Developing lean muscle?

[Manticone]

Hi guys...

What are your tips for developing lean muscle?

I am in my early 30s and have very little upper body strength and just generally feel exhausted lately. I know I don't have a lot of developed muscle. My BMI is usually between 18.5 and 19, but I just don't develop a lot of core strength (or upper body strength!) easily. I used to do kick boxing too, and even if I develop my calve muscles/ leg muscles through running, nothing I have ever done seems to really work at building strength in my arms or stomach (I don't mean in terms of size/ bulk - but just gaining strength).

Upper body wise, and stomach/ core wise...I feel sort of weak.

I am not looking to lose weight...but gain more stength/ feel 'fitter' if that is possible.

Do crunches/ sit ups/ push ups really work at developing upper body and core stength?

Oh, also I am basically vegan (been vegetarian more or less since the age of 7). I don't crave protein foods excessively, but I do eat a lot of tofu/ tempeh/ edamame/ nuts/ seeds/ shakes (with rice protein). Even if calories stay the same, should I be looking at cutting down on carbohydrates and upping protein?

Thanks guys!

[whome]

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@Manticone wrote:

Hi guys...

What are your tips for developing lean muscle?

Do crunches/ sit ups/ push ups really work at developing upper body and core stength?

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Yes - When you are able to do 3 sets of 15-20 push ups with out struggling at the end, you will be ready to move up to some sort of weight training but you might as well start out slow (and cheap).

Almost any exercise will develop lean muscle instead of that pesky fat muscle - 🙂

[LaTonya]

planks, push-ups, dips, some yoga postures, pull-ups,  tricep presses and back/tri exercises on a universal machine.

Personally, I look more to large body/combination movements since these are natural movements. As we age (I'm aging) we are more prone to injury so I am even more careful to use proper form/techique.

I found _New Rules for Lifting for Women" to be very helpful.

For more than 3 decades I have stuck to a basic rule: lift enough weight to make a musle (group) work but not so much that I compromise form and/or risk injury.

Lastly, the more we work a muscle, the stronger it gets so while you may not have a lot of strength, you can develop more over time. My suggestion, work regularly with adequate recovery and rest days and build slowly.

Good luck,

[Manticone]

LOL at the pesky-fat muscle comment. 🙂

I guess I'll be starting out with push ups. A whole 2 push ups a day! 😉 Since I can barely do any right now. 🙂

[Manticone]

I will try planks. I am awful at pushups. Even as a little kid, in gymnastics, I didn't have much in the way of upper body strength. I think it's partly genetic...my mum has less upper body stength, too. Even doing activities that are supposed to develop the arms and core...such as kickboxing and such, I just...always stayed very lanky upper-body wise. Ok. I am off to try and do 10 push ups now! I will set a goal of 10 in the morning and 10 in the evening before bedtime, and try the planking idea 🙂 Thanks guys!

[Heybales]

That's what you ask the butcher for a cut of beef - lean.

You can't develop lean muscle, as in no fat, as if regular muscle or some other way to get muscle is going to be fat muscle. Your body, just like the cow's body, decides what muscle is lean and what has more fat in it, and it's all location, just like the cow.

Actually, endurance cardio does the cause the body to store some more fat in the muscle used for easier access. But not talking a lot, a little goes a long way.

Perhaps you are thinking of the term you've heard Lean Body Mass - which is everything in the body EXCEPT fat - muscle, water, bones, ect.

If upper body lifting in the rep range of 8-12 is not getting you stronger - you are eating too little.

You've likely tapped out existing muscle for what it can do - and now the only way to get more is to eat in surplus.

And you'll need complete proteins, which some in your list are, others you'd have to do the correct mixing to get any.

Gotta wrap mind around eating more, and being willing to gain some fat, which you'll lose after you have more muscle to make it easier to do so.

[TandemWalker]

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@whome wrote:

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@Manticone wrote:

Hi guys...

What are your tips for developing lean muscle?

Do crunches/ sit ups/ push ups really work at developing upper body and core stength?

---

Yes - When you are able to do 3 sets of 15-20 push ups with out struggling at the end, you will be ready to move up to some sort of weight training but you might as well start out slow (and cheap).

Almost any exercise will develop lean muscle instead of that pesky fat muscle - 🙂

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When I started doing pushups about six months ago, I could hardly do one. I now do three sets of 10, with a 30s to a minute break in between. I can probably do a set of 15, the first one I think; but I don't think I could do three. But at 65  going on 66, I don't think three set of 10 is that bad a deal. What say you?

[Manticone]

Most of the fitness blogs and magazines call it lean muscle mass. So that's where I heard it. 🙂 I'm going off what I've always heard, that's all.

Such as: http://www.muscleandfitness.com/nutrition/lose-fat/6-weeks-get-lean

^ if you click on the link it comes up in the title.

Thanks for helping! 🙂

[Manticone]

I think I would be quite happy if I could do 30 push ups in one go 🙂 My arms burn after 5. 😉

[Heybales · Accepted solution]

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@Manticone wrote:

Most of the fitness blogs and magazines call it lean muscle mass. So that's where I heard it. 🙂 I'm going off what I've always heard, that's all.

Such as: http://www.muscleandfitness.com/nutrition/lose-fat/6-weeks-get-lean

^ if you click on the link it comes up in the title.

Thanks for helping! 🙂

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Well, actually it doesn't. You were about to scare me that the site in it's own non-ad articles would use such a term. The ads might, just like the goofy ads on TV I've seen using that term.

The article in about getting lean, lose fat. Nothing about gaining lean muscle. All about fat loss.

You lose fat - you reveal muscle. The fat was on top of the muscle, not in it.

But if you have no muscle and do the same - you reveal nothing.

Just as you are going for, strength - you don't need that program, you need the programs for gaining strength. And keep reading, you'll discover that if you are tapped out on strength, like been doing these lifting routines for a month or more, then you'll need more muscle. And only way to do that is eat more than you burn.

Body can't build something new out of nothing. So eat 100 more than daily burn each day. It would take 35 days to gain 1 lb - and it won't even be all fat.

[Manticone]

Thank you. 🙂

[GadgetGeek]

When doing pushups concentrate on your form.  If your are new to these or don't have the muscle stregth to do a 'correct' push up go to your knees.  Do what we call a 'girl' pushup, it really does help to focus on your muscles, get the correct form and allow you to work up to doing 'real' pushups.

Many people in the military have physical fitness tests annually or semi-annually and if they let themselves slack have to do this prior to a test.  It really does work. Concentrate on going all the way down, shoulders and elbows parallel to the ground, then bring yourself back up.  Before you know it you will be doing more than two regular pushups.

Planks work your core muscle a lot. You may need to start slow on this one too. I tend to think I'm semi fit (but probably in reality not) until someone mentions doing planks or the like. It doesn't take much time before I'm through.  Don't get discouraged here, planks don't look hard to do but they really pack a punch.

[T-Money34]

What does your exact workout routine entail?