People, who struggle for gaining weight find it a challenge wishing for lean muscles and adding bulk to their skinny body at the same time. In order to gain weight, one should gain proper volume of muscle mass. Gaining weight for bodybuilding does not mean that you just eat anything that you crave for, it means to include all the healthy fats, carbs and proteins in your diet along with some other nutrients that also play an essential role in bodybuilding.
For skinny people who are trying to gain weight, are supposed to keep these three things in mind and they are nutrition, training and consistency. Although, proper sleep and rest are also the essential components to gain weight since growth hormones get released in the night which further helps in weight gain plan. Also, the proper rest is crucial for recovery of the muscle tissues.
Here are how these below-mentioned factors, responsible for weight gain:
Nutrition:
Nutrition includes all the healthy fats, proteins, carbohydrates and other nutrients such as fatty acids etc. Start eating more food after calculating your daily calories requirements. Include more calories, proteins and carbohydrates in your diet.
- Eat Protein: For gaining a few kilos and muscle recovery, you need to include more proteins in your diet and the suggested intake is 1 gram of protein per pound of your body weight. So, you can include yogurt, cottage cheese, eggs, chicken, meats, steaks, tuna, salmons, etc. in your daily diet.
- Eat more meals: Instead of having a large meal with this misconception that you build your body faster, just remember the rule of “short and frequent meals” that divide your daily calorie intake into five parts. Let’s assume that your daily calorie need is 1500 and you take 500 calories per meal in three parts a day then divide it into five and take 300 calories per meal. This plan seems to be easier to adopt as having short meals with a shorter duration is easier and does not load your stomach as well.
- Eat high-calorie food: If you take low-calorie food then you have to eat more in order to fulfill your meal calorie requirements. Therefore, just add more and more high-calorie food in your diet so that you do not have to go for more food with lesser calories. Some of the high-calorie foods are nuts, dried fruits, grains (rice, pulses, oats, bread) potatoes, sweet potatoes, meat, fats (avocado, olive oil, coconut oil).
- Take mass gainer: Mass gainers are like supplements that a person who wants to gain weight may opt for these supplements. Mass gainers are in the form of shakes that are digested quickly as compared to the solid ones. Another benefit of shakes is that you can eat another meal soon as they do not make you full.
A person who is trying to gain weight for building muscles should go for the proper training program as per his/her body’s requirements. Since a good fitness trainer is the one who knows about your body’s limits and requirements of daily diet plan and exercise forms, according to the muscles you should work upon, in order to walk on the right path of gaining weight properly.
- Lift heavy weights: Lifting heavier weights helps in producing testosterone in the body to manage the stress level and it further helps in muscle building.
- Implement strength exercises that involve compound muscle movement: Try to implement those exercises in your workout regime which exert pressure on multiple muscles and joints simultaneously. This will accelerate the breakdown of more muscle fibers which causes more muscle fiber growth. Some of them are: deadlifts, lunges, squats, cleans, walking lunges, burpees and some plyometric moves (exercises in which muscles employ maximum force in shorter intervals of time, in order to increase power) like box jumps and jump squats, and these are also performed without weights as well.
- Increase your repetitions’ speed: A good pace requires one rep in two seconds, so complete your repetitions quickly to maintain the rhythm.
- Use the low-impact and light cardio: Cardio is an exercise form that keeps your muscles healthy and active. It helps in proper blood circulation which further provides the muscles more oxygen. As a result, you will get a boost in muscle growth. But keep your cardio low impact and focus more on lifting weights as you are focused to increase muscle mass. Also, avoid cardio before the strength training session as this makes a tiring effect on your muscles and increases the injury risks.
Consistency:
And now you might be thinking that by following a good nutritious diet and a proper training regime, you can gain weight in no time. Then hold on, this statement does not hold true when you do not stick to the consistency in your bodybuilding plan. Being consistent is one of the factors and an important key to a long-term healthy weight gain.
For example, you eat a lot one day and a lesser amount on the other days of the week then it may go in vain. This is not how you will reach your goal to gain weight. Therefore, you should eat more on a daily basis with consistency so that your body remains on the gaining side and not on the losing side of weight.