Try asking people how to gain weight and
you'll likely see some bewildered faces staring back at you. For the
majority of people, hearing that question is akin to hearing the
questions, "How do I stub my toe?" or "How do I run out of gas?"
If you are lucky enough to get a reasoned
response to your question, it will probably involve the words "eat
more." That, despite being obvious, is great advice. Quite simply, to
gain weight you will need to up your calorie consumption to the point
where you consume more calories than you expend. Couple an increased
caloric intake with a little weight training and you have the recipe for
healthy weight gain.
You
may think you eat a lot, even enough to keep pace with your more
weight-furnished friends, but you are probably over-estimating your
intake. After a trip to the doctor's office to rule out medical causes
for your inability to bulk up (thyroid disease and other medical
problems can hamper weight gain), a first step to designing an effective
weight gain program is to journal your eating habits. Counting
calories for a week will give you an accurate view of your diet.
From there, increase your daily caloric
intake by about 300-500 calories until you start putting on the pounds.
Keep in mind though, while your caloric intake will directly influence
your bodyweight, it will be other factors like the types of food you eat
and your weight training regimen that decide the type of weight
you are putting on. So if you are after an aesthetically
pleasing weight gain, that of lean muscle weight as opposed to just some
extra body fat to lug around, it will be important to pay attention to
these factors.
To get the most muscle out of your weight gain, avoid the junk food and focus on eating whole foods. A good weight gain diet
should be composed of 30-50% protein, 20-50% carbohydrates and 20-40%
fat (the majority of which should be essential fatty acids). Different
ratios within these ranges will work differently for different people.
Keep up your food journal and experiment to find the ratios that work
best for you.
Providing your body with the materials it needs to build muscle is only one piece of the puzzle. A weight training program
designed to give the body a reason to add some muscle will be very
important to achieving your goals. Your workout routines should
concentrate on compound weight lifting exercises
(those that involve multiple muscle groups like the squat or
bench press) with weights that allow you to do 6 to 12 reps per set.
Higher rep ranges will tone your muscles but may not sufficiently signal
the body into muscle growth. Try to either increase the amount of
weight lifted or the reps completed with each workout.
Don't go overboard with your workouts. Two
or three one-hour workouts per week done with intensity should do the
trick. Too often those that have trouble gaining weight (hardgainers)
spend too much time in the gym. This can be counterproductive in two
ways. First, it means you are burning off a lot of the
calories that could otherwise be used to build muscle and,
second, you can over-train your muscles by working them too hard,
basically making them unresponsive.
If you are looking for some company in your
quest to gain weight, venture into the bodybuilding community. There
you will find many people also seeking ways to put on lean muscle mass.
You will also find many products marketed to help you gain weight. Be
very cautious when looking at these products. Gaining weight may not be
as in demand as losing weight but it is still big business and there
are a lot of companies out there looking to take your money. While some
of these products can help, others aren't necessary.
With a little motivation, a weight gain diet
and a solid weight training program in place you will have all you need
to achieve your gain weight goals. Better yet, you will never again
have to ask that question that gets all those funny looks aimed back at
you.
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