Gaining Muscle Without Gaining Weight

Sally Perkins explains how paying close attention to what you eat and how you work out can help you bulk up while burning fat.

Unfortunately, gaining bulk often means gaining weight at the same time. Many bodybuilders struggle to find that perfect balance between diet and exercise that allows them to shed weight while growing stronger without stressing the system. While there is no one-size-fits-all solution, paying close attention to what you eat and how you work out can help you bulk up while burning fat.

Diet

While consuming too many calories is never a good idea, you should also avoid eating too little. Too few calories, mainly from protein-rich foods, can result in a loss of muscle mass. It can lower your metabolic rate, making it more challenging to keep weight off after you have lost it. Too many bodybuilders find themselves falling into a vicious cycle of dieting that makes it nearly impossible to maintain an ideal weight.

Consuming enough calories when bulking up can help, but those calories must come from the right foods. Packing your diet full of refined sugars and saturated fats may help you gain weight quickly, but you will not be doing your muscles any favours.

The best foods you can eat to improve muscle gain are those low in fat and protein. Your body must be able to replace the protein naturally lost by muscle cells daily. Red meat is an okay meal choice every once in a while, but overeating red meat may increase your risk of developing heart disease or certain types of cancer. Lean proteins such as fish and poultry are better for healthy muscle development. Vegetarians and vegans can get protein from leafy greens, nuts and seeds, beans, and more.

Strength Training

You need to do much more to gain muscle mass than switch to a high-protein diet. It is essential to exercise three to five times a week using a routine that includes moderate to intense strength training. Lifting heavier weights using fewer repetitions is the key to growing muscles larger. It is also important to remember that while it may be tempting to concentrate solely on the upper body, you should never skip out on leg day.

Cardio

While strength training helps you to add bulk, cardio helps you to lose weight safely and effectively. Running, jogging, swimming, and other activities that stimulate your heart are all great for burning unwanted calories. Not only will these exercises help you to shed pounds, but they will also improve your stamina, lung capacity, cardiovascular health, and much more. It would help if you included at least twenty to thirty minutes of cardio in each workout.

If you want to lose weight while bulking up, the key is to follow a careful diet and exercise regularly. With patience and dedication, you can make 2018 the year you achieve the toned physique you have always wanted.

Page Reference

If you quote information from this page in your work, then the reference for this page is:

PERKINS, S. (2018) Gaining Muscle Without Gaining Weight [WWW] Available from: https://www.brianmac.co.uk/articles/article283.htm [Accessed

About the Author

Sally Perkins is a professional freelance writer with many years of experience across many different areas. She moved to freelancing from a stressful corporate job and loves the work-life balance it offers her. When not at work, Sally enjoys reading, hiking, spending time with her family, and travelling as much as possible.


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Unfortunately, gaining bulk often means gaining weight at the same time. Many bodybuilders struggle to find that perfect balance between diet and exercise that allows them to shed weight while growing stronger without stressing the system. While there is no one-size-fits-all solution, paying close attention to what you eat and how you work out can help you bulk up while burning fat. Diet While consuming too many calories is never a good idea, you should also avoid eating too little. Too few calories, mainly from protein-rich foods, can result in a loss of muscle mass. It can lower your metabolic rate, making it more challenging to keep weight off after you have lost it. Too many bodybuilders find themselves falling into a vicious cycle of dieting that makes it nearly impossible to maintain an ideal weight. Consuming enough calories when bulking up can help, but those calories must come from the right foods. Packing your diet full of refined sugars and saturated fats may help you gain weight quickly, but you will not be doing your muscles any favours. The best foods you can eat to improve muscle gain are those low in fat and protein. Your body must be able to replace the protein naturally lost by muscle cells daily. Red meat is an okay meal choice every once in a while, but overeating red meat may increase your risk of developing heart disease or certain types of cancer. Lean proteins such as fish and poultry are better for healthy muscle development. Vegetarians and vegans can get protein from leafy greens, nuts and seeds, beans, and more. Strength Training You need to do much more to gain muscle mass than switch to a high-protein diet. It is essential to exercise three to five times a week using a routine that includes moderate to intense strength training. Lifting heavier weights using fewer repetitions is the key to growing muscles larger. It is also important to remember that while it may be tempting to concentrate solely on the upper body, you should never skip out on leg day. Cardio While strength training helps you to add bulk, cardio helps you to lose weight safely and effectively. Running, jogging, swimming, and other activities that stimulate your heart are all great for burning unwanted calories. Not only will these exercises help you to shed pounds, but they will also improve your stamina, lung capacity, cardiovascular health, and much more. It would help if you included at least twenty to thirty minutes of cardio in each workout. If you want to lose weight while bulking up, the key is to follow a careful diet and exercise regularly. With patience and dedication, you can make 2018 the year you achieve the toned physique you have always wanted. Page Reference If you quote information from this page in your work, then the reference for this page is: PERKINS, S. (2018) Gaining Muscle Without Gaining Weight [WWW] Available from: https://www.brianmac.co.uk/articles/article283.htm [Accessed About the Author Sally Perkins is a professional freelance writer with many years of experience across many different areas. She moved to freelancing from a stressful corporate job and loves the work-life balance it offers her. When not at work, Sally enjoys reading, hiking, spending time with her family, and travelling as much as possible.