Gain weight sports nutrition. What sports nutrition will help you gain weight? Workouts for skinny people

On the Internet and on the covers of fashion magazines, photos of bodybuilders with prominent six-pack abs are becoming more and more common. Inspired by the prospect of quickly and easily making themselves Arnold, men go to the gym and work out for hours with huge weights. However, few take into account their body type, as a result of which strength training becomes a waste of time. ?

There are a huge number of reasons for thinness in men. This may be a disorder in the diet or a symptom of one of the serious diseases (tuberculosis, pathologies of the gastrointestinal tract, endocrine system, and others). In such cases, changes in the body occur in a short period of time. However, some males suffer from thinness throughout their lives. This is perhaps the most common case, the reason for which is a genetic predisposition.

Pathological thinness

Pathological thinness is a clear manifestation of metabolic or other processes in the body. Such thinness is a signal about the need to begin prognosis and treatment of any pathologies.

To understand whether you suffer from pathological thinness, you need to calculate your body mass index (which will be discussed later). If the resulting number is below 18 units, your body is susceptible to pathology.

Physiological thinness

Thinness at the physiological level is a manifestation of the genetic characteristics of the body. Naturally thin (lean) men need to follow the calorie content of their diet should be at least 2200-2300 kcal in order to start gaining at least something.

Body types

Each person is characterized by individual indicators such as height, general skeletal structure, and a tendency to gain muscle mass or deposit fatty tissue. Based on this, experts have identified three body types: ectomorphic, mesomorphic and endomorphic. Each of them corresponds to some generalized characteristics of the organism.

Ectomorphs

People who are considered ectomorphs have poorly developed muscles and a very small amount of subcutaneous fat. Relatively long limbs, flattened ribs, narrowed shoulders and high stature visually enhance thinness. The metabolism of ectomorphs is much faster than that of people with other body types.

Mesomorphs

The most aesthetic body type is mesomorphic. Its owners have developed muscle tissue with an average amount of body fat. Thanks to the peculiarities of metabolism, it will not be difficult for a mesomorphic man to gain muscle mass.

Endomorphs

The greatest predisposition to muscle gain is observed in those with an endomorphic physique. However, men with this body type are prone to increased fat tissue. Endomorphs are short in stature and have a massive body even in the absence of strength training.

Is it really necessary to gain weight?

First, each of you should decide for yourself: is it really necessary to gain weight? In their quest for perfection, beginning athletes tend to forget about possible injuries or serious health problems due to incorrect exercise technique. Changes in the usual diet can cause the development of diseases of the gastrointestinal tract. Men over 40 and older should pay special attention to this.

But if you are determined and ready to devote a lot of time to studying bodybuilding material, practicing exercises and subsequently serious training, you should carefully read the article and remember the information offered here.

In some cases, men really do not need to change their own weight, since it is normal for their height and age.

How to determine the optimal weight?

There are many formulas to determine the optimal weight, taking into account height, age and gender. For example, Adolphe Quetelet proposed a formula that can be used to calculate body mass index:

Weight: (height*height)

The units of measurement are strictly defined: for weight - kilograms, for height - meters.

But what is body mass index and how can you use it to determine a person’s optimal weight? To connect these two indicators, Adolphe Quetelet developed a table with an exact indication of the characteristics of your specific weight.

But you shouldn’t take methods for calculating your ideal weight as something indisputable. The formulas give an approximate estimate, determined without taking into account the ratio of muscle and fat tissue in the human body. For greater objectivity, you should take measurements in the chest, hips and waist or draw conclusions based on the appearance of the figure.

Where to start gaining weight

So, you have made the necessary calculations, determined your body type and still decided to start training to gain muscle mass. Where should I start?

There are three main elements that form the basis of any training process:

• Proper nutrition.
• Sleep and rest mode.
• Direct training.

Here are some tips to give to ectomorphs who are gaining weight:

1. To gain weight, it is recommended to increase the caloric content of food.
2. It is necessary to pay special attention not only to the calorie content of the diet, but also to the ratio of proteins, fats and carbohydrates in the food you eat.
3. The increase in calories should largely be due to protein foods (low-fat meat dishes, eggs, cottage cheese, fish, etc.), as well as due to foods rich in “slow” carbohydrates (these are various cereals, durum wheat pasta, vegetables And so on).
4. Don't feel sorry for yourself during strength training. You should use the heaviest possible weights (which you can do 4 sets of 5-8 reps) and feel a lot of tension in your muscles.
5. The process of gaining muscle is individual. General provisions are not a substitute for observing your own body. That is why you need to note all the changes that occur (for example, take a photo every few weeks) and, on this basis, make adjustments to your diet and training process.

Diet by day

The food eaten should correspond to the following proportions:

• 45-60% carbohydrates (3-6 g per 1 kg of weight).
• 20-30% proteins (1.5-2 g per 1 kg of weight).
• 9-20% fat (1-1.5 g per 1 kg of weight).

You should eat 6-8 times a day, depending on your daily routine. An example of a skinny man's diet for weight gain:

• 7:00 - breakfast (preference should be given to foods rich in slow carbohydrates): 150 g of oatmeal in milk with 30 g of almonds.
• 10:00 - small snack (consumption of carbohydrates is also encouraged, but it is necessary to satisfy the body's need for protein foods): 100g of boiled buckwheat with fish and vegetables.
• 12:30 – lunch: 100-150 g of wheat porridge with 100 g of fish or boiled meat.
• 15:00 – snack: protein omelet with fresh vegetable salad.
• 18:00 – dinner (mainly protein foods): 100 g of fish or meat with 50-100 g of any type of porridge (buckwheat, wheat, rice, etc.).
• 21:00 – snack (it is advisable to avoid consuming carbohydrates as much as possible): several boiled eggs with meat or fish.
• 22:30 – snack or night light (you should eat exclusively protein foods at night): 150 g of low-fat cottage cheese.

Here is another daily diet option:

• 7:00 – breakfast: 100-150 g of yogurt.
• 10:00 – small snack: 50 g of almonds.
• 12:30 – lunch: 100-150 g buckwheat with chicken.
• 15:00 – snack: cottage cheese 5-9%.
• 18:00 – dinner: 100g of wheat porridge with chicken or fish.
• 21:00 – snack: 3-4 egg whites.
• 22:30 – night light: low-fat cottage cheese.

The proposed lists of dishes can be alternated (for example, on Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays, eating according to the first option, on other days - according to the second). This diet will need to be followed forever (and not just for the first month!).

What to eat before and after training

Before training, you can allow yourself to eat a small amount of fast carbohydrates (this includes dark chocolate, fruits like bananas or grapes) and be sure to eat protein foods (quickly digestible egg whites). After training, you also need to provide the body with protein for better muscle recovery and slow carbohydrates to replenish expended energy.

Sports nutrition and supplements

Almost any sports nutrition is classified as dietary supplements. Protein or gainer is another source of protein other than food. If your body receives a sufficient amount of protein food, you should not use sports nutrition. The reason is obvious: excess protein can cause serious gastrointestinal problems.

Gainer

Gainer is one of the most common nutritional supplements. Due to the lower protein content and more impurities (for example, carbohydrates), the price of a gainer is an order of magnitude lower when compared with protein.

Protein

Another dietary supplement rich in protein is protein. Unlike a gainer, the entire composition of the product is pure protein. Depending on your acceptable price category, quality and desired proportions of BJU, you can choose one of many types of protein: casein, egg, whey and others. Each of them has its own characteristics that should be taken into account when purchasing.

Homemade protein shakes

Cocktails made at home can easily replace any dietary supplements. As already noted, it is worth using sports supplements only when there is a clear deficiency of protein in the diet. You can supplement the amount of protein

What exercises should you do to gain muscle mass?

To gain muscle mass, you need to reduce your cardio training time. It is worth giving preference to doing the “base”: squats, bench press and deadlift. It is with them that it is advisable to begin the training process. After this, you should “dilute” the training with other strength exercises for a specific muscle group (barbell press, dumbbell press; crossover press, etc.).

Execution technique

Squats

There are many types of squats. The choice depends on the muscle group that you want to include as much as possible in the work. Basic rules for performing the exercise:

• Arched back.
• Hips parallel to the floor.
• A small angle between the spine and hips (due to it, balance is maintained).

Traction

To avoid spinal injuries during deadlifts, your back should be straight and your pelvis should be pulled back. While maintaining a straight spine, you need to take the bar with an overhand grip and perform jerks, moving your elbows back.

Bench press

To perform a bench press, you need to rest on the bench only with your shoulder blades and buttocks. The rest of the body should be suspended. It is necessary to lower the bar to the area of ​​the lower part of the pectoral muscles. The elbows should remain at a right angle as the barbell is lowered.

Training program

The training program should be built taking into account the individual characteristics of the athlete. Strength training consists of a set of exercises for one or two muscle groups. Typically, muscles are divided by training day as follows:

• Legs.
• Back + triceps.
• Chest + biceps.

As a rule, an entire workout is not dedicated to the abs. This muscle group is worked upon after completing the exercises according to the program.

To work the quadriceps, hamstrings and gluteal muscles on leg day, similar programs are usually chosen:

• Squats (4 sets of 5-8 reps).
• Platform leg press (4 sets of 5-8 reps).

• Lunges with dumbbells (4 sets of 5-8 reps).

• Romanian deadlift (4 sets of 5-8 reps).

• Calf raises (4 sets of 5-8 reps).

Here is a version of the training program for the back and triceps:

• Deadlift (4 sets of 5-8 reps).
• French press (4 sets of 5-8 reps).
• Bent-over or seated barbell or dumbbell press (4 sets of 5-8 reps).

• Close-grip barbell or dumbbell press (4 sets of 5-8 reps).

When training your biceps and pectoral muscles, you can use this program:

• Chest press (4 sets of 5-8 reps).
• Dips (4 sets of 5-8 reps).

• Dumbbell flyes (4 sets of 5-8 reps).
• Mixing in crossover (4 sets of 5-8 repetitions).
• Lifting barbells or dumbbells while standing (4 sets of 5-8 repetitions).

All this can be replaced with home workouts. If the load at home is enough for you to feel strong tension in your muscles, the result at first will be no worse than after training in the gym.

You choose yourself depending on the availability of equipment. The most successful solution would be various types of pull-ups, push-ups, or similar exercises in the gym (the same presses if you have your own barbell or dumbbells).

By the way, here is an excellent video on this topic:

These were the basic rules for the beginning ectomorph athlete. If the article was useful, be sure to subscribe to us and share it with your friends on all social networks. See you soon!

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Of course, you won’t be able to turn into Hafthor Bjornson in 4-5 months, but you can please yourself and surprise others with a pumped-up body. Gaining weight is very easy, an order of magnitude easier than losing fat and forming a model-like figure. Now we will explain how to do this.

Nutrition

Muscle grows as long as you consume more calories than you expend. That is, you need to eat more. No other way.

This problem is especially relevant for people prone to thinness, scientifically called ectomorphs. They seem to be eating normally and, having read about the principles of weight gain, increase their caloric intake. For example, they eat an additional chocolate bar or add two eggs to the breakfast menu. But there is still no growth. Why? Because the actual increase in calories needed is much greater than they imagine.

A good rate of weight gain is considered to be an increase of about 700 grams per week.

Sometimes for growth it is enough to increase the calorie content of the daily diet by 15%, but more often it is necessary to receive 30, 50 or even 100% more energy per day. How can you force yourself to eat twice as much? In fact, you don't need to do this. Doubling calories does not mean doubling the amount of food consumed.

Food can be different, but you need to choose high-calorie food, giving it 70% of the place in your daily diet.

High calorie protein foods

• Lean meat, especially poultry.
• Fish and seafood. The most important source of healthy fats.
• Low-fat dairy products like cottage cheese and cottage cheese.
• Eggs. You can eat 6–8 eggs including yolks per day.
• Legumes. Lentils, chickpeas, peas and beans are good sources of plant protein, and the first two products contain a decent amount of essential amino acids BCAA, which is also good. Do not get carried away with soy, because it negatively affects male hormonal levels.
• Nuts.

High calorie carbohydrate foods

• Buckwheat, pearl barley, oatmeal, rice, corn, wheat, millet porridge.
• Pasta made from durum wheat.
• Black bread.
• Vegetables as a side dish for protein foods. Potatoes, carrots and beets contain a lot of starch, and therefore you should not lean on them.
• Fruits. Grapes, pears, bananas and persimmons contain a lot of sugar, and therefore it is better to limit their consumption.

Proportions of proteins, carbohydrates and fats in the diet

• Proteins - 30–35%.
• Carbohydrates - 50–60%.
• Fats - 10–20%.

• Count calories and weigh yourself every 3-5 days.
• If you gain less than 700 grams of weight each week, increase your caloric intake. If growth is faster, then it is better to reduce calories, otherwise the excess will go into fat.
• Try to eat more often. Divide your daily diet into 5-6 meals.

Sports nutrition

Ordinary high-calorie food is not a panacea. Eating so much every day is still difficult, and often simply impossible due to work, lack of time to cook, and so on. Sports nutrition successfully solves these problems.

Sports nutrition is actually a pure concentrated beneficial substance. Maximum required in minimum volume. The vast majority of athletes, be they weightlifters, bodybuilders or crossfitters, take sports nutrition, and beginners and amateurs should do the same.

Whey Protein

Protein sports nutrition helps you meet your daily protein intake, which averages 2 grams per kilogram of body. It is recommended to get 50% of protein from regular food, and the remaining half from sports nutrition. Whey protein is the most effective. Take it 3-5 times a day: in the morning, immediately after sleep, and between meals.

Popular brands:

Gainer

If there is no weight gain, that is, if there is a lack of calories in the diet, a gainer helps - a super-calorie mixture of carbohydrates and proteins. Take it immediately after training, and if you are unable to have a normal breakfast, take it in the morning.

Popular brands:

Pre-workout complex

Pre-workout supplements are supplements that help you exercise more efficiently. They include products to improve blood supply and muscle nutrition, substances that promote the growth of muscle strength and volume, vitamins and microelements.

Popular brands:

Creatine

Creatine is one of the most studied sports supplements with proven effectiveness in promoting muscle growth and strength. Take it on rest days, that is, when you do not train, 3-4 grams.

Popular brands:

Vitamin-mineral complex

A lack of vitamins and minerals is harmful in itself, and specifically when gaining weight, it additionally negatively affects muscle growth.

Popular brands:

Workout

Living organisms, and the human body in particular, are the result of millions of years of evolution. Do you know what distinguishes us from all our ancestors? In their life there was little food and excess physical activity, but now the opposite is true.

But the body still works in the old mode. It is very economical and does not build muscle if there is enough existing muscle, but it happily accumulates fat, because frequent and prolonged fasting is the most common thing for it. More precisely, it was ordinary, but several decades of a well-fed life had no effect on the biochemistry of the human body.

It turns out that even a person who has overcome a calorie deficit in the absence of physical activity will gain weight, but not in the form of muscles, but in the form of fat on the stomach, sides, and so on.

Any physical activity in the absence of a calorie deficit will give some kind of muscle gain, but we do not need “some”, but the maximum. To do this, it is important to choose the right training strategy.

Basic principles of training for mass gain

• Perform only basic exercises that involve large muscles and several muscle groups at the same time.
• Perform exercises with heavy weights and low reps per set.
• Rest 2-3 minutes between sets.
• Warm up thoroughly.
• Carefully study the technique of performing the exercises correctly.

Pay attention to the last two tips. They are extremely important and will help you avoid health problems. It’s better to spend a few minutes on them than to spend six months recovering from an injury.

The best exercises for gaining mass

1. Total weight: deadlift and classic squats

There is a popular opinion among gym regulars and professionals that a beginner needs to do just three exercises to increase mass and strength: squats, deadlifts and bench presses. It's worth listening to them.

2. Chest: Dumbbell Bench Press

The classic barbell chest press uses the anterior deltoids to a greater extent, thereby taking the load away from the pectoral muscles. Therefore, for more effective chest development, it is recommended to press dumbbells.

3. Back: pull the upper block to the chest with a wide grip

There is a misconception that the best exercise for widening the back is a wide row behind the head, but in practice, it is the row to the chest and wide grip pull-ups that have proven to be the most effective. Next come rows and pull-ups with a reverse grip.

4. Quadriceps: Front Squats

Shifting the weight forward takes the load off the hamstrings and glutes, transferring it to the quadriceps.

5. Hamstrings and glutes: Romanian (dead) deadlifts

The Romanian deadlift differs from the classic deadlift in that it is performed on straight legs from the middle of the knees. Roughly speaking, this is the final phase of the deadlift with the exception of the exit from the squat, when all that remains is extension of the body due to the work of the hamstrings and buttocks.

6. Triceps: close grip press or dips

Triceps are relatively small muscles, and therefore isolation here, unlike the same chest and dumbbell press, is not needed. The more complex the exercise, the better.

7. Biceps: standing straight bar curl

You'll read about basic exercises, but you'll still be pumping your batsukha, right? If so, do it right. The EZ bar is more comfortable, but it works the biceps unevenly. Only a straight bar loads both bundles of the biceps biceps muscle equally well. Most likely, you will have to reduce your current working weight by 5-10%.

8. Shoulders: standing or seated dumbbell press

The width and roundness of the shoulders is given by the middle bunch of deltas. When you perform a standing or seated barbell press from the chest or even from behind your head, the emphasis inevitably shifts to the front bundles. Dumbbells allow you to perform a press along the axis of the body, including the middle beams as much as possible.

Sometimes workouts seem monotonous, and some exercises cause discomfort. In these cases, remember the words of Paul Dillet:

Among the dozens of exercises, there are those in which it’s great to overcome a lot of weight. You grow from them.

Simply put, try new things, find your exercise routine, and listen to your body.

It has been clinically proven that normal weight is necessary for the full functioning of all human organs and systems. It just so happens that obesity or overweight negatively affects human health. However, lack of body weight is fraught with much more dangers than its excess.

How to gain weight in a week? This is a very interesting and at the same time strange question, since many people have been trying to lose extra pounds for years: for some, only 1-2 kg interfere, but for others this figure reaches all 10 kg. However, there is a group of people for whom gaining 2 kg is exclusively positive, and if you gain 10 kg, it means becoming more beautiful. After all, any woman or man doesn’t really want to have a bony body.

Lack of body weight is harmful for absolutely every person. On the one hand, a thin physique allows a girl to wear revealing outfits, adhere to a dietary diet and not waste time in the fitness center, but if you look at it from the other side, weight deficiency can trigger the occurrence of a huge number of gynecological diseases, including infertility. It’s even more difficult for a guy with a thin body - he is considered a wimp and a wimp. After all, almost any girl likes a toned and pumped up male body.

Therefore, today we will talk about how to quickly recover at home, without causing harm to your own body.

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Principles of proper weight gain

And in order for the dietary system to help you gain weight quickly, you must adhere to the following recommendations:

1. Increasing the number of calories consumed.
   To ensure that the calories consumed are not completely consumed by the body throughout the day, it is necessary to increase their volume. The energy value of the daily menu should be several times greater than energy consumption.
2. The diet should be based on slow (complex) carbohydrates and protein products.
   Only such food will help you quickly gain the long-awaited 5, and maybe even 10 kg.
3. Small and frequent meals.
   Ideally, the daily diet should consist of at least six main meals: 2 breakfasts, lunch, afternoon snack and 2 dinners. Thanks to this, the body will receive all the necessary substances, and the walls of the stomach will not stretch too much.
4. As an additional stimulant for weight gain, you can use protein shakes, thanks to which you can very quickly gain, for example, 10 kg.
5. Despite the fact that many people do not welcome physical activity while gaining weight, it is strictly forbidden to exclude it from your lifestyle.
   The only thing you should not do is aerobic exercise, since it is they that contribute to active weight loss. As for weight gain itself, it is recommended to switch to strength training, because thanks to it you can quickly burn fat tissue, increasing muscle mass instead. As a result, you will get a voluminous and beautiful body.
6. Healthy and sound sleep is the key to a healthy body.
   It has been proven that a person's weight increases during sleep. A full sleep can be considered when its duration is 6-8 hours a day.
7. Less stress.
   We all know that nervous stress almost always affects our body weight. Therefore, try to avoid all kinds of stressful situations and emotional stress.

If you follow all these instructions, you can gain a lot of weight in a week. Yes, there is no talk of 10 kg, but 3-5 kg ​​are quite realistic numbers.

What should your diet consist of to gain weight?

As mentioned above, the daily diet should be based on slow carbohydrates and proteins, so the menu should be abundant the following food products:

• meat and meat products;
• bird;
• Fish and seafood;
• fermented milk products with increased calorie content;
• bakery products and pastries;
• rich first courses: borscht, soups, broths, okroshka, fish soup, cabbage soup, beetroot soup, etc.;
• vegetables and fruits;
• fruit and vegetable juices, berry fruit drinks, compotes, jelly;
• cereal porridges and pasta made from durum wheat;
• mushrooms;
• fats of animal and vegetable origin;
• weak teas, coffee, cocoa made with milk.

In order to increase your appetite, you can add all kinds of seasonings, sauces and spices to your dishes. Sometimes you can drink a glass of dry wine or beer (but don’t abuse alcohol). As for sweets, you are allowed to eat cakes, desserts, chocolate, honey, preserves, jams, etc. only in the morning.

The last meal should take place 2 hours before bedtime, otherwise it will only complicate the functioning of the digestive tract, which can lead to disruption of the functionality of the gastrointestinal tract.

Sample diet for weight gain

In order to competently create a dietary nutrition system, you need to completely forget about all the advice of friends and abandon existing stereotypes.

There is no need to consume large amounts of food. Believing that eating a lot will help you gain weight, people unwittingly harm their own body: abundant food does not have time to be digested by our body, after which it begins to rot and ferment in the intestines, contributing to the development of many diseases.

Excessive consumption of too fatty foods will not help you gain weight, but will provoke the appearance of fatty tissue on the stomach, hips, sides and buttocks, which will not look very nice.

So, if you are ready to gain weight, then we offer to your attention a five-day menu, thanks to which you can gain 5-10 kg of additional weight at home.

The first day

1. Breakfast No. 1 – fried eggs with vegetables, vegetable salad, toast with butter and a piece of cheese, a cup of tea.
2. Breakfast No. 2 – a portion of homemade yogurt with the addition of fresh fruits and berries.
3. Lunch – borscht cooked with beef, rice with vegetables, a piece of boiled fish and a cup of cocoa.
4. Afternoon snack – cottage cheese casserole with the addition of 10% cream and a cup of jelly.
5. Dinner No. 1 – buckwheat with butter, chicken cutlet, vegetable salad and a cup of tea.
6. Dinner No. 2 – a glass of fermented baked milk and a few gingerbread cookies.

Second day

1. Breakfast No. 1 – a couple of boiled eggs, vegetable salad, a piece of boiled fish, a bun and a cup of tea
2. Breakfast No. 2 – fruit salad and a glass of classic yogurt.
3. Lunch – cereal soup cooked with beef (pork), chicken and vegetable stew, a couple of slices of bread and a glass of milk.
4. Afternoon snack – semolina porridge with 10 grams of honey and butter, a cup of cocoa.
5. Dinner No. 1 – mashed potatoes, chicken chop, vegetable salad, a couple of apples and a cup of jelly.
6. Dinner No. 2 – a glass of kefir and biscuits.

Day three

1. Breakfast No. 1 – oatmeal, a couple of meatballs, fresh vegetables and a cup of tea with milk.
2. Breakfast No. 2 – a couple of baked apples.
3. Lunch – soup with meatballs, rice with vegetables, chicken cutlet and a cup of jelly.
4. Afternoon snack – cheesecakes with sour cream and a cup of compote.
5. Dinner No. 1 – corn porridge with meat goulash, a couple of tomatoes, a bun and a glass of juice.
6. Dinner No. 2 – a glass of warm milk.

Day four

1. Breakfast No. 1 – wheat porridge, a couple of slices of ham, vegetable salad, a bun and a cup of tea.
2. Breakfast No. 2 – cottage cheese with the addition of sour cream, dates and dried apricots, a cup of cocoa.
3. Lunch - vegetable soup cooked in chicken broth, boiled potatoes with butter, a couple of slices of boiled chicken fillet, one cucumber and a cup of jelly.
4. Afternoon snack – homemade yogurt with nuts and fresh fruit.
5. Dinner No. 1 – stewed cabbage with mushrooms, a few slices of cheese, a bun and a glass of juice.
6. Dinner No. 2 – a glass of fermented baked milk and biscuits.

If you want to make your muscles grow, then you should resort to regular exercise and proper nutrition. In this article you will learn how to gain muscle mass.

How to build muscle mass?

For muscle growth, 3 very important conditions must be met:

1. Get a large amount of calories, that is, you need to consume more calories per day than you expend.
2. The body must have a need to build new muscle fibers, then increased physical activity is needed.
3. The body must fully recover after exercise, that is, you should always give the body a good rest. Namely, you need to sleep at least 8 hours a day.

Each of these conditions contains a lot of subtleties and nuances. And if you really want to know how to gain muscle mass, then read our 16 tips.

If you are reading this article, then you probably want to build muscle and increase your body size. And it doesn’t matter what exactly you want – sculpted biceps or just extra muscle mass. The tips in this article will add several new tools to your arsenal. These tips are a summary of information received from top athletes.

Tips for gaining muscle mass

Add a couple of these strategies to your daily arsenal and watch the inevitable growth of your muscles!

Focus on eating more

You probably know that nutrition plays a key role in sports. It helps to showcase the beauty of our body after working hard on it. Well, if we are talking about muscle growth, then nutrition is fundamentally necessary - in order to grow, you need to eat. And don't be embarrassed by talking about counting calories.

Want to know how many calories to consume? James Pulido, MuscleTech athlete and Superman fan, gives his answer: “The best option for an athlete is to multiply his weight in pounds by 20. So, a 180 pound athlete multiplying his weight by 20 would get a result of 3,600. This is the number of calories an athlete should consume daily.” For example, I weigh 105 kg, convert the weight into pounds (type in Google “105 kilograms in pounds”, instead of my weight of 105 write yours), I get approximately 231 pounds, multiply by 20 and get - 4620 calories.

(Please note that multiplying your body weight in pounds by 20 depends on the quality of your caloric intake. Multiplying by 20 is the maximum you can give your body. The minimum limit is multiplying by 15. You can be conservative and multiply your weight at 16 – 18.)

To start, Pulido recommends dividing your meals in terms of fats, proteins, and carbohydrates. For every pound of your weight (about 500 grams), you should have 1.5 grams of protein and 2 grams of carbohydrates daily. Everything else - which is about 15-35% of the daily diet - should be dietary fat. “Fats are essential for hormonal balance, including testosterone production, and testosterone is critical for muscle growth,” says Pulido.

Plan your workouts carefully

You want to grow, but it's important to plan your workouts and not attack the gym like a crazy Banshee. The first thing to do is organize your workouts so that you are not training the same muscle group every day. In addition, muscles grow not only in the gym. They grow thanks to properly calculated rest time and proper nutrition.

“Targetedly stretching and injuring the same muscle groups for two days in a row will not provoke further muscle growth in that area,” says Jesse Hobbs. “If your muscles are sore from yesterday's workout, you won't get the best results from today's workout.”

Unless you are following an advanced training course. But even in this case, the muscles must be given 36-48 hours of rest before starting training again. So, if you work your chest and biceps hard on Monday, give your muscles some rest on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Prioritize evenly

A carefully planned program will ensure maximum results without repetitive repetitions of the same exercises or too heavy intensity training. When creating a training program, pay attention to the difference between the main and peripheral muscle groups.

"Major muscle groups are the largest muscles (chest and leg muscles, for example) that don't need to be trained more than once a week," says Hobbs.

“Peripheral muscles such as biceps, triceps, trapezius, calves and abs can be trained more than twice a week and will recover fully in a short period of time.”

If you want to build muscle in your arms or get killer abs, train these muscle groups twice a week. For example, if you are training your biceps, then start doing it on Monday. On Tuesday, move on to triceps, and around Thursday, start training both of them at the same time.

Add basic exercises

If you want to grow muscle, lifting weights is one of the important steps towards this goal. And basic exercises such as squats, bench presses and deadlifts allow you to increase overall muscle mass, become stronger and lift more weight in isolation exercises. Frankly, if you're not squatting and bench pressing, you're missing out.

“I strive for natural movement in my exercises,” explains Pulido. “Using compound exercises causes a hormonal surge in the body and allows me to lift even more weight the next time I train.”

Muscle gain

The main principle of weight gain is an excess of calories consumed; food should be nutritious and balanced. If the body does not receive enough nutrients, then muscle growth is impossible. The total number of calories men should consume in their daily diet ranges from 4000-6000.

Loads also play an important role in muscle growth, as does rest. But there are some differences in nutrition and training for each type of body constitution.

How to quickly gain muscle mass as a mesomorph

The mesomorph body type is considered to be the most successful. This type is able to quickly and efficiently gain muscle mass, and it is easier for him to lose fat than others. Good metabolism allows adhere to the basic principles of mass gain– high-calorie diet and intense strength training. Mesomorphs have larger bones and larger muscles, which will be athletic if their body fat percentage is very low. Muscles will increase especially noticeably if your workouts include lifting heavy weights. Thus, the result is a muscular male body with bulging veins and muscles.

A mesomorph man, in addition to muscle mass, is able to gain a small amount of fat, but can just as easily lose it. The fast-growing muscle fibers of a mesomorph are able to grow much faster with the help of strength training. Unlike ectomorphs, who have difficulty gaining muscle, mesomorphs gain weight with great ease.

1. If the mesomorph put goal to lose weight and reduce volumes by reducing adipose tissue, then you should focus on diet and endurance training.
2. If goal achieved, you can return to strength loads of 8-12 repetitions per set, and continue to gain muscle mass.

Building muscle mass for endomorphs

Unfortunately, this body type is the largest; in addition to large bones and muscles, owners of this constitution are prone to gaining large amounts of fat in the body. Eating a high-calorie diet is more likely to lead to fat gain than muscle gain. Typically, an endomorph may not need special sports supplements for muscle growth if the person has a high protein content in their diet. The tendency to gain weight in an endomorph is inherent in genes.

Since endomorphs have a slow metabolism, you need to consume the right foods that will activate your metabolism. Products must contain a low glycemic index, which means that prohibited:

• bakery products;
• high-starch cereals and vegetables;
• sweet fruits.

This type need to consume more protein and fiber, cereals should be minimally processed and cleaned; unpolished rice works well. Training should be both strength training and endurance training, that is, running, swimming, cycling. Such loads will help burn excess fat tissue.

How to gain weight as an ectomorph

This body type has a very difficult time gaining mass, both muscle and fat. “Lean” by nature, the ectomorph has a fast metabolism, which makes it difficult to gain weight by quickly burning calories. All food is easily digested to provide energy for the body, making it more difficult to create a calorie surplus. This body type is best suited high carbohydrate diet, slow carbohydrates that release energy for a long time should be predominant. The main thing is not to starve. Since the body quickly digests food, it will take the lack of energy from the muscles. Therefore, poor nutrition will never lead an ectomorph to big muscles. Equally important is protein in the diet; sufficient intake will prevent the breakdown of your own muscle protein. For an ectomorph, sports supplements in the form of whey and casein proteins or gainers are suitable. Especially, taking such supplements is important before bedtime; “slow” casein protein will prevent muscle loss at night.

Ectomorph training should last no more than an hour, mainly performing basic exercises for the main muscle groups, 8-10 repetitions per set with high intensity.

How to increase a girl's body weight

The principles and techniques for gaining muscle for women are not particularly different from those for men. But the rate of muscle gain in girls is much slower, since there is not enough production of the required amount of testosterone to promote muscle growth. Girls need to be careful with high-calorie foods, on average, the weaker sex 2000-3000 calories is enough. An excess of carbohydrates and fats promotes fat gain, not muscle gain. The female body by nature contains more fatty tissue as a percentage, unlike the male body. Therefore, high-calorie foods threaten the rapid deposition of female fat (on the hips and abdomen), this is necessary for the main task of a woman - bearing and giving birth to a child.

Thus, nutrition should be moderate:

1. complex carbohydrates and fruits in the morning;
2. proteins and fiber - in the second.

Strength training for muscle gain should also include basic exercises of 8-12 repetitions, 3-4 sets.

Common mistakes in gaining weight

• Insufficient calorie and nutrient intake;
• Infrequent meals;
• Low fluid intake;
• Excluding sports supplements from the diet (especially undesirable for an ectomorph);
• Fasting before bed;
• Consumption of only proteins and complete exclusion of fats;
• Long-term exercise for more than 2-3 hours, which leads to a decrease in muscle volume.

Conclusion

For effective and rapid growth of muscle mass, men must not forget about main rules– consuming enough calories and nutrients, as well as intense exercise.

Remember, a large number of repetitions, cardio loads (running, cycling), long-term training only lead to an increase in endurance and loss of fatty tissue, but do not in any way affect muscle growth.

Switch to six meals a day, each appointment no later than three hours later. Don't forget, recovery is necessary for muscle growth, namely sleep for at least eight hours.

Nutrition for weight gain: how to gain weight

Examination by a doctor

Visit your doctor and undergo the prescribed examination. Excessive thinness (especially sudden weight loss) with a balanced diet and regular physical activity should raise alarm: something has gone wrong in the body. Reasons for weight loss include:

Timely detected and treated pathologies help restore metabolism and gain normal body weight. Consult a nutritionist to help you create a balanced diet. Perhaps a specialist will prescribe a course of vitamins and, if indicated for you, steroids.

If you are underweight, you should consult your doctor.

1. Simply increasing the size of portions and increasing the amount of carbohydrates consumed is the main mistake of those who want to gain weight quickly. Such a diet will lead to problems with the gastrointestinal tract and can even cause aversion to food, fraught with anorexia. Increase your caloric intake slowly, by 200 calories per day. The basic principle of a weight loss diet is to eat more calories than you burn.
2. Establish split meals - at least five to six meals a day every 3-4 hours. It is important to approach the new regime smoothly: you are used to eating 3 times a day - first introduce the fourth snack, then accustom yourself to the fifth, sixth. You must be comfortable, otherwise your body will experience stress.
3. Half an hour before meals, drink a glass of vegetable or fruit juice, but try not to drink during the meal itself. Drink drinks between main snacks to provide extra calories.
4. Juices stimulate appetite, which is very important when gaining weight. Non-alcoholic beer is also shown in reasonable quantities. It stimulates the production of gastric juice and bile, helping the gastrointestinal tract, therefore it is indicated for low acidity.
5. Forget about fast food, canned food, fried foods, refined foods, lard - such food, and even in large quantities, will lead to obesity and digestive problems. You need to get your weight back to normal, not become fat.
6. Breakfast should not be a quick snack, but a complete meal. Scientists have proven that optimal saturation of the body with carbohydrates and proteins occurs precisely thanks to the first, morning meal.
7. Be sure to restore your sleep patterns and regulate your psychological state. This is especially important if you are pregnant, because weight loss will affect not only the mother, but also the baby. The support of parents, friends, and a loved one during a period of weight gain cannot be overestimated. In severe cases, such as anorexia nervosa, modern psychotherapy can help.

Protein is the main building material during weight gain.

Weight Gain Products

To gain weight, your body needs the main building material - protein. Remember how breastfeeding babies recover quickly? They absorb a volume of milk equal to 1/5 of their body weight per day.

A young body needs more calories to develop. Girls under 25 years old need about 2000 cal per day with a sedentary lifestyle, about 2400 with an active lifestyle. When gaining weight - at least 3000.

It is no coincidence that one of the ways to gain weight for a girl with acute weight loss is to regularly consume 3 glasses of infant formula. Or a more familiar drink - full-fat milk (cow's, goat's, and if you can get it - high-calorie and nutritious buffalo milk).

Your diet must include:

• dairy products: country or store-bought sour cream 25% fat, butter, cottage cheese, kefir
• chicken and quail eggs, and nutritionists allow the consumption of two to eight eggs per day when building muscle mass
• seafood and fatty fish, which must be included in the diet at least twice a week, as an option, fish oil
• first courses of beans: peas, beans, lentils
• meat: chicken, pork, veal, turkey

A variety of porridges cooked in milk and butter will help you gain weight without harming your health. A good option is rice, which will help saturate the body with carbohydrates. To increase the calorie content of the dish, you can cook the cereal in broth.

Feel free to introduce pasta and white bread into your diet. Many plump women may be jealous, because delicious baked goods will not harm you. However, don't overdo it! The amount of carbohydrates introduced into the diet for weight gain should not exceed 55% of all food eaten daily.

From time to time you can treat yourself to high-quality dark chocolate based on natural cocoa butter. It is better to avoid sweets with trans fats.

When preparing dishes, add more vegetables, stew them, boil them, bake them, and eat them in salads. It is recommended to actively introduce into the menu not only potatoes rich in starch, but also melons, cabbage, beets, and carrots. In vegetable salads, add sour cream or olive oil, which contains a lot of vitamin E - a stimulator of good metabolism.

Between snacks, drink sweet tea and fruit drinks. Juices with pulp are recommended. Be sure to drink non-carbonated clean water - about 2-2.5 liters per day for normal metabolism.

Fruits and nuts

Eat persimmons, melons, apricots, bananas, dates, rich in vitamins and fiber for normal digestion. Dried fruits are a real storehouse of complex carbohydrates - an excellent snack option. Combine dates, dried apricots, and raisins with nuts and seeds, which are rich in essential acids - an important element in protein synthesis.

Sample menu for weight gain

Option 1. Sweet coffee with cream, a bun and toast with jam.

Option 2. Hercules with honey, with nuts and pieces of fruit.

Option 3. Rice milk porridge with butter, fruit.

Lunch

Option 1. Pie with meat or vegetables.

Option 2. Pasta with meatballs.

Option 3. Omelet with cheese, tomatoes.

Option 1. Fish soup, macaroni and cheese, white bread.

Option 2. Soup with pasta and meatballs from beef and pork, with sour cream. Vegetable salad, white bread.

Option 3. Borscht with sour cream, mashed potatoes with fried fish.

Option 1: Popsicles, sunflower or pumpkin seeds. Fruit yogurt, banana.

Option 2. Sandwich with ham and greens.

Option 3. Milk with oatmeal cookies, gingerbread.

Option 1. Meat baked in the oven, with vegetable salad, bread. Fruit dessert with honey.

Option 2. Fish with rice, bread, fruit.

Option 3. Buckwheat with milk, dried fruits, bread and butter.

Second dinner

Option 1. A glass of full-fat milk.

Option 2. A glass of fermented baked milk or kefir.

Option 3. Yogurt.

It is important to combine a weight gain diet with exercise.

A nutritious, balanced diet will definitely help you gain weight quickly, unless the doctor has found that you have serious health problems that are slowing down your metabolism. However, without physical activity, you may not gain as much as you would like, namely, gain weight in the hips and abdomen.

To gain weight quickly, you can consume a homemade protein shake. Mix a glass of cottage cheese and cream, a couple of tablespoons of honey. You can add any jam or syrup.

Your task is to build not fat, but muscle mass, without getting skin problems, and to be in good shape. Regular sports, namely strength training, exercises for the chest, upper and lower extremities will help. Consult with an experienced trainer or choose a suitable course on the Internet.

How to gain weight: proper nutrition and exercise in autumn and winter

Now is the perfect time to finally sign up for a gym or return to a once-useful activity that you abandoned. It’s disgusting on the street, it’s boring at home, and the flabby or skinny body in the mirror clearly hints: “It’s time, now it’s definitely time!”

Of course, you won’t be able to turn into Hafthor Bjornson in 4-5 months, but you can please yourself and surprise others with a pumped-up body. Gaining weight is very easy, an order of magnitude easier than losing fat and forming a model-like figure. Now we will explain how to do this.

Muscle grows as long as you consume more calories than you expend. That is, you need to eat more. No other way.

This problem is especially relevant for people prone to thinness, scientifically called ectomorphs. They seem to be eating normally and, having read about the principles of weight gain, increase their caloric intake. For example, they eat an additional chocolate bar or add two eggs to the breakfast menu. But there is still no growth. Why? Because the actual increase in calories needed is much greater than they imagine.

A good rate of weight gain is considered to be an increase of about 700 grams per week.

Sometimes for growth it is enough to increase the calorie content of the daily diet by 15%, but more often it is necessary to receive 30, 50 or even 100% more energy per day. How can you force yourself to eat twice as much? In fact, you don't need to do this. Doubling calories does not mean doubling the amount of food consumed.

Food can be different, but you need to choose high-calorie food, giving it 70% of the place in your daily diet.

High calorie protein foods

• Lean meat, especially poultry.
• Fish and seafood. The most important source of healthy fats.
• Low-fat dairy products like cottage cheese and cottage cheese.
• Eggs. You can eat 6–8 eggs including yolks per day.
• Legumes. Lentils, chickpeas, peas and beans are good sources of plant protein, and the first two products contain a decent amount of essential amino acids BCAA, which is also good. Do not get carried away with soy, because it negatively affects male hormonal levels.
• Nuts.

High calorie carbohydrate foods

• Buckwheat, pearl barley, oatmeal, rice, corn, wheat, millet porridge.
• Pasta made from durum wheat.
• Black bread.
• Vegetables as a side dish for protein foods. Potatoes, carrots and beets contain a lot of starch, and therefore you should not lean on them.
• Fruits. Grapes, pears, bananas and persimmons contain a lot of sugar, and therefore it is better to limit their consumption.

Proportions of proteins, carbohydrates and fats in the diet

• Proteins - 30–35%.
• Carbohydrates - 50–60%.
• Fats - 10–20%.

• Count calories and weigh yourself every 3-5 days.
• If you gain less than 700 grams of weight each week, increase your caloric intake. If growth is faster, then it is better to reduce calories, otherwise the excess will go into fat.
• Try to eat more often. Divide your daily diet into 5-6 meals.

Sports nutrition

Ordinary high-calorie food is not a panacea. Eating so much every day is still difficult, and often simply impossible due to work, lack of time to cook, and so on. Sports nutrition successfully solves these problems.

Sports nutrition is actually a pure concentrated beneficial substance. Maximum required in minimum volume. The vast majority of athletes, be they weightlifters, bodybuilders or crossfitters, take sports nutrition, and beginners and amateurs should do the same.

Whey Protein

Protein sports nutrition helps you meet your daily protein intake, which averages 2 grams per kilogram of body. It is recommended to get 50% of protein from regular food, and the remaining half from sports nutrition. Whey protein is the most effective. Take it 3-5 times a day: in the morning, immediately after sleep, and between meals.

If there is no weight gain, that is, if there is a lack of calories in the diet, a gainer helps - a super-calorie mixture of carbohydrates and proteins. Take it immediately after training, and if you are unable to have a normal breakfast, take it in the morning.

Pre-workout complex

Pre-workout supplements are supplements that help you exercise more efficiently. They include products to improve blood supply and muscle nutrition, substances that promote the growth of muscle strength and volume, vitamins and microelements.

Creatine is one of the most studied sports supplements with proven effectiveness in promoting muscle growth and strength. Take it on rest days, that is, when you do not train, 3-4 grams.

Vitamin-mineral complex

A lack of vitamins and minerals is harmful in itself, and specifically when gaining weight, it additionally negatively affects muscle growth.

Workout

Living organisms, and the human body in particular, are the result of millions of years of evolution. Do you know what distinguishes us from all our ancestors? In their life there was little food and excess physical activity, but now the opposite is true.

But the body still works in the old mode. It is very economical and does not build muscle if there is enough existing muscle, but it happily accumulates fat, because frequent and prolonged fasting is the most common thing for it. More precisely, it was ordinary, but several decades of a well-fed life had no effect on the biochemistry of the human body.

It turns out that even a person who has overcome a calorie deficit in the absence of physical activity will gain weight, but not in the form of muscles, but in the form of fat on the stomach, sides, and so on.

Any physical activity in the absence of a calorie deficit will give some kind of muscle gain, but we do not need “some”, but the maximum. To do this, it is important to choose the right training strategy.

Basic principles of training for mass gain

• Perform only basic exercises that involve large muscles and several muscle groups at the same time.
• Perform exercises with heavy weights and low reps per set.
• Rest 2-3 minutes between sets.
• Warm up thoroughly.
• Carefully study the technique of performing the exercises correctly.

Pay attention to the last two tips. They are extremely important and will help you avoid health problems. It’s better to spend a few minutes on them than to spend six months recovering from an injury.

The best exercises for gaining mass

1. Total weight: deadlift and classic squats

There is a popular opinion among gym regulars and professionals that a beginner needs to do just three exercises to increase mass and strength: squats, deadlifts and bench presses. It's worth listening to them.

2. Chest: Dumbbell Bench Press

The classic barbell chest press uses the anterior deltoids to a greater extent, thereby taking the load away from the pectoral muscles. Therefore, for more effective chest development, it is recommended to press dumbbells.

3. Back: pull the upper block to the chest with a wide grip

There is a misconception that the best exercise for widening the back is a wide row behind the head, but in practice, it is the row to the chest and wide grip pull-ups that have proven to be the most effective. Next come rows and pull-ups with a reverse grip.

4. Quadriceps: Front Squats

Shifting the weight forward takes the load off the hamstrings and glutes, transferring it to the quadriceps.

5. Hamstrings and glutes: Romanian (dead) deadlifts

The Romanian deadlift differs from the classic deadlift in that it is performed on straight legs from the middle of the knees. Roughly speaking, this is the final phase of the deadlift with the exception of the exit from the squat, when all that remains is extension of the body due to the work of the hamstrings and buttocks.

6. Triceps: close grip press or dips

Triceps are relatively small muscles, and therefore isolation here, unlike the same chest and dumbbell press, is not needed. The more complex the exercise, the better.

7. Biceps: standing straight bar curl

You'll read about basic exercises, but you'll still be pumping your batsukha, right? If so, do it right. The EZ bar is more comfortable, but it works the biceps unevenly. Only a straight bar loads both bundles of the biceps biceps muscle equally well. Most likely, you will have to reduce your current working weight by 5-10%.

8. Shoulders: standing or seated dumbbell press

The width and roundness of the shoulders is given by the middle bunch of deltas. When you perform a standing or seated barbell press from the chest or even from behind your head, the emphasis inevitably shifts to the front bundles. Dumbbells allow you to perform a press along the axis of the body, including the middle beams as much as possible.

Sometimes workouts seem monotonous, and some exercises cause discomfort. In these cases, remember the words of Paul Dillet:

Among the dozens of exercises, there are those in which it’s great to overcome a lot of weight. You grow from them.

Simply put, try new things, find your exercise routine, and listen to your body.

If you want to make your muscles grow, then you should resort to regular exercise and proper nutrition.

In this article you will learn how to gain muscle mass.

For muscle growth, 3 very important conditions must be met:

1. Get a large amount of calories, that is, you need to consume more calories per day than you expend.
2. The body must have a need to build new muscle fibers, then increased physical activity is needed.
3. The body must fully recover after exercise, that is, you should always give the body a good rest. Namely, you need to sleep at least 8 hours a day.

Each of these conditions contains a lot of subtleties and nuances. And if you really want to know how to gain muscle mass, then read our 16 tips.

If you are reading this article, then you probably want to build muscle and increase your body size. And it doesn’t matter what exactly you want – sculpted biceps or just extra muscle mass. The tips in this article will add several new tools to your arsenal. These tips are a summary of information received from top athletes.

Tips for gaining muscle mass

Add a couple of these strategies to your daily arsenal and watch the inevitable growth of your muscles!

1. Focus on eating more

James Pulido

You probably know that nutrition plays a key role in sports. It helps to showcase the beauty of our body after working hard on it. Well, if we are talking about muscle growth, then nutrition is fundamentally necessary - in order to grow, you need to eat. And don't be embarrassed by talking about counting calories.

Want to know how many calories to consume? James Pulido, MuscleTech athlete and Superman fan, gives his answer: “The best option for an athlete is to multiply his weight in pounds by 20. So, a 180 pound athlete multiplying his weight by 20 would get a result of 3,600. This is the number of calories an athlete should consume daily.” For example, I weigh 105 kg, convert the weight into pounds (type in Google "105 kilograms in pounds", instead of my weight of 105 write yours), I get approximately 231 pounds, multiply by 20 and get - 4620 calories.

(Please note that multiplying your body weight in pounds by 20 depends on the quality of your caloric intake. Multiplying by 20 is the maximum you can give your body. The minimum limit is multiplying by 15. You can be conservative and multiply your weight at 16 – 18.)

To start, Pulido recommends dividing your meals in terms of fats, proteins, and carbohydrates. For every pound of your weight (about 500 grams), you should have 1.5 grams of protein and 2 grams of carbohydrates daily. Everything else - which is about 15-35% of the daily diet - should be dietary fat. "Fats are essential for hormonal balance, including testosterone production, and testosterone is critical for muscle growth," says Pulido.

1. Plan your workouts carefully

You want to grow, but it's important to plan your workouts and not attack the gym like a crazy Banshee. The first thing to do is organize your workouts so that you are not training the same muscle group every day. In addition, muscles grow not only in the gym. They grow thanks to properly calculated rest time and proper nutrition.

“Targetedly stretching and injuring the same muscle groups for two days in a row will not provoke further muscle growth in that area,” says Jesse Hobbs. “If your muscles are sore from yesterday's workout, you won't get the best results from today's workout.”

Jesse Hobbs

Unless you are following an advanced training course. But even in this case, the muscles must be given 36-48 hours of rest before starting training again. So, if you work your chest and biceps hard on Monday, give your muscles some rest on Tuesday and Wednesday.

1. Prioritize evenly

A carefully planned program will ensure maximum results without repetitive repetitions of the same exercises or too heavy intensity training. When creating a training program, pay attention to the difference between the main and peripheral muscle groups.

"Major muscle groups are the largest muscles (chest and leg muscles, for example) that don't need to be trained more than once a week," says Hobbs.

“Peripheral muscles such as biceps, triceps, trapezius, calves and abs can be trained more than twice a week and will recover fully in a short period of time.”

If you want to build muscle in your arms or get killer abs, train these muscle groups twice a week. For example, if you are training your biceps, then start doing it on Monday. On Tuesday, move on to triceps, and around Thursday, start training both of them at the same time.

1. Add basic exercises

If you want to grow muscle, lifting weights is one of the important steps towards this goal. And basic exercises such as squats, bench presses and deadlifts allow you to increase overall muscle mass, become stronger and lift more weight in isolation exercises. Frankly, if you're not squatting and bench pressing, you're missing out.

"I strive for natural movements in the exercises," explains Pulido. “Using compound exercises causes a hormonal surge in the body and allows me to lift even more weight the next time I train.”

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Nick Twam, a personal trainer, always focuses his attention on deadlifts. In his opinion, deadlift is one of the best exercises for growing and strengthening muscles. It is ideal for gradual but sure muscle growth. The deadlift will help develop a broad back, strong legs and forearms, and a toned, round butt while working the shoulder muscles and trapezius muscles.

1. Choose nutrient-dense foods

The amount of food consumed is, of course, important. But you should focus not only on quantity. Aim for nutrient-dense foods. They will give strength to the muscles.

Ed Honn, a regular bodybuilding competitor, calls these products his best buddies. "Eat a variety of nutritious bodybuilding foods; these are the only foods that will help you gain serious weight and size," he says.

His favorite foods are chicken breasts, sweet potatoes, oatmeal, whole grain bran bread, avocado, almond butter, and coconut oil. When it comes to a personal diet, Ed makes sure that the level of protein in foods is always stable, reducing fats and carbohydrates as necessary.

If, for example, it is necessary to build a large amount of muscle in a short period of time, then he will increase the amount of fat and carbohydrates he consumes.

1. Vary the number of repetitions in exercises

If you're lifting the same number of times every workout, then it's time to think about making changes to your established program. Within one workout, you can easily afford a varied number of approaches and repetitions and different intensities. “I like to perform basic exercises like squats, presses and deadlifts 5-8 times per set,” says Honn, “then I move on to additional exercises, which I need to do 8-12 reps per set. "

Lindsay Capotelli

This system allows Honn to achieve stable growth in both volume and total weight and achieve optimal results. For those who are already almost close to the result, the number of repetitions can range from 15 to 100 repetitions. It all depends on how you planned your exercise system and what kind of result you need.

Girls, please note: you also need to work using a system of changing the number of repetitions. “A trend I've noticed with most women who train is that they get stuck in the 10-15 rep range,” says personal bodybuilding trainer Lindsey Cappotelli. “And I used to do the same thing until I tried short sets of 5-8 reps. That’s when the first results appeared.”

1. Pay attention to the importance of recovery after training

"It's stupid to train harder and harder every day," advises Honn. “If you’re a little under the weather or just don’t have the energy, it’s better to rest for a couple of days, take a short break from your training system.”

Listen to your body. If I have a training day planned and I'm feeling really crap, I don't go to the gym and focus on getting through the day by eating right. Rest, chosen at the right moment, really leads to positive results. After all, if you think logically, muscles get injured in the gym. And to build muscle on this basis, you need to eat right. And there is no point in carrying yourself to the gym in a tired state - one way or another, this will lead to even more serious and dangerous injuries.
To facilitate recovery, Honn focuses on sleep, good nutrition and gentle stretching exercises. “Of course, you can train hard, but can you recover from such training as quickly?” he asks. Consider this question before you begin creating your training program.

Elissa Martis

Elissa Martis, a professional bodybuilder, also enhances the effects of her workouts by using stretching exercises and even incorporating regular massage. “I believe that gymnastics is a winning option for maintaining the elasticity of muscle tissue.”

1. Keep track of your training sessions

Lindsay Cappotelli says she makes constant progress thanks to the entries she regularly makes in her training journal. “I like to write down everything I do on paper—the weights I lift, the number of reps I do, and everything I do between rest breaks. This way I always know exactly where I am,” she explains. “Since muscle growth is a constant change, I will make the workout more difficult by adding extra weight, lowering the number of reps and adding more sets.”

Lindsey likes to plan her classes 4-6 weeks in advance. In this way, it constantly progresses without getting stuck at one point. You don't always have to train harder, the key is to do it smarter.

1. Regularly adjust and supplement your workouts with new little things

To avoid a dead phase in progress, natural bodybuilder Justin Robbins recommends changes in training. This does not mean that you need to completely abandon the old program and start a new one. But some changes can be made.

Justin Robbins

"Never do the exact same exercise two weeks in a row," says Robbins. “Change the equipment, change your grip, change your hand position, or add one exercise to train the part of the body you want to improve.”

1. Cook your own food

If you still haven't started preparing your meals in advance, then you're still losing out on building muscle. "If you always have the right food on hand, you won't be tempted to stray even a little from your diet," says Robbins. “Never skip meals or you will seriously slow down your progress.”

Instead of preparing meals every day, try preparing for the week at a time. For most people this is very convenient on Sundays. Go to the store, read a book with healthy recipes, stand near the stove. Every morning before leaving for work, you will know for sure that you won’t have to come up with anything for the evening.

If you are fluent in English, check out this resource - http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/healthy-recipe-database.html. There are a lot of really healthy dishes here. And if you don’t know English, but want to learn these recipes, subscribe to site updates; translations of these recipes will be published soon.

1. Know your rhythm

Another key point in growing muscle is tempo. "Your muscles should be under constant tension the entire time you're training," says Robbins. “When in doubt, slow down and think about the quality of the exercise, especially if it is the most difficult exercise of all.”

If you decide to do fewer lifts but more constant tension, simply count to five slowly as you lower the bar. This will cause serious muscle damage, which is what you are aiming for. And these damages will lead to rapid growth.

Irene Goley

Don't fuss while doing the exercises. Focus on HOW you do them. “Mental control of muscle growth is important to me on every set,” says Irene Goley. “Focus on the quality of the reverse movement in the exercise and tense your muscles to the maximum limit and hold under this tension for as long as you can stand it.”

1. Distribute nutritional supplements wisely

The pre-, during- and post-workout periods are great times to take supplements designed to enhance muscle performance and speed up muscle recovery.

"I'm a firm believer in using supplements before, during and after training," says Nick Twam.

Caffeine is one of the main pre-workout supplements. As a rule, in the form of natural, brewed coffee. "Caffeine jumpstarts the nervous system, so it's ideal for kicking off tough workouts. It will help you feel focused and energized," says Twam.

He also likes to use a few grams of citrulline malate to help keep muscle activity high. 5 grams of creatine monohydrate and a small serving of carbohydrates to increase energy and the rate of muscle glycogen recovery.

During training, Twam drinks cocktails with added branched chain amino acids (BCAs). “RCAs are essential for reducing catabolism and increasing protein synthesis,” he explains. Nick adds 10 grams of RCA, often paired with additional carbohydrates, to keep his muscles at their full strength.

Post-workout, Twam finishes with NitroTech+ with up to 50 grams of extra carbohydrates for even faster recovery and extra glutamine and creatine if needed.

If you don't want to use supplements individually, try choosing a complex preparation. Trainer Jason Dwarika, for example, recommends the MuscleTech Nano Vapor to get the most out of your workouts.

1. Stay true to a healthy lifestyle

Daniel Beausoleil

When Danielle Beausoleil is asked about her success, she begins to describe her special approach.

“Many people mistakenly believe that to achieve a decent result you need to devote 70% to diet and 30% to fitness, or something like the opposite,” she says. “It really requires you to be 100% committed to both diet and exercise.”

Without endless dedication to your nutrition plan and training plan, your results will be extremely difficult to achieve. Of course, this has long been a hackneyed cliché, but it is true - consistency is always the key to success.

Danielle's advice is simple: choose only the type of activity that is ideal for your specific needs.

1. Take a multivitamin

While it's always best to get your nutrients from whole, natural foods, sometimes you simply can't get all the micronutrients you need because you're following a diet and dietary restrictions. "Vitamins and minerals are good for anyone, even those on a healthy diet," says Nice.

She focuses on high-quality multi- and omega-3 supplements, and also supplements with magnesium and zinc, as this increases the intensity of her workouts.

1. Know your weak points

As you gradually progress in gaining muscle mass, pay attention to muscle groups that are lagging behind the rest. If there is a part of the body that you want to pay special attention to, then it would be a good idea to develop a special, separate training plan for it.

Trisha Ashley

"If there's a specific muscle group that I need to focus on, I like to lift a little more weight than usual and work it out for about six sets of six reps each," explains fitness model Trisha Ashley Gutierrez. “Then, if I realize that this muscle group really needs work, then after three days I return to working that area of ​​the body using even more intense repetitions for the isolated muscle group.”

By adding weights to exercises for isolated muscle groups, you can easily balance lagging muscles with the rest. Increase the frequency of training only for the lagging muscle group and you will get the desired volume.

1. Start understanding sports nutritional supplements

Don't think of nutritional supplements as just a way to increase overall body performance. Nutritional supplements help the active athlete stabilize his caloric intake. “If you want to build muscle and find it difficult to consume enough calories to do so, then a muscle building supplement will benefit you,” says Pulido.

High-quality weight gain supplements include protein, carbohydrates, some fat, and additional micronutrients and ingredients to help improve overall performance. Pulido recommends the Mass-Tech series, which he himself has used when he needed to consume more calories than usual for extra energy and improved performance. And if it is not possible to go to the gym, then you can always equip

Have you always considered yourself too skinny? Skin and bones? While most people need to lose weight, gaining it back can be a very difficult task.

Do you want to know how to quickly gain weight without harm to your health? In this article we will tell you how to increase body weight in a short time.

1. Eat frequently to consume more calories

Although everyone should follow this rule, this is especially important for those who are trying to gain weight quickly. Eating often means eating five to six small meals a day that contain as many calories and nutrients as possible.

This doesn't mean eating junk food and sugar, it means more protein and complex carbohydrates. If you want to gain healthy weight, don't store fat. Your snacks should be nutritious but high in calories, think about:

• nuts
• nut butter
• dried fruits
• avocado.

And this is your evening snack. Forward!

And while this is a great way to gain weight, it's not healthy, so avoid sugary drinks and coffee. And replenish your fluid supply with plain water and smoothies (like an iced milkshake) or skim milk or juice shakes for a more active increase in calories.

Diet menu for weight gain

Have you already figured out how to gain weight in a short time? That's right, you need to eat well, that is, consume enough calories for muscle growth. And you need to take into account the amount of fats, proteins and carbohydrates. The bottom line is that each of these nutrients is very important in nutrition, and they must be present in the diet of a person who wants to gain weight quickly.

To make things easier for you, we have compiled an approximate diet for weight gain for men and women. To begin with, you can use them as they are on the site or you can customize them to suit you by replacing products or increasing their quantity if you feel that this will not be enough for active growth.

For men

Breakfast

Dinner and supper

Snacks between main meals

Sample menu for girls

Breakfast

Lunch - dinner

Snacks 2-3 times a day

To gain weight as quickly as possible, you can use the suggested nutritional options. If there is no result, then the calorie intake needs to be increased. This can be done by simply doubling the number of servings, or adding 1-2 more meals, or adding high-calorie foods. It's your choice, whichever is more convenient for you.

2. Eat the right types of fats

You want to gain weight and look healthy, not like a skeleton with a belly. Then maximize your intake of cereal, dairy products, nuts (including nut butters), and meat, and avoid ice cream, fried foods, and fatty junk foods.

Healthy fats should come from fish, peanuts, cashews and olive oil. Beware of saturated (bad) animal fats. If you want something tasty, bran muffins, yoghurt, fruit pie and fitness bars are good alternatives.

3. More protein

While it's a myth that the more protein you eat, the more muscle you'll build, protein is an important part of your diet. It is a building material for our entire body: muscles, bones, skin, hair and blood. So complete your menu.

Foods enriched with proteins include meat, cheese, milk, fish and eggs. For vegetarians, protein can come from soy products such as tofu, or better yet from a combination of foods such as rice or corn and legumes.

4. Increase the amount of carbohydrates in your diet

Although they are criticized, carbohydrates provide energy and help build muscle and are involved in all life functions. Carbohydrates are your body's main source of energy. But it is better to avoid simple carbohydrates. They hold empty calories and are likely to be stored as fat because sugar quickly entering your bloodstream causes your blood sugar levels to spike.

Buckwheat, rice, pasta (pasta made from durum wheat), potatoes and all grains fall into the approved category. Glucose from them is released into the blood slowly and provides a stable supply of energy for a long period, without causing insulin surges that lead to fat deposition.

When gaining weight, the total calorie intake per day is calculated. And to gain weight, you need to increase your daily caloric intake. Eating before bed will add another meal and increase your overall caloric intake.

In addition, the body needs about 3-4 hours to digest and absorb food. After this time, he is in a state of hunger and begins to use muscles to obtain nutrients. That is, it begins to destroy hard-earned muscles.

To avoid gaining excess fat, you can eat the following as your last meal before bed:

• cottage cheese
• white meat
• fish.

2. Exercises to gain weight quickly

If you decide to go to the gym or have some equipment at home, pay attention, this will allow you to properly create a training program. And also use our selection tips, because the length of the limbs, size and muscle strength impose certain restrictions on training.

1. Strength training

To gain weight quickly, it is not enough to simply increase your caloric intake. The fact is that the body must see the need to gain additional muscle mass. Because more weight means an increase in the load on the cardiovascular system and an increase in the load on the nervous system. Which, for safety reasons, our body will not do. He must see a clear need to gain muscle.

Strength training will help us with this, as it will give a signal that the existing muscles are not enough and we need to build new ones. And increased caloric intake will be a good opportunity for weight gain.

Yes, cardio training develops some of your muscles, but how can you gain weight quickly if your body does not receive sufficient strength training? No way. And here training with additional weights will come to the rescue. This is a good complex.

This doesn't mean you have to become an affiliation with the gym (although that certainly works!). Perform push-ups, crunches, lunges and squats in the comfort of your own home. But to speed up the process and get better results, you need to use additional weight.

Exercise will also increase your appetite. A protein bar or shake after your workout will give your muscles what they need.

2. Increase physical activity

As stated above, in order to gain weight, the body must receive a stimulus. Your muscles should receive more load and work harder. If your loads are small, change them and make them more challenging.

Buy strength training equipment for your home. This will work if you only have 15 minutes before going to work, then you can flex all your muscles by doing a quick muscle building program that will set you on the right path.

3. Use less energy outside of training

Besides storing, burn as few calories as you can. Grab the remote, your milkshake, and collapse on the couch. 🙂

If you really are becoming less mobile everywhere, then it is important to do strength training. Even if you don't see fat on your body, visceral fat (the kind that covers your internal organs) may appear unnoticed. And internal fat loves inactivity. So before you sit down to watch a movie, pump the iron. And only then have a movie marathon with a few light snacks.

• Bring snacks, cheese, nuts. They can be consumed between meals. This is convenient when it is not possible to take buckwheat with meat with you
• If you feel like you're gaining extra fat, reduce your calories, eliminate or replace unhealthy foods with healthier ones, and do more exercise to burn fat.