how to gain weight

The Skinny Guy's Guide to Lightning Fast Muscle Growth

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In a world obsessed with weight loss and looking thin, it might come as a surprise that there are many looking for information on how to gain weight.

If you’re a person endowed by nature with a skinny physique and wimpy appearance, this won’t seem strange at all. How often you’ve dreamed of having a muscular, ripped body with broad shoulders, flat abs and an impressive look. Let’s talk then about how to gain weight – and do it in a healthy, natural way.

Why Do You Want To Gain Weight?

Maybe a few extra pounds will help you get on a sports team or compete at a different level. Or you could be looking to improve your health. Even just bulk up for appearances. Whatever your reason, begin by understanding that it can be as hard to gain weight as it is to lose it.

There are 3 basic principles to put on weight – and several mini-steps along the way. Study them carefully to understand how to gain weight.

How To Gain Weight? BY EATING

To gain weight, you must eat more than your body burns off for energy. A positive balance of 3,500 calories can add a pound to your weight. This is over and above your resting metabolic rate (RMR) consumption, which is the calories your body burns off it you remain at rest all day long.

First, calculate your RMR. Here’s how to do it:

a. Find out your weight in kilograms. Divide your weight in pounds by 2.2 for the answer.

b. Measure your height in centimeters. It’s your height in inches, multiplied by 2.54

c. Compute your RMR using the Mifflin-St.Jeor formula. Your RMR is:

[10 x (Weight in kg)] + [6.25 x (Height in cm)] – [5 x (Age in years)] + Z

Z is a constant, with a value of +5 in men and -161 in women.

Then, look at your level of activity. A sedentary person who gets little physical exercise will burn off 1.2 times RMR in a day. Modest activity burns off 1.375 times RMR and moderate activity accounts for 1.55 times RMR.

Knowing how much energy your body consumes in a typical day, you can calculate how many calories you must eat in order to gain weight. A good target for weight gain is 1 to 2 pounds every week. Bigger gains are possible, but usually will not be sustained.

Start by adding 500 extra calories to your diet. In a week, you’ll add 3,500 calories to your intake, which should comfortably add 1 pound to your weight. Regular meals combined with 2 or 3 snacks in a day will provide the required calories.

What food to eat? In Muscle Gaining Secrets (see this review), one of the modules focuses exclusively on the right type of food to eat to gain weight and build muscle. It is a mistake to focus exclusively on high fat foods. Denser foods with higher caloric value are more important.

Here are some examples:

protein shakes, whole milk
whole wheat or oat bran bread
starchy vegetables like potatoes, peas and corn
dense fruit like bananas, dried fruit and pears
creamy soups and spreads
extra oil while cooking food

Protein rich diets also help build muscle fast. Without dietary protein, your body mass will not increase, and any gain will not be sustained. Foods rich in protein include soy bean, whey protein, peanuts, steak, hamburger, chicken and tuna.

How To Gain Weight? BY MUSCLE BUILDING

Muscle building puts on weight which will not vanish later. Weight training can help add lean body mass and also boosts your appetite so you can eat more of healthy body building food.

When you begin working out to gain muscle, there will be a noticeable immediate gain in weight. But this quickly plateaus and to gain more weight, you’ll need to alter your eating habits and lift heavier weights to build muscle.

Muscle damage and soreness is a side effect of any weight lifting and muscle building program. It will disappear within a week, so don’t let it stop you from going ahead with your plan.

Heavier weights can build muscle faster. But there are many myths and a lot of false information out there. Jason Ferruggia, a experienced and qualified body building coach, teaches an excellent form of exercises in his guide, Muscle Gaining Secrets. It uses a concept called “Progressive Overload” which optimally stresses muscle groups for fastest growth.

Adding protein to your diet helps build muscle faster. Soon after a workout, you should try to eat a high protein meal, but one which is also balanced with fat and carbohydrates.

How To Gain Weight? BY FIXING WHAT’S WRONG

Gaining weight is not an overnight success story where you gorge yourself on fatty food for a day or two and put on pounds of muscle. No, it doesn’t work that way. You need to work on how to gain weight.

Be realistic. Genetic influences are at play. Some people cannot put on weight even by eating a lot and exercising. Others add weight around the belly or on the backside, but not in arm, shoulder or leg muscles.

You may have to consult a doctor about it if you fail to add even modest weight after following a good regimen. Several diseases like diabetes and thyroid diseases can prevent weight gain.

Make sure you record your weight using the same machine and do it at the same time every day. Fluctuations occur all day round, and you may mistake that for actual weight gain or loss.

Do not go in fits and starts. Avoid binges. Cycles of feasting and fasting are counter-productive. Your tissue’s metabolism gets deranged if you do this. Spread out your eating over the day and follow a system like the one taught in Muscle Gaining Secrets.

Drink enough water to ensure good hydration. Eat healthy food rather than junk or fast food rich in trans-fat. Minimize unnecessary activity. Reducing the energy burned off can let your body store it as lean muscle. Keep track of your calorie intake and make sure you are reaching your target.

A Word of Caution

Once you learn how to gain weight fast and pursue a program, things will change in your body’s metabolism. Be aware that over-eating can be unhealthy and lead to other kinds of damage. Don’t make it a habit and add so much weight that you’ll later struggle to lose it!

Trying to stuff yourself with too much food can cause problems like bloating, stomach cramps or bowel disturbances.

Gaining weight too suddenly can cause strain injury on your knees and feet, stretch marks on your belly, and worse joint problems like arthritis.

Comprising of 197 pages in total, Jason Ferruggia’s guide “Muscle Gaining Secrets” teaches simple yet effective muscle building exercises for natural weight gain and body building.