and never have to worry about “gaining it back”…again?
3. Building Muscle = A Hotter, Sexier Body
Being thin is one thing, being hot is another. And the latter is something only lean muscle can provide.
I think we’d all agree that while being thin is certainly better than being fat, what we truly want our bodies to look like goes far beyond simply being skinny.
For example, take a look at the photos below; these are both “size 2” bodies:
The difference: one looks “okay” and the other is smokin’ hot. The REAL difference: Muscle. While the same exact “size”, the physique on the right is comprised mostly of dense, shapely, tone muscle, while the image on the left…isn’t.
And for the guys, when it comes to taking your shirt off or being comfortable on the beach, we’d probably all agree that simply being “thin” or “skinny” isn’t where it’s at. Muscle makes a dramatic difference in the way we look. Just look at the before/after pics from these two clowns:
While the “before” photos were thin, there’s a world of difference in the confidence and general appearance of a physique possessing significantly more muscle.
How would your life change if YOU were to gain 5, 10, or even 20 lbs of lean muscle?
Both Vince and I can tell you that since our transformation, our entire lives have benefited massively because of one thing: muscle. It really can and does affect your entire life.
Comment Time:
How many pounds of lean, sexy muscle would you like to gain? Respond in the comments section below along with any muscle building questions you might have. Vince and I will be checking in throughout the day to answer your questions, and we’ll also select 2 “commentors” at random to receive a free muscle building “gift” ($97 value).
Talk to you in the comments section!
Joel and Vince
P.S. If you have never commented on the blog, today is the day. You might win something cool, and besides, when you take action and comment, it just reinforces your goals and pushes you even more toward achieving them. We’re looking forward to YOUR comment below!
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506 comments - add yours
I don’t really know how to estimate the amount of muscle I would like to put on, but I do know I would like to lower my body fat percentage. I weight about 120 lbs. but have a body fat percentage of around 35%–if the scale i bought to measure lbs and body fat is believable. So I definitely need to lose at least 10% bodyf fat and replace it with that amount of muscle. I need help in figuring out the body fat loss and muscle gain in pounds.
Hey guys, thanks for the reminder that muscle is important. Would like to lose about 15 lbs of fat and gain about 5 lbs of muscle (net weight loss of 10 lbs). Total weight not as important to me as waist size.
I’d like to lose 30lbs. of fat and gain at least 15lbs of muscle.
Matt wrote:
I play college football so I am in good shape but I want and need to gain more muscle. My team workout isn’t doing it for me so how can I gain 10-20 lbs of muscle while also lowering my body fat %?
Hi Matt. Traditionally people would recommend achieving your goals in PHASES. This is conventional thinking and it DOES work but there are FASTER methods… (get ready for self endorsement in a moment)….
1. Dedicate the next 3-6 months to PURELY packing on muscle mass using a traditional style bodybuiding program and eating in a caloric surplus.
2. Dedicate another 1-2 months to shredding the fat with a PURE fat loss program.
Finish accomplished. Two goals. Two phases. Focus on one after another. This is how I’ve personally transformed my body time and time again.
NOW…. recently I’ve been using calorie cycling (1 week of low cals with 2 weeks of high cals) and climbed from 214 lbs to 227 lbs in 42 days doing this cycle 2x!
Pretty impressive when most people struggle to gain that in a year!
That’s what our new “build muscle without the fat” solution is all about… coming out tomorrow. I’m sure Joel will tell you about it.
Hope that helps bro
I’d like to gain weight on the top half of my body and lose weight on the lower part. Yes, like many women I’m pear-shaped and hate it. I think that weight training will help me increase the size of my thin arms and shoulders to balance out the hip area. Then I’ll only need to lose a few extra pounds in the stomach, hips and thighs and work on toning them. Usually when I diet, my face, arms and chest start looking like an ad for starving children in Africa so I stop. I’d appreciate any suggestions and will follow them diligently. Thanks
Rose
Right now I’m focusing on getting my body fat percentage down to 8.5 to 8 % through my diet/nutrition – intermittent fasting + mostly eating clean (while allowing 1 or 2 cheat days) – and workouts – kettlebell circuits + resistance bands + bodyweight exercises. Once I realize my fat loss objective, adding as little as 5 lbs. of muscle to my frame will make me look pretty “hot” on and off the beach (lol)!
Ray
Belgium B wrote:
Is heavy, “hardcore” squatting really a prerequisite to any proper muscle-building program?
Lookin forward to reading your wise advices.
Safe
No.
There is NO definitive answer to hardly anything related to fitness. For example, my own personal coach does not suggest I do squats or deadlifts which are supposedly the BEST muscle building exercises of all time.
Now… I personally use both of these but because of tightness in my hips and ankles plus because my quads are already HUGE… these movements do NOT make sense for my body type.
See where individualization comes into play? This is not a pitch for 1-1 coaching but it’s a lesson in understanding that you can’t let science or “science geeks” dictate your training decisions… only. The real world and your personal have to be considered too.
Now, if your body is completely healthy … then YES… squats will pack on some SERIOUS size to your legs and even lower back and I would say…. learn how to do them with perfect technique and squat away.
Hopefully I did not confuse you further :)
ok, maybe 40-50lbs of muscle would be psycho. I just want to be proportionate. I obviously don’t know what 40lbs of muscle looks like. @ Rana:
rose wrote:
I’d like to gain weight on the top half of my body and lose weight on the lower part. Yes, like many women I’m pear-shaped and hate it. I think that weight training will help me increase the size of my thin arms and shoulders to balance out the hip area. Then I’ll only need to lose a few extra pounds in the stomach, hips and thighs and work on toning them. Usually when I diet, my face, arms and chest start looking like an ad for starving children in Africa so I stop. I’d appreciate any suggestions and will follow them diligently. Thanks
Rose
You solved your own problem Rose. Stop dieting!
Eat clean ALL THE TIME and you don’t need to diet :)
janice wrote:
I’ve never had much lean muscle. How do I start? There is so much advice but I need it organized for me. Too many exercises and not sure how to begin.
Hi Janice.
A few tips…
1. Go to your gym and have a trainer design a workout for your body type.
2. Spend the next month learning PROPER technique and getting comfortable with the new exercises and do them safely.
Get some hands on your body to show you how to work out safely before you get caught up in reps, sets and other tech stuff that has ZERO importance if you’re lifting improperly.
Even though I am female, I would like to gain 8-10lbs of muscle as I have some weight I am trying lose so it would help me with that and I do agree that muscle definition is what makes someone hot.
i have always been about the same size, but i can’t seem to put on more muscle. i really want my abs and legs and butt to be more toned and i wouldn’t mind having a little bigger muscle in my arms either. i am 31 years old, and i have two kids. i work 40 hours/week, so i have become very relaxed about working out. i used to make it a habit to work out 4-5 days a week, but i have definitely been slacking off. i recently purchased a couple of workout DVDs, and i have started to work out again. the thing about me is i constantly need change. i get bored with my workout very easily and i am constantly looking for new methods and exercises to do in order to peak my interest again.
just recently started using the site and enjoying what i am learning – lost a good bit of weight before but have just now added the strength training to the regimine and am enjoying myself immensly. i would like to gain LBM and drop as much fat as this 41 yr old body decides to let me :) – thanks for showing me how to add in the right types of execises to do it right and giving me all the right folks to go to when i need something right away…LOVE THE BLOG
I am 5’7″ tall, and I’m 56 years old. I am at 171 right now. I would love to weigh 145 again…like I did in 1998. I gained weight b/c of menopause and no plan for working out at the time. I’d love to get back down to the 155-145 range, but don’t know how much “lean muscle” gain that would take. I have a home gym, brand new gym membership and I’m focused with lots of support. Suggetions?
The ‘before’ photos were not really thin. I could count my ribs before I started my journey to better life. I’ve got lost ~4lbs fat and gained ~5lbs muscle in first 6 months. If I knew how much, how often ,when to eat – I would gain far more muscle.
This year I aim to improve my strength and gain more muscle.
Now I know that you can’t lose body fat and gain muscle in the same while- so I’m slowly bulking first.
I’d love to see how you figure out the amount of muscle a person needs to gain compared to the fat they need to lose. for instance… I’m currently 218 and 6’1″ I’ve lost around 20lbs, and my goal weight is to be back around 175 with a muscular frame. When I was in the military, i was 150 and lean. so… how to figure what weight to really shoot for. And yes, I know that it’s about how you feel and look, and not about the number, but i need something concrete to strive for, such as a goal weight. thanks so much for the sharing of the post- am looking forward to dropping more fat and building much more muscle!
I’d like to exchange 10-15 lb fat for 10-15 lb muscle.
@ Keena:
I tried Isabella’s diet and started at 217 and now at 242. I kept with it hard core for 6-8 months? I initially lost 17 but then it slowly kept going up, Why?
I really appreciate your tips and reminders of what can work and what I need to keep doing.
Gord
DUH!
Its one thing to be just skinny… its entirely different and healthier to be muscular and strong and fit. This is the problem with anorexic chicks parading around on the walkway, they look sick and thin. You don’t have to be thin, you should always aim for muscle. That means eat your protein dammit! ;)
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Hey, it’s Joel! So you want to know a little more about me, huh? Well, I’d be happy to oblige :-)
I guess it all started back in 2001 (my freshman year of college) when I was just a “skinny fat” 19-year old kid. At the time, I was spending close to 2 hours a day in the gym (now my workouts last about 30 minutes), and despite my efforts, you’d probably never guess I worked out a day in my life by looking at me...