One key to building lean mass is keeping your muscles under tension. The best way to do this is by increasing the length of each rep by pausing for some extra squeeze at the top of the movement. "When I do biceps and triceps exercises, I try to act like I'm flexing,"
How Often Should I Lift?
A common question every beginner asks is, "How much weight should I use?" The answer depends on your goals. Warm-up sets aside, when your goal is to build strength, your heavy sets should be done for fewer than six reps.
If your goal is building muscle, choose a weight at which you reach muscle failure between 8-12 reps. And for emphasizing muscle endurance, go with a weight that allows you to do more than 15 reps.
Weights Are Traumatizing!
Heavy weights are best to induce the necessary damage to the muscle cells to stimulate the process of growth. Lift for three to six sets of eight to 12 repetitions of an exercise. You should use 80 to 85 percent of your one-repetition maximum. Rest 30 to 60 seconds between these sets. Leave at least 48 hours between heavy workouts for specific muscle groups.
Healthy Eating Tip
Enjoy healthy fats & avoid unhealthy fats
Good sources of healthy fat are needed to nourish your brain, heart, and cells, as well as your hair, skin, and nails. Foods rich in certain omega-3 fats called EPA and DHA are particularly important and can reduce cardiovascular disease, improve your mood, and help prevent dementia.
Trans fats, found in vegetable shortenings, some margarines, crackers, candies, cookies, snack foods, fried foods, baked goods, and other processed foods made with partially hydrogenated vegetable oils.
Focus On Strength Training
For the most part, increased strength will result in increased muscle mass for women (as well as men). I’ve yet to meet a person who lifted baby-weights and became enormous as a result. Gains in strength with relative gains in bodyweight will result in an increased amount of lean muscle mass.
Strength training also offers benefits such as increased bone density, healthy joints and a heightened self-esteem. I’ve found that those who set specific and measurable goals for strength gains are often much more focused and satisfied than those who fail to set such goals.