The Best Ways To Gain Muscle Mass & Keep the Stomach Flat

The best ways to gain muscle mass and keep your stomach flat are with strength training, cardiovascular exercise and a nutritious diet. This magic combination will transform your body composition so that you have a higher percentage of muscle mass and a lower percentage of body fat. The intensity of your workouts, as well as the duration and frequency, are key elements to creating this profound metamorphosis. With the correct techniques you can see significant results in as little as 12 weeks.

  1. Muscle

    • Excess body fat hides the shape of firm, strong muscles.

      Muscle gives your body shape, definition and firmness. To gain muscle you need to consistently participate in strength training exercises. Strength training causes microscopic tears in your muscle fibers which are quickly repaired by your body. This process leaves you with larger, stronger, firmer muscles. Your workouts, and your increased muscle mass, burn a significant number of calories which contribute to reducing your body fat percentage.

    Intensity, Frequency and Duration

    • Your workouts need to be intense for you to gain muscle mass. Break your body down into groups of muscles and hit each group at least once a week. Do a minimum of three sets for each exercise you choose and vary your reps from five to 15 per set. The weight you choose should make each set challenging and the last two reps almost impossible to complete. Your five-rep sets will require a much heavier weight than your 15-rep sets. Workouts should take about 45 minutes to complete. This technique targets your fast twitch and slow twitch muscle fibers, giving you maximum gains.

    Cardio

    • The American Heart Association recommends 150 minutes of moderate intensity aerobic exercise per week for adults. If you want to keep your stomach flat you may need to up the intensity level and increase your minutes. You should break a sweat during cardio and you should be unable to easily carry on a conversation or concentrate on reading a book or magazine. These activities are difficult to do when you are working at a moderate to high intensity level. Combined with strength training, cardio helps you to blast through calories and quickly transform your physique.

    Diet

    • The majority of your shopping cart should be filled with fruits and vegetables.

      What you eat also has a significant impact on your physique. You probably have unlimited access to cheap and nutritionally bankrupt foods -- and the temptations are tough to resist. However, if you want a muscular physique and a flat stomach, 90 percent of your diet needs to come from fresh fruits and vegetables, lean proteins, whole grains and nuts. Jay Robb, author of "The Fat Burning Diet," says to allow yourself one cheat meal a week to make healthy eating more sustainable long term. He also says to eat small, balanced meals throughout the day to avoid hunger. Limit your alcohol to one or two drinks per week.