Exercise and Dieting Strategies to Get Lean and Add Definition

So you’ve lifted heavy weights and forced down large quantities of food for some time now. You have added size and muscle to your body but notice that you are starting to look a little bulky or you just can’t see the definition in your arms, abs, etc. that you would like to. Or perhaps gaining a lot of size isn’t your top priority; you just want a ripped or toned physique. Whichever scenario might be your case the next few minutes you spend reading this article should give you the answers you are looking for.

To get lean there are two components of your program that you need to change if your previous goal was to add mass: one being your training and the second being your diet. The first component we will focus on is the training aspect. When the main purpose of your training is to lean-out you need to select a weight that you can perform at least 10-12 reps with perfect controlled form. You also want to be performing up to five different exercises for each muscle group doing four sets of each exercise. You should also be noticing that you are actually finishing your workouts quicker even though you are doing more exercises, sets and reps. The reason for this is that you should be utilizing super-setting (doing a set of one exercise immediately followed by a set of a different exercise, essentially doing two sets in one) and even tri-setting (just like a super-set except you are now doing this with three different exercises instead of two) for most of your exercises as well as taking shorter rest periods between each set. For example: on chest day I will start with 4 sets of flat dumbbell press super-set with 4 sets of flat dumbbell flyes and immediately follow that by 4 sets of incline dumbbell press super-set with 4 sets of incline dumbbell flyes. Then I will finish with something like lowered cable crossovers. Unfortunately, super-setting and a fast paced workout does not also count as your cardio training. Cardiovascular training is a necessity for anyone who wants to be totally lean because it’s going to burn your stored fat.

Now that we’ve covered the leaning out part of the training we need to cover the more complicated part of the training: sculpting your body so every muscle in your body is visible and perfectly defined. In order to achieve this you need to realize that it’s not about training a muscle group in general but training every dimension of that muscle group. You must realize, for example: that your deltoids have three different parts that you need to cover during your shoulder workout: rear, middle and anterior. One great way I am able to achieve this during my shoulder workout is through tri-setting anterior lateral raises (front) with side lateral raises (middle) with bent over lateral raises (rear). Not only am I hitting every aspect of my shoulder in one tri-set but also leaning out in the process! Most of my readers probably already knew that there are different parts of your shoulders that need to be focused on but what a lot of people don’t realize is that when training biceps you need to do the same thing to have complete bicep definition. There are actually different heads on the bicep that need to be focused on and this can be achieved through partial reps and changing your grip when performing curls. For example when performing standing straight bar curls I will begin with a standard grip (middle biceps) then move to a wide grip (outer biceps) then finally move to a narrow grip (inner biceps). Refer to the table below for a breakdown of ways to add definition while leaning out for each muscle group.

Your new style of training in the gym alone won’t be enough to get lean, defined and stay that way. You also need to be eating the right foods, the right amounts of it and at the right times. You need to be eating plenty of lean protein, a moderate amount of healthy fats and don’t cut out carbs completely but limit your intake to first thing in the morning and before and after your training. One mistake people commonly make when desperately trying to get lean is cutting out there carbs completely and this isn’t necessary and also can be detrimental. You can consume 50g carbs before you work out and your body will easily be able to burn those as energy. Likewise, 50g carbs post-workout can easily be burned by your muscles because they are still working even after you leave the gym. Not only can your body do this but actually needs about 50g carbs for pre workout energy and 50g more for post workout muscle repair. However, you should limit your carbohydrate consumption throughout the rest of the day (taking in very few carbs with the rest of the meals that follow your post workout meal). You need to be particularly careful to limit your carbs at night, unless you train at night. You also need to be constantly eating very small meals. Typically if your body goes more than three hours without any food it will burn muscle as energy and slow down your metabolism, which is the last thing you want when trying to lean out!

Follow these slight workout and diet modifications (or total lifestyle change) and a lean defined physique could be in your future.

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