How Getting Leaner First Builds More Muscle

When it comes to muscle gain, the conventional wisdom often focuses on bulking up as much as possible. However, there’s a compelling argument for getting lean before starting your muscle gain phase. Dr. Mike Israetel of Renaissance Periodization suggests that beginning your muscle-building journey from a leaner state can offer multiple benefits that enhance the overall effectiveness of your efforts.

Dr Mike Israetel, PhD in Sport Physiology and co-founder of Renaissance Periodization, is a well-respected professor in the bodybuilding community. He doesn’t only talk about workouts and fitness tips, he often dives deep into health and nutrition.

According to him, by shedding excess body fat first, you set a foundation that can lead to better muscle definition, improved workout performance, and greater physical and psychological comfort.

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Leaning out before bulking isn’t about following outdated theories like the P-ratio but about practical advantages that can make a significant difference in your results. Israetel points out that getting lean helps in accurately assessing which muscle groups need more focus, improves hunger and fullness cues, boosts training endurance, and makes the muscle gain process more enjoyable and comfortable. These benefits contribute to a more efficient and effective muscle-building phase, leading to better long-term results.

In this article, we’ll explore five key reasons why starting your muscle gain phase lean can be advantageous. We’ll delve into how it helps you identify weak points, enhances your eating experience, improves your training endurance, keeps you motivated, and ensures physical comfort. By understanding and applying these insights, you can optimise your muscle gain journey for better outcomes.

How Getting Leaner First Builds More Muscle

1. Better Assessment of Weak Points

One of the primary advantages of starting your muscle gain phase lean is the ability to accurately assess your physique and pinpoint areas that require more focus. When you carry excess body fat, it becomes challenging to see the true shape and size of your muscles. This can hinder your ability to identify which muscle groups are lagging behind and need additional attention. By reducing your body fat to around 10-12% for men and 18-20% for women, you gain a clearer view of your physique, allowing for a more targeted approach to your workouts.

Dr. Mike Israetel emphasises this point, stating, “If you look like a blob, it’s kind of hard to tell [your weak points]. But if you get nice and lean, you’re going to be able to see a whole lot of what’s going on.” This clarity helps in designing a more effective training program that addresses specific needs, ultimately leading to more balanced and proportional muscle development.

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2. Enhanced Hunger and Fullness Cues

Another benefit of starting lean is the improved regulation of hunger and fullness cues. Gaining weight typically involves consuming a calorie surplus, which can be uncomfortable and difficult to manage if you are not lean. When you begin your bulk from a leaner state, your body’s hunger signals are more pronounced, making it easier to consume the necessary calories without feeling excessively full or uncomfortable.

Israetel explains, “If you get very lean before you mass up, you’re fucking hungry kind of all the time and then you don’t have to stuff yourself to hit a surplus.” This means you can enjoy your meals more, hit your calorie targets comfortably, and even find cheat meals more satisfying. Improved hunger cues contribute to a more enjoyable and sustainable muscle gain phase, making it easier to stick to your nutrition plan.

3. Improved Training Endurance

Leanness is strongly associated with better cardiovascular health, which translates to enhanced endurance during workouts. Being leaner allows for more efficient breathing and quicker recovery between sets, especially during high-repetition exercises like squats and leg presses. This means you can train harder and longer, leading to more significant muscle gains.

Israetel supports this by stating, “If you are leaner, your endurance is better, so your training effect can be better as well.” Improved endurance not only allows you to push your muscles to their limits but also ensures that your workouts are more effective. This enhanced training capacity is crucial for achieving substantial muscle growth over time.

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4. Increased Motivation and Enjoyment

Starting your bulk lean means that you will stay relatively lean throughout the initial stages of your muscle gain phase. This can be incredibly motivating as you continue to see veins and muscle definition even while increasing your calorie intake. Staying leaner also makes the bulking process more enjoyable, as you won’t feel as weighed down or uncomfortable.

As Israetel notes, “If you are leaner when you start to bulk, you’re in this position where while bulking, a month in, you’re still pretty fucking lean.” This visible progress keeps motivation high and makes the muscle gain journey more enjoyable. The psychological boost from seeing continuous improvement in your physique can drive you to maintain consistency and effort in your training and nutrition.

5. Physical Comfort

Carrying excess body fat can lead to numerous physical discomforts, such as difficulty sleeping, increased sweating, and overall reduced mobility. Staying leaner reduces these issues, making your day-to-day life more comfortable. Moreover, if you are leaner, you do not have to bulk up to extreme weights to see muscle gains, which can be physically taxing.

Israetel captures this sentiment perfectly: “Being heavier sucks… but if you are 250 lbs and you’re 10% body fat, you feel a shitload better than if you’re 250 at 30% body fat.” Maintaining a leaner physique helps you avoid the physical drawbacks of excessive weight gain, ensuring that your muscle-building phase is not only effective but also comfortable.

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Starting your muscle gain phase from a leaner standpoint offers a multitude of advantages that significantly enhance the effectiveness and enjoyment of your journey. By accurately assessing your weak points, you can tailor your training to target specific areas, leading to a more balanced and aesthetically pleasing physique. Improved hunger and fullness cues make it easier to consume the necessary calories without discomfort, ensuring that you hit your nutritional targets while still enjoying your meals.

Enhanced training endurance allows you to push your workouts to the limit, resulting in greater muscle gains and overall fitness improvements. Additionally, the psychological boost from staying leaner keeps motivation high, making the process more enjoyable and sustainable.

Plus, maintaining a leaner physique reduces physical discomforts associated with carrying excess body fat, such as difficulty sleeping and reduced mobility. This ensures that your muscle gain phase is not only effective but also comfortable, allowing you to focus on your training and nutrition without unnecessary distractions.

By embracing the lean approach to bulking, you can achieve better, more sustainable results, making your muscle-building journey both productive and enjoyable. Implementing these strategies will help you optimise your efforts and ultimately achieve your fitness goals more efficiently.

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