The Best Hacks for Putting On Muscle & Toning Up
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If you’ve ever attempted to lose weight before, you know that it’s relatively easy. Eat less, do some cardio & voila. You’re down a few pounds.
The REAL challenge is building a toned, sculpted physique. This is because putting on muscle is a much tougher & more intentional process than losing weight.
And before you check out of this letter thinking this doesn’t apply to you, putting on lean muscle is gonna help you:
Increase metabolism & drop body fat faster.
Improve blood sugar & blood pressure levels.
Give you more energy throughout the day.
Create stronger bones.
& more.
Muscle is a net positive for your health. So here’s some crazy simple ways to build it / preserve it:
Eat protein first, every meal.
Protein is THE building block for putting on lean muscle, and most people are wayyyy short on it. It’s also the most filling of the 3 macronutrients (carbs, proteins & fats are the 3 macros) so it’s tougher to eat in larger quantities.
The best way to make sure you get in what you need, is to eat all of your protein in a meal, first. This way, even if you end up not finishing a meal, you’ve gotten in the necessary protein.
A good rule of thumb is to eat about 1 gram per pound of GOAL bodyweight. So if you’re 187, and want to be 150, then eat 150 grams per day.
2. aim to get strong in one compound lift every week
You can eat all the protein you want to, but the body will not build muscle if there is no signal sent to build. Exercise & strength training provides the signal the body needs to start building.
And compound lifts are the LOUDEST signal you can send the body. So leave the bicep curls, crunches & donkey kicks alone.
Here’s the 10 exercises I recommend you start trying to get REALLY strong in (yes, women too)
Barbell Back Squat
Barbell Deadlifts
Barbell Bent Over Rows
Barbell Overhead Press
Cable Lat Pulldowns
Dumbbell Bulgarian Split Squats
Dumbbell Incline Bench Press
Kettlebell Swings
Weighted Sit Ups
Machine Crunches
Dumbbell Walking Lunges
I’d choose one of these movements every 12 weeks to build up. Send LOUD signals to your body to build muscle, and watch how much better it hears you.
Lisa had been working to get her body fit & toned for MONTHS with little success. But it’s because she was too focused on weight loss.
So when we started working together, we shifted her focus. We got her eating more high quality protein, and get her squatting & deadlifting for the first time in her life.
And like magic, her body started to transform before her very eyes & she stripped off 20lbs of fat while adding 3lbs of lean muscle.
The Takeaway
You’ve probably been thinking that losing more weight will help you get that toned, fit look & feeling, And I don’t blame you. That’s what society pushes. But the real game, is putting muscle on your body & becoming a strong, mobile energetic human & not a weight watching, cardio bunny.
Happy muscle building,
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