Written by Menswear Style in Health & Fitness on the 12th October 2021

There are many health benefits of working out and staying fit. It keeps you happy, helps control your weight, reduces your risk of many diseases and so much more. However, everyone has different goals when it comes to their health and fitness. Some may want to build a lot of muscle and gain weight, while others will want to lose weight by any means necessary. But what if you want to build lean muscle? What sorts of things should you do in regards to your diet and exercise? Well, that is exactly what this blog post is here to help you with. Read on to learn a couple of helpful diet and exercise tips for building lean muscle.

Prioritise Cardio 

When most people want to build muscle, they will lift heavy weights and not worry about cardio. However, if you want to have lean muscle, cardio will be your best friend. The best way to lose the fat necessary to have a lean muscular body is to be in a calorie deficit. Your body will burn your fat for energy if you burn more calories than you eat, and cardio such as running, cycling, or swimming is often the easiest and most effective way to burn calories. The great thing about cardio is that it can be done anywhere, either at the gym, out in nature, or even at home. Be sure to check out this article on best treadmill options if you want to be able to do cardio at home. Of course, you will still need to lift weights to build some muscle, but adding in some cardio will keep you lean.

Get Enough Protein in Your Diet 

Trying to maintain a lean physique is all about eating healthy and monitoring your portions. You need to avoid eating too much and plan out your meals well. However, you also need to make sure you get enough protein. When many people get serious about their diet, they often cut too much protein out. This is a bad idea not only because protein can help people build muscle, but protein can also make you feel full, which is great if you spend a lot of time in a calorie deficit. So how much protein should you aim to get? Well, that depends. In most cases, the average adult should take in at least .8 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight. Athletes may need to take more, and plenty of people looking to build muscle will also take in more protein than this recommended amount.

Focus More on Body Fat Than Weight 

When people are tracking how lean they are getting over time and are curious about how effective their diet and exercise has been, they often look to their weight. However, this is not the greatest measure to use. Being lean has little to do with your weight and more about your body composition. Instead, people should be focusing more on seeing their body fat percentage drop more than their weight. If your body fat is consistently dropping, then you are becoming leaner. Measuring your body fat isn’t as convenient as simply checking your weight, but it can be done. Also, be consistent in terms of when you weigh yourself and check your body fat. Our bodies can change vastly during the day, so choose a time and always check your numbers at that time for reliable results.

Prioritise Cardio, Get Enough Protein in Your Diet, and Focus More on Body Fat Than Weight are the Diet and Exercise Tips for Perfectly Lean Muscles.