Muscle gain and Weight Gain Tips

An individual’s build can largely depend on genetic factors, which is why naturally thin people find it difficult to put on weight. The human body can however change to a limited extent through weight training and increased food and nutritional intake. Putting on weight however can still be just as difficult as losing weight for some. When done in correctly in a healthy way, the same basic principles apply to both gaining and losing weight.

It is important to consult with your doctor to ensure that your weight gaining tactics including weight training are healthy and appropriate for you.

Reasons for being thin

The most common reasons people find it hard to gain weight include:

• Not eating enough
• Overexercising
• Having a very physically active lifestyle or job
• Genetics
• Medical condition

Seek Medical Advice

Always seek medical advice before you start any weight-gain program. Your doctor can assist by:

• Conduct a thorough check-up to ensure no underlying medical conditions exist causing you to be thin
• Approve your diet and physical activity levels
• Suggest an appropriate weight goal for your height and build
• Provide advice on exercise, diet and lifestyle changes that will promote weight gain
• If necessary, refer you to other specialists, such as a dietician.

Eat quality foods

Typically, being thin is due to energy intake being less than the energy used in a day. In other words, you need to eat more calories in a day in order to gain additional weight. The key to healthy weight gain is to ensure your calorie intake consists of nutrient rich food. By consuming empty calorie foods like fizzy drinks, chocolates and chips is not a correct way to build muscle or promote stronger bones.

Weight Gain suggestions:

• Eat three good nutritional meals every day. Aim for slightly larger serves if possible.
• Use a kilojoule counting booklet to help calculate your kilojoule intake on your average day. This figure may actually be lower than you think. Your goal is to consume more kilojoules than you burn off.
• Successful weight gain requires that you increase your daily intake of carbohydrates.
• If you have a small appetite, try eating five or six times a day. It doesn’t hurt drinking fluids before and after meals, but try avoid having fluids with your meal as this helps leave more room for food.
• Healthy snacks can include muffins, fruit, yoghurt, rice pudding, low-fat custard, milkshake or any liquid meal supplements.
• Eating vast amounts of dietary protein won’t make your muscles grow faster and will put unnecessary pressure on your body, especially your kidneys. Avoid high protein diets unless you do workout in the gym and aim for muscle growth.
• Avoid junk food as it contains high levels of fat, salt & sugar. If you get hungry try eating nutritious high-fat food such as nuts or avocado.
• Top your usual foods with some concentrated calories, like grated cheese.
• When preparing hot oatmeal or other cereals try using milk and not water. Make sure you do add butter, honey, nuts or dried fruits after cooking.
• Garnish salads with healthy oils such as olive oil, avocados, whole olives and nuts.
• Add some dry milk powder into your soups, casseroles and mashed potatoes.  It still takes very nice and will give you those extra kilojoules you need.

Take Up Resistance training

Resistance training helps promotes muscle growth and improve your core strength. Resistance training exercises include the use of free weights, weight machines, your body weight or resistance bands as part of the exercise. Suggestions include:

• It is important to seek professional advice before commencing any form of resistance training. You need guidance from a gym instructor, personal trainer, exercise physiologist or physiotherapist to make sure you are doing each exercise correctly. Good advice will increase your gains and reduce your risk of injury.
• Exercise two or three times per week to give your muscles time to recover. If you over-train during the muscle growth period then you will affect muscle growth as you are not allowing your muscles enough time to recover and grow.
• Choose compound exercises that work multiple major muscle groups: for example, the squats also work your lower back in addition to your legs while bench press exercises do workout your chest and triceps.
• Make sure your workouts are short and intense instead of long and leisurely.  It is worth keeping your workout to between 45 minutes and one hour.
• Consider cutting back some other forms of exercise. It is worth remembering that that resistance training doesn’t have the same cardiovascular benefits as aerobic activities like walking and cycling.
• Don’t waste your time or money on powders, pills and products that claim to increase muscle mass. Nothing beats a well-balanced nutritional diet.

Make Lifestyle adjustments

Suggestions include:

• Eat small serves of protein foods, before and after each resistance training session, to help promote muscle growth.  Eggs and chicken breast are some examples of high protein snacks worth considering.
• Use a timer to remind yourself to eat every two hours and be prepared to eat even when you are not hungry.
• Try to make your additional eating sessions as appealing as possible. Try keeping the fridge and cupboard stocked with snack foods you love.
• Accept that an increase in food intake may cause bloating or gas.
• Be prepared to gain some fat as well. It isn’t possible to increase muscle mass without also increasing body fat.

Keep track of your weight gain

It is essential to tracking your progress as it can help motivate you. You should:

• Keep a diary to monitor your training schedule and kilojoule intake.
• Be consistent. Weight gain requires that you increase your daily food intake every day. It helps to write up a meal plan where possible.
• Aim for realistic goals. An increase of a few kilos may take a year to achieve. Putting on lean body weight can take time so don’t be disappointed with small gains.  Remember a gain is a gain!
• Regularly visit your doctor to assess your progress.

Where to get help

• Qualified gym instructor
• Qualified personal trainer Your doctor
• Dietician
• Physiotherapist
• Body building forums

Things to remember

• It can be a slow process gaining lean body weight, which can take months and even years to achieve your optimum body weight.
• See your doctor before starting any weight-gain program and visit them regularly.
• To gain weight you need to eat more to stimulate muscle growth.
• Rely on healthy food to increase you muscle mass.