How To Get Lean AND Muscular

ByMatt Marshall

The key to building a "classic" physique it having the right combination of muscular development paired with the right amount of leanness. In this article I'll reveal the key to getting both lean AND muscular.

If you are too bulky, you'll end up with plenty of muscle but without the necessary leanness required to give you a classic looking physique.

On the other side of the coin, if you're lean but without enough muscle mass you'll just look skinny.

The key is the combination. Getting both lean AND muscular.

To achieve a lean and muscular physique, you need to focus on getting stronger while staying as lean as possible. You want plenty of muscle mass... without any extra fat.

For example, shooting for a 300 pound bench press is great. When you can bench press 300 pounds you'll have plenty of muscle size and strength. But if your goal is to get a proportionate physique, then a 300 pound bench press is NOT impressive if you've got 25% body fat.

Let me put it another way: To get a classic physique, shoot for getting as strong as you can while staying at light as you can.

The man who can bench press 300 pounds at a bodyweight of 200 pounds will have a more classic and proportionate physique than the man who can bench press 300 pounds at a bodyweight of 250 pounds. (Assuming they are the same height.)

Milestones

So if you want a classic, well-proportioned physique, strive for the following milestones:

Overhead Press: Your bodyweight.

Bench Press: Your bodyweight plus 100 pounds.

Squat: Your bodyweight plus 200 pounds.

Deadlift: Your bodyweight plus 300 pounds.

Chin-Up: Your bodyweight plus 100 pounds.

These milestones are for a one rep max.

So if you weigh 185 pounds, to have a classic looking body you'd need to be able to...

Overhead Press: 185lbs.

Bench Press: 285lbs.

Squat: 385lbs.

Deadlift: 485lbs.

Chin-Up: 1 rep with 100 pounds strapped to your waist.

These milestones are all achievable with the right training program. It will take some hard work and a bit of time but it's well within the realm of possibility for most average guys.

These milestones are useful because they often tell you exactly what you need to do to get a better body. For example, I often get questions from guys who want advice on getting bigger. The best way to get bigger is to achieve those strength milestones. You can worry about triple-blasting your biceps AFTER you can squat your bodyweight plus 200 pounds.

On the flip side, many strong guys can hoist huge numbers but don't look as good as they could because they're carrying excess body fat. Rather than shooting for a 400 pound bench, it might make more sense to get leaner and focus on achieving the goal of knocking out chin-ups with 100 pounds on your waist (a task made easier by getting leaner.)

So if you want to have it all -- muscle mass AND abs -- use the milestones I gave you as your goals.

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Matt Marshall blogs at TriedandTrueFitness.com -- the only website that reveals how to get a lean and muscular physique WITHOUT drugs.

Sign up here to get his free report: http://www.triedandtruefitness.com/free-report/

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Health and Fitness: Build-Muscle
Matt Marshall

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MLA Style Citation:
Marshall, Matt".".22 Feb. 2012EzineArticles.com.28 Feb. 2012 .APA Style Citation:
Marshall, M. (2012, February 22). . Retrieved February 28, 2012, from http://ezinearticles.com/?How-­To-­Get-­Lean-­AND-­Muscular&id=6898048Chicago Style Citation:
Marshall, Matt "." EzineArticles.com. http://ezinearticles.com/?How-­To-­Get-­Lean-­AND-­Muscular&id=6898048EzineArticles.com© 2012 EzineArticles.com
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