So you’re wondering how to gain muscle without gaining fat. Well you never will if you spend too much time gazing into the mirror, its easy to end up disgusted and disheartened. That’s no life to live! If you are unhappy with your body and want to pack on some muscle, there is a solid way of doing this without gaining fat.

Gaining muscle without gaining fat too is tricky. But if you play your cards right, you can gain the bulk you long for, without any extra jiggle.

1. Monitor your calories

In order to put on muscle, you can’t eat like a bird. That’s probably one of the main reasons you are where you are in the first place. If you increase your caloric intake, you will have the fuel you need to make some good gains. The thing is, you do not want to go overboard. You need to find a sweet spot.

The best way to do this is by monitoring your intake for a few days and finding out how many calories you currently consume each day on average. Then you can add to this amount.

For example, let’s say you’re consuming 2,000 calories a day. Add 250 to this amount and make your new total 2,250. Now eat this many calories a day. It’s not enough to make you fat, but it is enough to spark muscle growth.

Just be sure to choose foods that are clean and good sources of protein, carbs, and fat. Stick to lean beef, eggs, chicken, turkey, fish, whole grains, beans, nuts, seeds, fruits, and vegetables.

2. Lift weights the right way

You are on a journey to get bigger without gaining fat. This means that you need to be willing to tax your muscles to spark them to grow. Your best bet is to do compound exercises that target more than one muscle at the same time.

The more muscle groups you recruit, the more muscle fibers you recruit as well. The end result is gains in size and strength.

Perform exercises like bench presses, deadlifts, squats, lunges, pull-ups, dips, and push-ups. These exercises will target all of your main muscles and will also cause your body to naturally pump out more testosterone. This occurs when you push hard in your workouts and exert a lot of force.

3. Perform a fair share of cardio

When learning how to build muscle without gaining fat, you have to take cardio into serious consideration. This is the aspect that brings everything together. By doing cardio, you reduce the chances of gaining fat.

You don’t need to do a ton of cardio, but a good 30 minutes three times a week will suffice. Choose a form that you like and will stick with, too. That’s probably the most important thing to take into account. Running, biking, elliptical training, stair-climbing, and swimming are all perfectly fine.

On a side note, performing interval training where you alternate back and forth from all-out effort to light effort will also boost your testosterone. Give it a spin if you can man up to it!

Check also: How to Build Muscle After Weight Loss >>

4. Get enough sleep at night

If you neglect your sleep habits, your recoveries will suffer and you also might find yourself extra hungry during the day because your hormones will be jacked up. Don’t let this happen. Aim for at least 7 hours of quality sleep every night.

This will keep you in balance, give you energy during the day, and allow your muscles to get the rest they need to repair and grow.

5. Put the entire plan together

You have the ingredients you need, now you just have to form an action plan of how to build muscle without gaining fat. And here it is. Do a full-body weight training workout with two days of rest in between.

Focus on targeting all of your major muscles and use compound exercises. So you can do this workout on, say, Monday, Thursday, and Sunday. Then just keep repeating the “two days off in between” format.

Perform cardio in between your weight training sessions, with a similar split. For example, you can do it on Tuesday, Friday, and Monday.

Eat clean around the clock and get to bed at a decent hour. Follow this schematic and you will not fail! If you still need help then read our ultimate guide to building muscle.

The 101 On How To Build Muscle Mass >>

The bottom line on bulking up without bulging out

Building muscle without gaining fat is not the easiest thing to do. But if you are patient and follow the right procedure, you will be able to make it happen. It all boils down to how badly you want it and what sacrifices you are willing to make to achieve it.