Dominic Stone
Building lean muscle has many benefits, from giving your body a leaner appearance to reducing your risk of cardiovascular disease. Regardless of your gender, you won't get a bulked-up bodybuilder look without a serious fitness and diet program. To build lean muscle, you can try weight-bearing exercises, which are also key to building stronger bones. You can also try isometric exercises, which involve supporting a weight without moving your muscles, for example, holding a pushup in the lowered position. Dance-inspired workouts are another great way to build lean muscle, as they promote strength and endurance in muscles and joints that have a limited range of motion due to injury.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Benefits | Muscle gives your body a leaner appearance, reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease, and protects your body from injury. |
| Weight Training | Weight-bearing exercises help build muscle and stronger bones. |
| Resistance Training | Resistance training can help slow the loss of muscle mass that comes with aging. |
| Isometric Exercise | Holding a fixed position for a long time increases the time your muscles are under tension, making them stronger. |
| Dance-Inspired Workouts | Dance-infused fitness programs like Pure Barre combine Pilates, yoga, and dance to target core, hips, butt, and arms. |
| Supplements | BCAAs (leucine, isoleucine, and valine) help with protein synthesis and recovery. Alpha-ketoisocaproic acid (KIC) provides BCAAs and prevents muscle breakdown. B vitamins (B3, B6, and B12) boost anabolic processes and support health. |
| Workout Types | HIIT, circuit training, boot camps, treadmill running, and cardio are all effective ways to burn fat and build muscle. |
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What You'll Learn
Dance-inspired workouts
A dance workout utilizes all the muscle groups in a dynamic way, resulting in a full-body workout. Essentially, in dance, your body is your machine. You can use your bodyweight to your advantage to build strength and tone your body. For example, in ballet, a movement at the ballet barre can be repeated up to 32 times on one side, helping to tone legs, tighten glutes, and strengthen abdominals.
You can also incorporate props, such as body bars, to add resistance and a higher level of strength training. Dumbbells can be used to add intensity to exercises such as squats and lunges, which can be done at varying tempos to challenge your body and keep your muscles under tension.
Additionally, dance-inspired workouts can improve your coordination and balance, which can be beneficial as you age and help prevent falls. You can also work on your flexibility and muscle tone through dance-inspired workouts that incorporate elements of Pilates and yoga.
The Sculpt Society, for example, offers a range of dance cardio and full-body sculpting workouts that are designed to be accessible and inclusive for people of all fitness levels. Their workouts are led by experienced trainers and are available in various formats, from 5 to 50 minutes, so you can choose the option that best suits your schedule and goals.
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Isometric exercises
For example, when you hold a plank, you are performing an isometric exercise that contracts the muscles in your core, legs, and upper body to hold you up while remaining in the same position. Similarly, holding a push-up in the lowered position is another example of an isometric exercise. These exercises are often inspired by dance and yoga movements, which help create long, lean muscles without bulk.
Isometric training is a way to categorise exercises that recruit muscles and exert tension without lengthening or shortening the muscle. This form of training can help build muscular strength and endurance, making muscles stronger and promoting a leaner appearance.
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Building muscle with bodyweight
Building muscle is an effective way to sculpt a leaner physique and lose fat. One of the best tools for building muscle is your own body weight. Bodyweight training provides more than 200 exercises that can be done using your body weight and everyday items.
The gym is not the only option for strength training. You can get lean just by using your body weight. A recent study shows that training with lighter loads and more repetitions is just as effective at building muscle as training with heavy weights and fewer reps. Just do the exercise until your muscles demand a break. Aim for two to three strength training workouts per week.
You can craft your own muscle-making routine or follow a program that fits your preferences, lifestyle, and budget. For example, the Freeletics app teaches you to use your own body weight to get results via customized, guided plans.
Isometric exercises, which are inspired by dance, are another way to build lean muscle. These exercises involve supporting a weight (in this case, your body weight) without moving your muscles—for example, holding a pushup in the lowered position. These exercises strengthen smaller muscle fibres and give them a better range of motion, making them more flexible and less prone to injury.
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Strength training
There are two main types of strength training: resistance training and hypertrophy training. Resistance training uses external resistance, such as weights, bands, or body weight, to challenge your muscles and promote muscle growth. This type of training focuses on lower repetitions (typically 12 and under) with heavier weights to enhance muscle density and definition without significant bulk. When incorporating resistance training into your routine, opt for weights that allow you to perform 8-12 repetitions with proper form while feeling challenged by the last few reps.
On the other hand, hypertrophy training aims to increase muscle size and volume by performing higher repetitions (typically 15-20 or more) with moderate weights. This approach may not result in a proportionate increase in strength but can give you a larger, more muscular appearance.
Additionally, there are two types of movements in strength training: isotonic and isometric. Isometric exercises involve supporting a weight (often your body weight) without moving your muscles, such as holding a push-up in the lowered position. These exercises increase the time your muscles are under tension, making them stronger and improving their endurance and balance. Dance-infused fitness programs like Pure Barre use isometric movements to create long, lean lines in the body without bulk.
You can perform strength training exercises with or without equipment, depending on your preference and resources. If you're using weights, gradually increase the weight, repetitions, or sets over time to continuously challenge your muscles and ensure progress. Remember, effective lean muscle building involves optimising muscle growth while reducing body fat to achieve a defined and athletic physique.
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Supplements
Some supplements that can help support muscle growth include creatine, whey protein, and glutamine. Creatine is an amino acid that helps supply muscles with energy to complete physical activity and is one of the most widely used supplements for improving exercise and physical performance. The typical dosage is 20 grams daily for 5-7 days, followed by 3-5 grams daily for up to 12 weeks. However, it can cause side effects such as weight gain due to water retention, nausea, diarrhea, muscle cramps, and heat intolerance.
Whey protein is another popular supplement that contains the essential amino acids necessary for muscle growth. It is digested more quickly than other protein products and often includes more leucine, which helps build muscle. Studies have safely used doses of up to 30 grams for up to six months, and most whey protein powders contain 20-30 grams per scoop or serving. Potential side effects include bloating, diarrhea, thirst, and nausea.
Other supplements that may aid in muscle growth include beta-alanine, carnitine, HMB, and BCAAs. Beta-alanine is an amino acid that has been found to increase lean body mass in male wrestlers, football players, and participants in high-intensity interval training programs. Carnitine is a compound that increases oxygen intake and power output during exercise and supports post-workout recovery. HMB is naturally produced by the body, but taking it as a supplement can improve lean body mass gains from weight training, especially for those new to exercise. BCAAs (leucine, isoleucine, and valine) are quickly absorbed and provide energy to skeletal muscle cells during exercise, improving muscle size and strength while reducing damage and soreness.
It is important to note that the effectiveness of supplements can vary depending on individual factors such as diet, exercise routine, and body composition. Additionally, some supplements may have side effects, so it is always a good idea to consult a healthcare professional before starting any new supplement regimen.
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Frequently asked questions
Building lean muscle can give your body a leaner appearance, reduce your risk of cardiovascular disease, and protect your body from injury. It can also help with weight loss, improve your endurance, power, coordination, and flexibility, and make everyday tasks easier.
You can build muscle through weight-bearing exercises, strength training, resistance training, or weight training. You can also try isometric exercises, which involve supporting a weight without moving your muscles, e.g. holding a pushup in the lowered position. You can do this with just your body weight or with light weights and more repetitions.
Dance-infused fitness programs such as Pure Barre combine Pilates, yoga, and dance to target the core, hips, butt, and arms. Ballet-inspired workouts can also help you get a lean body and tone muscles.
BCAAs (leucine, isoleucine, and valine) can help drive protein synthesis and support recovery. Alpha-ketoisocaproic acid (KIC) provides BCAAs without producing ammonia, helping to prevent muscle breakdown. B vitamins, especially B3, B6, and B12, can also help boost anabolism and build more lean muscle tissue.
