A great physique begins with diet and exercise. Building muscle mass requires dedication and determination. Below are muscle building tips which will help you build strong, lean muscles.

1. Exercise: This is the very first step towards building a muscle mass. Without exercise, our bodies tend to adapt to whichever conditions exist. When you start weight training, your body will sense a requirement of increasing muscle in order to lift the weights. Gradually, you will see your muscles get stronger and you become stronger.

2. Supplements: This is optional, but in saying this, muscle building supplements sometimes become an requirement when your diet is lacking in sufficient nutrients. The basic supplements should include whey protein, glutamine, and creatine. You really don't need anything else. All of the other various, hyped advertisements on the topic of supplements are just marketing tricks to get you to buy them. You don't need them. Just be careful what supplements you select to use.

3. Rest: Now, if you have started working out, you are not required to workout 7 days a week. Your body requires time to recover and it is during this time that your body gets stronger and your body gains muscle. So, take a day off in between your workouts.

4. Sleep: It is during your sleep that your body starts to repair itself. It is only when you sleep that your muscles recover and grow. If you workout hard and don't get the sleep and rest your body needs, you won't see the kind of results you are looking for.

5. Diet: I saved this for last because I wanted to include a mucle building diet plan that you can implement. Your body will require more fuel and clean fuel for your workouts. The fuel I am referring to is muscle building foods. Clean foods refers to healty foods. Junk foods will have to be drastially decreased as you are trying to build muscle. There are various healthy foods which are known to help you build muscle: oatmeal, tuna, peanut butter, banana, eggs, milk, beef, chicken, cottage cheese whey protein, and more. Below are muscle building nutrition foods for those who want quick and long lasting results.

Chicken - Lean, white meat chicken breasts are great muscle building foods. They are low in fat and calories, yet high in protein.

Broccoli - contains a compound that works against estrogen in the body. This is important because estrogen makes the body more efficient at storing fat. So, broccoli means less fat and more muscle.

Turkey - to successfully build muscle, you need foods high in protein and low in fat and carbohydrates. No food is better than white meat turkey.

Lean red meat - read meat is higher in fat, so you should not eat this every day. However, it is a great source of protein and offers added benefit of having iron. Eat it two to three times a week.

Tuna - is low in calories, carbohydrates and high in protein. Great for losing weight and building muscle. In addition, it has Omega 3 fatty acids, which help your body use calories more efficiently and increase the metabolism. It is also a compound that prevents muscle loss and great for the heart.

Whey Protein - whey protein shakes are great muscle building foods because whey protein is absorbed quickly by your body. Taking this within 2 hours of a workout helps your body recover quickly, which helps build muscle quickly.

Casein and Egg Protein Shakes - usually called night-time proteins because they digest slowly and slow digestion allows your muscles to get a steady supply of protein while you sleep.

Complex Carbohydrates - to increase your protein, you can't build muscle without carbohydrates. Choose whole grains and vegetables for your daily carbohydrates.

Fat Free Cottage Cheese - Before protein shakes were invented, bodybuilders ate fat free cottage cheese. It incorporates the compound casein; a favorite bodybuilder protein.

Healthy Fats - Our bodies require fats. In fact, your body can't produce testosterone, a major muscle building hormone, without fat. Choose fats that are natural and healthy; such as, olive oil for cooking along with nuts and avacado.

Muscle building is not about losing weight so you may have to go against your tendency to eat less food and get used to eating more food, but muscle building foods, which are healtheir for you. Try to eat 6-8 smaller meals every day. Follow these tips and you shall achieve the body you desire.