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Gain Weight (and Keep it On)” Attention Hard gainers - How to Actually Gain Weight (and Keep it On) There are numerous articles, advice, books and supplements geared towards people who want to lose weight. But what about the rest of us? What if you're one of the many people who are actually underweight and have a hard packing on the pounds? If this is you then you're going to learn some solid fundamental strategies to make progress in building muscle and gaining weight. There is a lot of information on the Internet about how to actually gain weight and how to keep it on. But much of it is actually conflicting advice. There are 3 main fundamental steps to building muscle and gaining weight. Step 1: Develop a Schedule Yes, most people completely forget that the most important part of any training program is to have a plan. If you don't have a plan set up, it'll be easy to make excuses and misschedule in your meals and workouts when you're "too tired" or your schedule didn't fall in place. Make sure you have a time set to eat the meals you need and plan out your week so you know which days and what time you'll be heading to the gym. Step 2: Structure a Solid Diet Plan Make sure you have your meals planned out beforehand so that you're forced to skip out on a meal or eat something else that's not geared to help you out. The key is to put clean protein and carbohydrates in your diet such as chicken, beef, fish, sweet potatoes, and oatmeal. Do not try to get your protein and carbohydrates from potato chips, sugary baked goods, pizza or a burger. Instead, consume lean meat and complex carbohydrates which do not spike up your blood sugar and takes longer to digest (especially if you have fast metabolism like many underweight people). Lastly, use proven supplements to help you build muscle and use as meal replacements. Look for a good protein powder (I recommend Optimum Nutrition 100% whey) and add in some L-glutamine. If you are planning to gain mass quickly, think about using creatine as part of your routine. Creatine is a supplement that provides energy to your muscle during your movements. It has been proven for a long time to increase muscle and mass when used with a weightlifting program. Step 3: Structure an Exercise Plan Know what days you are going to exercise each part of your body. Structure out your chest day, a day where you do squats, a day for your back, etc. This way you are exercising every part of your body and gaining mass throughout your whole body. You do not want to look like one of those gym rats who have huge chests and small legs. And speaking of exercises, make sure you focus on compound exercises such as bench press and squats. Compound exercises are exercises which target multiple parts of your body in a single exercise. Also these areas have the most tendency to gain mass. Lastly, lift big! It's best to lift heavy weights in which you'll only get 3-6 reps as opposed to weights you can do 8-12 reps on. The purpose of lifting heavy weights is to shock the body to grow. Your body will probably not be used to lifting weights this heavy and will be forced to adapt to the pressure and grow. Bonus tip: When lifting, slow down on the decline to force more blood into your muscles and build more mass. (the decline would be lowering your barbell or going down on a pushup). These are the 3 fundamental strategies to gaining mass and muscle for hard gainers and underweight people. Following this advice will get you further than trying some random fad program or spending a bunch of your money on supplements that promise the world. |