Workout Summary
Workout Description
When it comes to fitness goals, building lean muscle is among the most popular (seriously, 84% of our readers said so in our fitness survey).
And honestly, it should come as no surprise.
As a society, we glorify those who are lean, shredded, and have solid physiques with plenty of muscle mass.
So much so that a lot of us aspire to build lean muscle ourselves.
Well, today you’re in luck. Below is a 6 week workout program that will help you build lean muscle.
Check it out, read its description, and let us know if you have any questions in the comments section below!
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The Workout Program to Build Lean Muscle
The following workout is a 4 day split you can follow for the next 6 weeks to build lean muscle. It is written to focus on increasing hypertrophy by performing 2-4 exercises for each muscle group during that muscle’s training day, for 3-5 sets, and 6-12 reps (although we’ll keep everything 8+ here).
The rep tempo should be slow as time under tension plays a huge role in the amount of muscle damage that occurs during each exercise, a factor that is critical to building lean muscle. Aim for a 2/0/2 tempo and really try to focus on the muscle you’re targeting during each lift.
Lastly, rest periods between exercises and sets should be kept fairly short. You’ll want to keep it between 30-60 seconds of rest after each set, with 45 seconds being the sweet spot.
Day 1: Legs
Exercise | Sets | Reps |
---|---|---|
1. Squat | 4 | 10 |
2. Machine Hack Squat | 3 | 12 |
3. Stiff Legged Deadlift | 4 | 10 |
4. Leg Curl | 3 | 12 |
5. Dumbbell Lunge | 3 | 8 |
6. Leg Press Calf Raises | 3 | 12 |
7. Seated Calf Raises | 3 | 12 |
Day 2: Chest & Biceps
Exercise | Sets | Reps |
---|---|---|
1. Bench Press | 4 | 10 |
2. Incline Bench Press | 3 | 12 |
3. Cable Crossover | 3 | 12 |
4. Hammer Strength Chest Press | 3 | 8 |
5. Barbell Bicep Curl | 4 | 10 |
6. Rope Cable Hammer Curl | 3 | 12 |
7. Preacher Curl | 3 | 10 |
Day 3: Back
Exercise | Sets | Reps |
---|---|---|
1. Deadlift | 4 | 10 |
2. Barbell Row | 3 | 12 |
3. Lat Pulldown | 5 | 8 |
4. Cable Row | 3 | 12 |
5. Pull up | 3 | 10 |
6. Hyperextension | 3 | 12 |
Day 4: Shoulders & Triceps
Exercise | Sets | Reps |
---|---|---|
1. Seated Military Press | 4 | 10 |
2. Lateral Raise | 3 | 12 |
3. Front Raise | 3 | 12 |
4. Reverse Pec Deck | 3 | 12 |
5. Barbell Shrugs | 4 | 12 |
6. Dips | 4 | 10 |
7. Seated French Press | 3 | 12 |
The Workout Program to Build Lean Mass FAQs
Below are a couple of the more frequently asked questions when it comes to building lean muscle.
If your question is not listed below, please don’t hesitate to ask us in the comments section following the article.
Q. Can I add exercises to this workout program to build more lean muscle?
You certainly can, but it is not necessary. Each muscle group is targeted with a fair amount of volume within this program.
Adding more exercises to the program probably won’t increase the amount of success you have with it. Building muscle takes time. After 6 weeks of this program, you’ll likely notice a fair amount of muscle growth, but fitness goals should be long term, not short sighted.
Q. What should I do after I finish the 6 week workout program?
After you have finished this 6 week workout program to build lean muscle, I’d recommend taking a week to deload.
Enjoy a little time away from the gym; I promise 1 week won’t be enough to lose all the gains you’ve made. During that time reassess your goals and celebrate the amount of lean muscle you’ve put on in the past 6 weeks.
If you want to continue on with the program after your deload week, you’re more than welcome to. Or your goals might change. In that case, check out our workouts database for a new routine.
Q. How should I eat during this workout program to build lean mass?
This will depend on your starting point. I always recommend people get to a healthy weight range for their body type. If you’re overweight and a beginner to hypertrophy based training, you might benefit from starting off in a calorie deficit.
If you’re underweight, or an otherwise intermediate-advance lifter, you’ll likely need to be in a calorie surplus to add on lean muscle mass.
After you’ve determined which is best for you, find your calorie needs using our bmr calculator.
Then, subtract or add ~250-500 calories from that number to put yourself in a deficit or surplus. Make that your new daily calorie goal and try to get there by eating your calories through whole food, nutrient-rich food sources.
Q. What kind of supplements should I take with this workout program to build lean mass?
Supplementation is going to be highly individualized.
If you struggle to meet your daily protein needs, a solid protein supplement will be extremely beneficial to you.
If you struggle to meet your daily calorie needs all together, then a mass gaining supplement could be beneficial to you to help you accomplish your goals.
One supplement that is cheap, effective, and backed by a lot of scientific research is creatine monohydrate.
Q. Can I do some extra workouts on my rest days?
Again, you can, but I wouldn’t recommend anything to strenuous. Recovery is crucial to the muscle building process.
If you’re going to do anything, do something light that you enjoy doing. I highly recommend recovery walks as a form of active recovery. You could also hit the foam roller and work on the mobility that is often lost during muscle building programs.
Q. Where are the abs?
Your abs are hit indirectly quite frequently with this program during all of the compound movements.
Since they are worked indirectly almost every training session, I don’t feel the need to target them with isolation work. If you find it would be beneficial to do so for your training goals, you’re more than welcome to check out our ab workouts database.
Also, it is important to note that compound exercises and lowering your body fat percentage is going to build a better, visible 6-pack over time than any amount of direct isolation work will.
Q. Anything else we should know to build lean muscle?
Building muscle takes a lot of time and effort. Not to mention, what you do outside of the gym is just as important as what you do inside of the gym.
Prioritize your diet. Get 7-9 hours of sleep each night. Eliminate unnecessary stress (meditate). And move every day (lightly on your recovery days).
You’ll get there and this 6 week program is an excellent start.
237 Comments+ Post Comment
Hi. Im quite lean(abs, v cut,...).
When i do this program should i do HIIT cardio or not?
Hey Nikola - yes you can. Since this is a muscle building program, keep in mind that you will need to be in a caloric surplus.
When i do hiitt, should i eat more proteins or more carbs on that day? Ill be in surplus.
Your protein goal shouldn't change from day to day. You should add additional carbs.
Well i read that when lean bulking,on training days i should eat 40% carbs,35%proteins and rest fat, and on rest days i eat 40%port, 35% carbs and rest fat. Thats why i am asking
Do you repeat the work out every week for 6 weeks for do you increase set/ reps each week??
Hey Skyrecce - you'll repeat the workout every week for 6 weeks
It isn't necessary to train a mucsle two times a week?
This article on training frequency should help provide a detailed answer for you: https://www.muscleandstrength.com/articles/how-frequently-should-you-exe...
What kind of weight should I be using heavy or ligjt ???
Hey Vishal - the weight you choose should be something that you can move safely and with correct form for the given number of reps.
Is it okay to switch workout days like switch day 1 with day 2?
Hey Yoshi
I was always told that a natural lifter should hit each bodypart at least 2 times a week . What is your take on it . And how would you do this routine if you wanted to hit each bodypart twice a week? Would you do fullbody or what else would you suggest. Thanks
Hey Steve - check out this article about training frequency: https://www.muscleandstrength.com/articles/how-frequently-should-you-exe...
Is it ok to switch up the pairings after 6 weeks? I mean can I do cheat and back in one day for example? Or can I do say back and shoulders in one day maybe? You know switch it up like that?
Hey Alex - it is best to follow the program as written. If you're looking for another training split to follow after this, check out this training guide: https://www.muscleandstrength.com/articles/the-ultimate-muscle-building-...
Can i exchange days is it ok because last thing i played was legs its still recovering so can i like exchange day 3 with day 1??
Hey Ibrahim - Yes, that would be okay to do.
Should I do 4 of the workouts continuously and then rest for 3 days and repeat? Or 1st workout, rest day, 2nd workout, rest day and so on?
Hey Utsav
The split I'd recommend for these workouts would be Day 1, Day 2, REST, Day 3, Day 4, REST, REST, Repeat.
hello josh, one thing striking in mind . this 4 days workout have to do regularly from monday to thursday or its also ok if i completed all my workouts within a week . thanks
Hey Manny
I'd recommend having at least 1 rest day somewhere between the 4 exercises. For example, if you start the program on a Monday, you'll have a rest day Wednesday.
Hi Josh First things first I lost 25 kgs and as you can imagine I have some flappy skin to get rid off ! This program seems to be good for my case but my question lies here ..... do you think that without some cardio and focus on abs I get the results I want?
Can I focus on some light cardio and abs training 3 days a week on rest days? Or may it backfire? Thanks in advance
I just finished all the exercise (leg day) do I repeat them again or just one time ?
Hey Brandon
Once you've finished all of your sets and reps for the exercise you're done for the day.
Hi Josh,
I have been through multiple workout plans with shredding, cutting and bulking yet I have always found lean bulking was the one for me since I've found more results in lean bulking than any other process. How is this workout program you offer beneficial to the lean bulking process? What kind of supplements do you recommend to take to support the lean bulk process such as greens, protein powder, mass gainer, fat burners, etc..? Also what is the recommended rep method to increase strength and weight on the sets? I saw you preform the pyramid rep method as that goes from 10,8,6,4, to 4, 6,8,10 is that correct?
Hi I’m doing this program to build lean muscle, I’m also training hit cardio in the morning Followed by weight training in the afternoon will the gym workout prevent me from losing weight or will it assist as I’m burning more calories,. My goal is to lose a lot of fat weight and maintain muscle.
Hi Steve,
It all depends on how you're recovering. You can still lose body fat without cardio depending on your diet and lifestyle. There's a lot of factors that go into it. But, to answer your questions, you can do all of the things listed so long as you're recovering.
You also don't have to do so much. It takes time to lose weight and doing less could be more efficient if it makes it more sustainable for you.
Hi Josh.
Been a while since I've been in the gym and this looks like an awesome routine.
Just a quick question and apologies of you've previously answered.
If increasing weight between sets, should we tweak this routine slightly and decrease the reps or keep it to the recommended reps?
Cheers
Hi Paul,
That's definitely a strategy you could implement to make this program more intense if you wish.
Thanks for the reply Josh.
Much appreciated
Should I do 4 of the workouts continuously and then rest for 3 days and repeat? Or 1st workout, rest day, 2nd workout, rest day and so on?
Hi Ralph,
As written, it's meant to be a 4 day per week workout. I'd personally set it up M, T, Th, S.
Alright, thanks Josh!
Hi, I am sixteen, and have been doing this for the past three weeks, and I have two questions. 1 how do I know how much to lift and 2 I have anorexia and struggle to eat a lot without working out (pushups, pull-ups squats) constantly afterwards even if I already did the excercise. Do you have any suggestions or advice?
Can i do cardio before starting the workouts...plzz reply me ...
Hi Kuntal,
You can, but I would recommend doing it post-workout.
Hey Ifthihan
I recommend 15-30 minutes of cardio post-workout.
Hi I have been doing workout past 7 weeks
I just want to start this lean muscle program , btw can lose fat during this workout ? How much cardio should I do to lose fat as well ? Please reply me
Hi Josh,
You mentioned in a comment that you like to pyramid up your weight within an exercise. However, for a 4x10 set, in order to choose a weight that's challenging for 10 reps on my fourth set, I would have to use a weight on my first set that's fairly easy. Would you mind explaining a little further?
Thanks,
Doug
Hi Doug,
That's fair. In instances I do this, my first couple sets are significantly easier. Personally, I slow down tempo and really focus on the eccentric and concentric movement to make it more challenging. It's not a strategy everyone would agree with, especially if maximizing your working sets is your goal due to some sort of competitive aspriations. But for most recreational fitness enthusiasts, it works wonders in helping promote longevity while still getting in some good workouts.
Hi! seems to be a nice workout! What's the %rm for each exercise?
thanks!
Hi Yorgui,
No recommended %rm for each exercise. Instead, go with RPE.
Use a 8-9 RPE on main compound lifts and 9-10 RPE on machine/accessory work.
so for example.
Day 1: Legs
1. Squat 8-9 RPE
2. Machine Hack Squat 9-10 RPE
3. Stiff Legged Deadlift 8-9 RPE
4. Leg Curl 9-10 RPE
5. Dumbbell Lunge 8-9 RPE
6. Leg Press Calf Raises 9-10 RPE
7. Seated Calf Raises 9-10 RPE
or am i wrong?
Hi Yorgui,
You nailed it!
Hi I would just like to enquire that after you,v done your workout, how many minutes should you run on treadmill and how many calories should you burn,
Hi Khalieq,
Depends on your goals and lifestyle outside of the gym. If you're fairly active in your day-to-day life, you may not need additional cardio. If you're fairly sedentary, you might want to do enough to increase your actvity level for the day.
I enjoyed this workout. I gained lean muscle on this program. Even the wife noticed. I am going to do another cycle this week.
Workouts need extreme effort to be beneficial.
That's awesome, Dre! Congrats on your progress!
I like the look of this workout. I'm currently overweight but with a caloric deficit and this program will it help with fat loss?