Lean muscle mass - Optimize Hormones

Lean muscle mass refers to the weight of your muscle without fat. It's the amount of muscle you have built through strength training and exercise. Having more lean muscle:

• Helps boost your metabolism so you can burn more calories throughout the day
• Supports functional strength so your muscles work efficiently
• Gives you a toned appearance
• May reduce injury risk

How is lean muscle built?

You build lean muscle through consistent strength training that causes small tears and damage to the muscle fibers. When the muscles repair themselves, they grow bigger and stronger. This is how you increase lean body mass over time.

Some good ways to build lean muscle include:

• Weight lifting: Squats, deadlifts, bench press, rows, and other free weight lifts trigger muscle protein synthesis. Lift challenging weights in the 6-12 rep range.
• Progressive overload: Slowly increase reps, sets, or amount of weight lifted over time to continually challenge your muscles. Muscle needs to be pushed to grow.
• High protein intake: Eat 0.5-1 grams of protein per pound of body weight daily to give muscles the amino acids they need to repair and rebuild lean tissue. Good protein sources include meat, eggs, dairy, protein powders, etc.

What impacts lean muscle gains?

Several factors affect your ability to build lean mass:

• Age: Muscle building potential decreases as you get older. But strength training can still boost lean mass gains.
• Genetics: Some people are gifted with more fast-twitch muscle fibers that support muscle growth. But most people can make solid lean gains.
• Calorie intake: Eat in a slight calorie surplus to fuel muscle growth. Don't cut calories too drastically when trying to build muscle.
• Sleep: Adequate, high-quality sleep enables your body to repair and synthesize new muscle most effectively.

In summary, lean muscle mass provides key health and aesthetic benefits. You can increase it over time through progressive strength training, proper nutrition, and lifestyle optimization. Just be consistent and patient with the process!

Visit the Optimize Hormones for personalized guidance on building lean muscle mass.