7 Ways To Build Muscle Without Adding Body Fat

It’s every guys dream to be able to build muscle without adding body fat.

A lot of guys have accepted this idea that you need to put on fat every time you go on a bulk. After all, if you aren’t putting on any fat then you simply aren’t getting your maximum muscle gains.

Well, today we’re going to show you that claim is about as legit as the “9/10 heavenly blessed beauty” your buddy supposedly hooked up with last weekend.

You see, the truth is you actually don’t need to put on any fat while bulking – all those guys you know who have to spend months cutting after their bulk simply weren’t disciplined enough with their dieting. In fact, some people are even able to put on muscle during a cut – so this dreamer bulk culture simply isn’t necessary.

7 Ways To Build Muscle Without Adding Body Fat

1 – Only Eat Slightly Above Maintenance

Figure out what your BMR is and make the adjustments to reflect your lifestyle (sedentary, active, etc). Then get a diet plan together that does not go any higher than 200-300 calories above this level. Will you put on less weight?

Yes – but where would that weight have come from? Mostly fat in our experience. You see, unless you are extremely genetically gifted or take steroids you aren’t going to put on a ton of muscle each year. Don’t think you can circumvent your genetic limits by eating more – it simply doesn’t work.

For most people, 10 pounds of muscle a year is a very good accomplishment. The key to looking good isn’t to put on a ton of muscle but to put on mass and keep body fat levels low.

2 – Cut Out the Sugar

Seriously guys – if you are eating a lot of sugar you are JUST ASKING to be unaesthetic. It completely fries your insulin and leptin which makes you more likely to overeat (and as a result get fat).

It also causes your body to store more calories as fat – which means even if you are following your diet well and staying just 200-300 calories above maintenance you will gain fat.

Look for alternatives whenever possible – avoid low fat food since this usually means there will be sugar to compensate for taste. In fact, avoid all foods labeled low fat unless you are aiming to achieve the “dad bod”. A guy in front of me at Starbucks the other day ordered a “low-fat soy latte” and proceeded to add 3 packs of sugar to it.

How do you think his body looked? If you guessed like Rosie O’Donnel then you are correct.

3 – Eat the Right Carbs

Focus on carbohydrates that are both low GI and low GL (Glycemic load). These foods will give you energy and help you build muscle mass while storing as little fat as possible. Here are some foods to get you started:

• Whole Wheat or Rye bread
• Rolled Oats, Quina
• Brown rice
• Avocado, Green Beans, Broccoli
• Sugar-free Yogurt
• Hummus, Pinto Beans, Peas
• Whole What Pasta
• Peanut Butter, Blueberries
• Strawberries, Pear, Rasberries

Eating the right carbohydrates is a crucial thing to do if your goal is to build muscle without adding body fat.

4 – Eat Fats

Remember earlier when we mentioned to avoid low-fat foods? Well we are about to take it a step further: eat foods that are high in GOOD fats.

In addition to making you feel full, they will actually help boost your testosterone levels (which makes it easier to burn fat and build muscle mass).

If you know anyone trying to build muscle (or even lose fat) on a low-fat diet please have an intervention with them – because they are hurting their gains. Some of the best sources of healthy fats include:

• Eggs (the entire egg, not just the white part)
• Avocado
• Olive Oil
• Nuts
• Meat

5 – Get Your Protein

It never ceases to amaze us how many guys out there try to build muscle while eating only 50g of protein a day, or less. Again, unless you are a genetically gifted freak you aren’t getting bigger on that.

Protein is the main building block of muscle – so figure out how much you need and make sure you get it! A good place to start is aiming for 1g of protein per pound of bodyweight.

In addition to helping you build muscle, foods high in protein will make you feel full so you rely less on carbs to fill up.

Additionally, protein is harder for your body to break down which will help boost your metabolism – that means less body fat gets put on since your body is burning up that fat for fuel.

Getting enough protein into your diet is an important factor if your main goal is to build muscle without adding body fat.

6 – Drink Lots of Water

Are you the type of person who drinks just a cup of coffee in the morning with your food?

If you are going several hours into the day without drinking water you are dehydrating yourself and are likely eating more food than you actually need.

Often we mistake being thirsty for being hungry – which means we eat more calories than we need.

Remember water contains 0 calories so drink as much as you like! 12 cups a day is a good place to start. Just spread it out throughout the day – 2 cups with each meal (assuming you eat 6 times per day) will have you right where you need to be.

7 – Check your Testosterone Levels

As we mentioned earlier, testosterone is the most important factor when it comes down to building muscle and keeping the body fat levels low. Check out the picture above and you can see what an important role testosterone plays,  not just in building muscle and staying lean, also the other factors that are crucial if you want to be a healthy and a happy alpha male.

What you might not know is that it also helps you keep fat off. It’s good for all men to get their testosterone levels checked regularly to identify if levels might be low or if they are dropping.

As a matter of fact you should be doing everything you can do boost your testosterone levels as high as possible if your main goal is to build muscle without adding body fat.

If your testosterone levels are low there are ways you can boost them naturally without dangerous steroid injections. There are a number of ways you can boost your testosterone levels but one of the most effective is to take a natural testosterone supplement.

But beware of companies that use ineffective fillers in their supplements.

Make sure that your test booster contains these proven ingredients. – You can read all about test booster in our ultimate guide here.

Science has come a long way in the past few years and there are actually natural testosterone boosting supplements available that increase testosterone levels.

Stick to something high quality that uses all-natural ingredients otherwise you will essentially be throwing your money away. However, a quality product will help you consistently be at your highest levels.

Now go forward fellow lifters and Arnold worshipers and make those gains! Build muscle without adding body fat by implement these tips into your diet.