How do you build lean muscle mass without supplements?

After 14 years of no exercise (age 33) I have taken the leap and joined a gym with the aim to develop lean muscle mass and cardio health. The personal trainer is advising supplements and a multi vitamin. I eat healthily and prefer not to take artificial supplements, protein shakes and energy bars!

Is a natural diet possible? All I seem to hear about is Whey powder and Creatine. What are the food options available.

Thanks in advance!
Brad

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10 Comments

  1. tennislover says:

    you will need to eat plenty of chicken, salmon, beef, eggs, egg whites, tuna, lentels, nuts.. those are all abundant protein sources..

    aim for 25 – 35 grams of protein for each meal…
    eat about 5 -6 times a day..

    that will help your fitness needs and muscle building…

    by the way nothing is wrong with whey protien and creatine… but u do not have to take it…

  2. wrestle95687 says:

    Honestly, unless you are some kind of macho steroid head body-builder, your personal trainer is just trying to waste your money. Eat a diet that has about a 4:1 carb to protein ratio. If you are trying to build lean muscle and not bulk you just need to eat a healthy diet with some extra protein.(Energy bars aren’t bad for you, just not for weight lifting)

  3. inhisgrace00707 says:

    I agree with wrestle9’s answer.

    There is nothing wrong with a soy protien shakes!! It is natural and energy bars are not bad for you either.

    You need to do some serious research than to take the skewed approach you mentioned. Where are you getting this information????

  4. Well I don’t have a well justified answer and I’m younger so this might not work the same but I’m a weightlifter at my school (17 f) and I lift around 105 on bench and 110 on cling and jerk, and i have lean muscle my arms are well toned and obviously strong, as for my legs I’m not sure, mine are nothing but muscle but that is from 10 years of softball and volleyball. I wouldn’t suggest taking any supplements there is no need for them unless you don’t get what your body needs through your consumption of your food but if that is the case then just change your diet. Good Luck!

  5. Okay, well without offending your trainer, who honestly is trying to get you to spend more, you don’t need creatine or whey, they give you muscle, sure, but its for trying to bulk up.

    In your case, def watch your intake, what you eat and specifically how much of that you eat. What people don’t realize is that you can eat (pretty much) whatever you want to, but you have to be willing to work off the extra so as not to add fat.
    Also, you have muscles ready to be lean already. I would suggest low weights and high reps (15-20), itll help tone the muscle you have without gaining any real bulk. Don’t worry about expensive supplements or anything until you decide that you want to take that step. Just watch what you eat (calories and such) and be willing to work out a little to keep off any unwanted weight.

    Good Luck

  6. as a person who worked at a gym for a long time i can tell you if you are having trouble building lean muscle for that long you should talk to a nutritionist. there are a ton of food options but its always better to get the doctor to design a program for you.
    ps. the gyms have to push that stuff and often times the trainer will get a kick back if you buy it, so take everything they tell you with a grain of salt.

  7. desiray w says:

    sit ups, push ups, squats, any other thing you can think of. drink lots of water. and eat granola bars, also other healthy foods. if your stomach isnt growling, dont eat.

  8. CRPSMN (HM/CCT/FF/NREMT-I) says:

    High protein, high fiber diet
    drink lots of water
    Work Out!

  9. The only way I know to build muscle is through a good diet with protein, the trainer may be selling the sups, but at your age of 33 you should be able to work with weights 3 to 4 and a good cross training work out. I find that I need to work out at least 6 times per week approx 1 hr to 1 1/2 hrs per secession I do cross training. I don’t have a lot of bulk but I am strong enough and I am 62.

  10. pstottmfc says:

    You are right – you don’t rally need to buy expensive supplements or Creatine. It is a good idea to take a good multivitamin with added minerals daily – food today is often grown with artificial fertilizers in soil that has been depleted of minerals.

    You need a good balance of protein, vegetables and complex carbs.

    Eat lots of green vegetables, accompanied by lean meat or fish, and potatoes or rice or noodles. Avoid saturated fats, in fact keep fat intake low. Cook with olive oil not butter or margarine. Avoid cream, sugar, and limit your caffeine to 1 cup daily. If you must eat desserts have fresh fruit.

    Good to see you have a trainer – get him to show you free weight exercises that you can do at home with small weights if you can’t get to the gym. If you have any back problems or other chronic conditions tell him so that he can avoid exercises that may cause damage.

    Don’t overdo it at first – work up gradually. Do both weight training to build muscle and cardio to burn fat.

    Good luck!

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