Increasing pure muscle mass/fat-free mass known as LBM (lean body mass) is not as easy as turning your palm; Changes in diet, exercise patterns, and lifestyle are needed. Increasing your LBM means reducing your total fat percentage so you will lose weight but increase your muscle mass. Interested in doing it? Start with the most basic method of improving your diet and exercise pattern.
Step
Part 1 of 3: Reduce Total Fat Mass
Step 1. Eat fat-free protein
Feeding the body with sufficient protein is very important to initiate dietary improvements, lose weight, and increase muscle mass. Make sure you eat the right protein in sufficient portions to achieve your goal of increasing your LBM.
- The amount of protein each person needs depends on their gender, age, and activity level. If you are interested in increasing muscle mass, eat at least 1 gram of protein for every kg of your body weight.
- Make sure you eat fat-free protein that is low in calories such as poultry, eggs, lean pork or beef, processed seafood, tofu, and beans.
- Add 1-2 servings of protein to each of your "big" meals and snacks (1-2 servings of protein equals 85-113 grams or a deck of playing cards).
Step 2. Eat 5-9 servings of fruits and vegetables each day
Both contain a variety of important nutrients that are beneficial for your health, and can reduce your weight. If balanced with eating high-protein foods and regular exercise, surely your goal to increase LBM will be achieved in a shorter time.
- Fruits and vegetables are two types of food that are high in fiber, low in calories, and contain various types of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants that the body needs. In other words, fruits and vegetables can be categorized as nutrient-dense foods.
- To meet the target of eating 5-9 servings of fruits and vegetables every day, you need to add 1-2 servings of fruits and vegetables in each of your "big meals" and snacks. 1 serving of fruit is equivalent to 90 grams and 1 serving of vegetables is equivalent to 150 or 300 grams of vegetable salad.
Step 3. Consume limited amounts of whole grains
Limiting carbohydrates helps you to reduce total fat mass while maintaining body muscle mass. If combined with the right exercise, surely your LBM will increase.
- Going on a low-carb diet has been shown to be effective in losing weight and reducing total fat mass.
- Grains are found in many types of food, but in general you can find them in foods that are primarily grain-based (such as bread, rice, or whole-grain crackers). These foods actually contain lower nutrients than other carbohydrate foods such as dairy products and fruits.
- If you decide to stick with whole grains, limit the portion to 28 grams per day.
- If possible, choose a diet consisting of 100% whole grains. Besides being higher in fiber, these types of foods are also richer in nutrients than processed whole grains (such as white bread or white rice).
Step 4. Eat snacks before and after exercise
The right snacks can provide the body with the energy it needs for exercise, and also help the body "recover" post-workout faster.
- If your body is not given enough "fuel" before and after exercise, you will most likely not be able to achieve maximum results.
- Try eating a snack containing complex carbohydrates before exercising. Complex carbohydrate foods are effective in supplying the body with enough energy to exercise. Try eating a plate of fruit, a small serving of yogurt, or a bowl of oatmeal.
- After you finish exercising, eat foods that contain protein and carbohydrates. In addition to restoring wasted energy during exercise, protein intake is also effective in repairing the muscles of your body. Try eating bananas and peanut butter, trail mix (a mixture of dried fruits, nuts, and seeds) or Greek yogurt with fruit.
- You can also use your "big meal" as fuel before and after exercise. For example, if you are used to exercising in the morning, make sure you eat a healthy breakfast menu and can increase energy before exercising.
Step 5. Limit consumption of sugary, fatty, high sodium, and alcohol foods
Foods that are high in sugar or fat – and alcohol – will burn your body in excess calories. Research also shows that sugary, fatty, high-sodium foods and alcohol play an important role in increasing body fat (especially in the belly).
- Limit the consumption of these foods as much as you can. This will really help you to reduce your weight and body fat percentage.
- Added sweeteners in foods such as candies, packaged drinks, pastries, canned fruit, and various desserts will only add calories and do not provide the essential nutrients your body needs.
- Dips and sauces are also often high in sugar and/or sodium. By adding it to your diet, you may be consuming extra calories without realizing it. If you're eating a salad, ask for the dressing to be set aside (or don't ask for the dressing at all).
- Limit alcohol consumption. For women, the normal amount of alcohol is one drink per day. Meanwhile, for men, the recommended dose is no more than 2 glasses per day.
Step 6. Set aside at least 150 minutes a week to do cardiovascular exercise
This type of exercise is not only important for maintaining overall body health, but also for increasing your LBM. Although not specifically aimed at increasing muscle mass, at least cardiovascular exercise can significantly reduce body fat percentage.
- The general recommendation is to do at least 150 minutes of cardiovascular exercise a week; which means you should be exercising at least 30 minutes a day (excluding weekends). Choose moderate-intensity exercise that can increase your heart rate, make you sweat, and even leave you breathless.
- Cardiovascular exercises worth trying: jogging/running, swimming, taking an aerobics class, or cycling.
- Try incorporating HIIT (high intensity interval training) into your cardiovascular workouts. HIIT is a repetition-based, high-intensity physical exercise process. Research shows that this type of exercise is much more effective at reducing body fat than standard cardiovascular exercise (eg jogging for 30 minutes). In addition to burning calories naturally, HIIT will also increase your metabolism significantly.
Part 2 of 3: Increase Muscle Mass by Exercising
Step 1. Spend 2-3 days a week doing strength training
Powerful strength training builds and strengthens your body's muscle mass.
- In addition to reducing total fat mass, you are also required to do strength and resistance training to increase LBM. Cardiovascular exercise and diet just will not be able to increase your muscle mass.
- In addition to increasing muscle mass, strength training provides various other benefits for your health such as preventing bone loss and increasing the body's metabolism.
Step 2. Repeat the movement as much as possible
If you are lifting weights, you may choose to repeat the movement as many times as you want. Many or few reps, both provide different benefits for your body mass and strength.
- Doing multiple repetitions for each movement is highly recommended if you want to build muscle mass. At least, do 8-12 repetitions for each movement, instead of only doing 4-6 repetitions./
- A large number of repetitions encourages your muscles to work longer under stress. This is why you gain weight when muscle mass increases.
- Fewer repetitions are very useful for building muscle strength. Usually, fewer repetitions will be offset by heavier weights; this method will make your muscles tired faster and lead to increased muscle strength.
Step 3. Do more compound exercises and isolation movements
Both provide various benefits for those of you who want to train muscle strength. Most people choose to combine the two; but if your goal is to increase your LBM, it's best to start by doing compound exercises.
- Compound training is a method for working more than one muscle group. This exercise method is useful for strengthening and increasing the mass of several muscle groups at the same time. For those of you who don't have much time to exercise, doing compound exercises is highly recommended because the time required is relatively shorter.
- In contrast, isolation exercises only focus on building one specific muscle group. This type of exercise is more aimed at building specific muscles (such as the biceps), not to increase overall muscle mass.
Part 3 of 3: Maintaining Pure Muscle Mass
Step 1. Measure muscle mass regularly
To monitor your progress and keep it if the goals have been achieved, of course, it takes continuous effort. Measuring muscle mass regularly can help you control and maintain the positive results that you have achieved.
- Increasing pure muscle mass requires you to reduce your body fat percentage; therefore, make sure you weigh yourself regularly to monitor your progress.
- Remember, if your muscle mass is increasing rapidly, you are more likely to gain weight as muscle mass increases (especially since muscle weighs more than fat). So how do you tell the difference between increased muscle mass and fat mass? For more accurate results, we recommend that you apply another specific measurement method.
Step 2. Monitor your body fat percentage
There are several ways you can measure body fat, such as by doing a skin fold test (a method for estimating the amount of fat that is under the skin with a special tool called a caliper) and an electrical impedance test (a method for measuring body composition using tools such as a weighing scale). capable of conducting electric current to the body). You can try both methods with the assistance of a doctor or a personal trainer at the fitness center.
- Observe your body fat percentage while monitoring your weight. Your main goal is to reduce body fat (and weight) and increase your LBM.
- There's no need to worry if you don't lose or even gain weight; As far as your body fat percentage is reduced, it's a sign you're on the right track.
Step 3. Take care of your sleep pattern
Research shows that people who experience chronic sleep deprivation are at a higher risk of accumulating body fat and being overweight.
- Get at least 7-9 hours of sleep every night.
- In addition to reducing – and controlling – weight, sleep has many other benefits such as helping you concentrate, stabilizing your mood, and supporting your immune system.
Step 4. Manage stress
As with sleep disorders, chronic low-level stress has also been shown to increase body fat percentage and the likelihood of obesity. Both trigger the production of the hormone cortisol which can prevent fat burning in your abdomen.
- The causes of stress are varied. Stress that is not managed properly can produce various negative side effects such as drastic mood swings, fatigue, and chronic sleep disturbances. In addition, stress will also make it difficult for you to control and/or realize your current body weight.
- Do activities that are fun and can free you from stress, such as reading a book, taking a warm bath, chatting with those closest to you, or taking a walk in the open.
Tips
- Before making any changes to your diet or routine, make sure you first consult with your doctor.
- Increasing LBM requires you to reduce or maintain the percentage of fat in your body while continuing to work on muscle.
- You can't increase pure muscle mass overnight. It takes process, perseverance, and patience to achieve these goals.
- The best way to increase your LBM is to combine a proper diet, regular exercise, and a healthy lifestyle.
