You are lean, lanky, and burn calories quickly. Everything you eat is processed by a crazy metabolism, which makes gaining weight an incredible challenge. Don't worry, ectomorph! You're not alone, you're just someone who has a hard time gaining weight. It's difficult, but not impossible. You just have to follow your own “how to get huge” to-do list. Every ounce of energy you have should be directed towards muscle growth. It is necessary to harmonize your training and nutrition. Nutrition is your rifle, training is your bayonet, mass gain is your goal. Follow these 10 tips and you'll get ahead!
We hope you're hungry, because you're in for a huge dose of advice for struggling guys.
So…
1) Nutrition for weight gain
Until you get used to the feeling of being stuffed, you will not be able to consume the required amount of healthy food in large quantities. And this is necessary. Don't eat low-calorie carrots, choose high-calorie foods. Most bodybuilders advise eating 40 kcal per 1 kg of weight to gain muscle mass. If you fill up on all those calories with vegetables, fruits, oatmeal and egg whites, you'll go crazy. We don't want to say that this food isn't healthy - it's just not what you need to gain weight. Choose more calorie-dense foods such as pureed vegetables, dried fruit, whole eggs, oatmeal and steak.
The main rule is that you should consume more calories than you expend.
The basis of the diet should be complete meals of solid food, do not rely on protein shakes .
A lot of. A lot of food. Now that you understand the importance of meal timing, let's talk about calories. 18 calories per 1 kg is a diet for a loser. To gain weight, start with 30 calories per kilogram. Start eating 30 calories per 1 kg of your weight for 2-4 weeks, and then increase. For example: a man weighing 100 kg should eat 3000 calories to start and increase this figure after 2-4 weeks. As soon as possible you should reach the norm of 40 calories per 1 kg of weight . If you weigh 80 kg, you should consume about 3200 kcal. Overcome this threshold - and then everything will become easier.
From experience, few people have common sense. People are beginning to unbridledly strive for “the more the merrier.” People want short periods, quick results. This is impossible in this sport. To be successful you need time, time to figure out what works for you and what doesn't. Most guys are like that, when you tell them the truth, they stop wanting big hands.
So, if you weigh 100 kg, you don't need to rush the timing and start with 4000 calories right away. Whether you're picking up or dropping, don't use the shock technique. Never subject your body to a sharp reduction or increase in caloric intake. After all, it’s hard to gain even a kilogram of good muscle mass, so why risk it by using shock therapy, as a result of which you will immediately lose half a kilo of this mass?
Let's say you start eating 400g of protein instead of 200g. How should your body incorporate this supplement into its metabolism? It will simply throw away half of it. Plus you will find it so difficult to eat so much that you will quit after 2 weeks. Remember - everything has its time. Gradual increases are important. Start slow, build up gradually.
Special diet for weight gain
The first and, perhaps, the most important rule of this diet is to stop eating processed foods . Nowadays, everyone has long been accustomed to eating them - it’s cheaper and faster, but there is nothing healthy in such food. To maintain excellent shape, a man needs at least 2 grams. protein for every kilogram of his weight. There are very few proteins in semi-finished products (if they exist at all), so we can safely exclude them from the diet!
The most important point of the diet should be protein . It helps, better than all other nutrients, to gain the desired weight as quickly as possible. The daily diet should be rich in protein: a double portion of fish or meat, 2-3 egg whites and cottage cheese 5-9% fat . If desired, it can be replaced with a special protein powder.
Another equally important item in your diet should be carbohydrates. Per 1 kg. For adequate nutrition, an adult man needs at least 4-8 grams. carbohydrates.
This can be achieved easily by eating fresh fruits, which contain a lot of fructose, a natural carbohydrate. After training, to consolidate the result, it would be nice to add a little jam or jam to a portion of cottage cheese. In addition, your diet should include porridge cooked in water. Cereals must be included in your diet along with pasta (made only from durum flour) and bread.
And the third, no less important point is lipids or simply fats . The need of an adult male body for fats is determined by the fact that they contain the required amount of elements such as Omega-3 and -6. They are very important in the production of the main male hormone - testosterone.
In order to provide your body with the right amount of lipids, it is recommended to eat nuts, seeds, quail eggs and fatty fish.
In this case, you will need to stop eating sausage and pork . This is explained by the fact that the fats contained in meat contain a high amount of cholesterol, and in addition, block the normal absorption of proteins by the body. This is enough to give up meat fats.
In addition to all of the above, you can also add so-called fractional nutrition to the most important nutritional elements. It is worth mentioning that one or two meals a day will not be enough to gain the desired weight. This happens due to the fact that, receiving fuel only 1-2 times a day, the muscles still continue to starve, and large portions are absorbed extremely poorly by the body.
And one more important rule: when maintaining a diet, your diet should include as many foods as possible containing vitamins C and E, as well as minerals. They will serve as antioxidants and will inhibit the development of cortisol in the body. Cortisol is a hormone that inhibits the development of muscle mass.
2) The importance of sleep
Guys like you usually have weaker recovery abilities in the body. If you don't get enough sleep, this can seriously affect your results. Focus on getting at least 8 hours of sleep, preferably nine. Going to the gym again without enough sleep will only make matters worse. Rest, recover, sleep and grow!
If you approach the issue scientifically, here are the facts: 80% of growth hormone is produced during sleep. For example, a thirty-minute nap during the day will benefit you.
Training method for gaining weight
Depending on your level of training, the training method for quickly gaining weight will change.
For beginners, the beginner training program is more suitable.
When starting training, it is important to strengthen your muscles and musculoskeletal system, so the first step in the gym is to properly prepare for strength loads.
The turn of heavy strength training with free weights comes only after several months of training in the gym.
Intermediate and advanced athletes can try a training program to gain muscle mass.
There are powerful power loads that require maximum control over the training process, nutrition and recovery.
3) To gain weight, not only eat, but also drink calories
Liquid calories don't fill you up as much as solid calories, so this help will make it easier for you to reach your goal.
In addition to your pre- and post-workout protein shakes, make it a goal to drink at least one more protein shake throughout the day. Include as many high-calorie ingredients as possible in this smoothie: natural nut butters, seeds, coconut oil, oats, powdered milk, frozen fruit, Greek yogurt and/or cottage cheese. If this is difficult to achieve with your daily regimen, just drink a gainer.
How to Gain Weight: The Fast Version
Here is one simple formula to build muscle in a short time.
- Keep track of calories and food intake, remember how you eat now.
- You need to eat healthy food, and a lot of it.
- Supplement your diet with protein shakes, rich in vitamins, calories and proteins, if you can’t eat that much.
- Perform strength exercises 3-4 times a week.
- Get plenty of sleep - at least 6 hours, and ideally 8 hours, if you wish, you can add a quiet hour.
Do the exercises and be patient, changing your plan as needed. If you do not grow by half a kilo in two weeks, then increase the caloric content of your diet. If you gain a pound in a week, then continue doing what you were doing. But if you gain more than that, then you should slow down a little.
But don't try to increase weight forever.
This approach can only be done for 6-8 weeks before slowing down or stopping altogether, says Kalman. - If you do this for several months, you will begin to gain fat, not muscle.
4) Skip isolation exercises for muscle mass
As you know, all exercises are divided into:
- multi-joint (this includes exercises with a barbell, dumbbells, and body weight)
- isolating (work on simulators and various blocks).
The first differ from the second in that the first are basic, essential for gaining muscle mass, and the second are already grinding, turning beautiful details from the total mass. Many people don’t understand this, they come to the gym and start working on their triceps from the first day. Do not do that! Before making roses on the cake, you need to bake it. Shape your body first, then get to the details!
Basic exercises increase muscle mass. Our body adapts perfectly to any conditions; to start growth processes it must be loaded to the maximum. You need to strain several muscles (from two), the load should be super-heavy (we achieve supercompensation). Basic multi-joint exercises aim to engage as many muscles and more than one joint as possible. An indicator of an athlete's progress is the total weight that he is able to lift.
Benefits of basic exercises:
- comprehensive training of a very large muscle mass;
- basic training burns more calories;
- the concentration of hormones increases - anabolic (testosterone) and corticosteroid (growth hormones);
- nutrient consumption increases;
- after training, the concentration of pleasure hormones increases;
- metabolism accelerates;
- Potency increases.
Don't do those isolation exercises you love so much. I hate to crush my dreams, but 10 sets of triceps curls won't give you huge arms. Instead of triceps and biceps exercises, choose presses. Set yourself a goal of serious weights and give up the rest of the crap.
And remember: building the body does not happen in the gym, it happens with us at home, at the table and in bed. Your main task is to create stress and then put the right foods into your body. Then the result will not be long in coming!
Hurry up to the gym and practice!
Secrets to gaining muscle mass quickly
The rules for gaining muscle mass are quite simple:
- Competent training
- Balanced diet
- High-quality restoration
Let's look at the basic training conditions that promote muscle gain:
- Recommended training frequency – 3 times a week
Exercising 4-6 times a week will only benefit advanced athletes.
Many people make a serious mistake when they switch to more frequent training in the hope that muscles will begin to grow faster.
Remember: muscles grow between workouts!
If you exercise too often, your body will not have time to recover. And this can lead to a slowdown or complete stop of growth.
- The duration of the workout should be relatively short. Ideally 45-60, maximum 90 minutes
It is believed that during the first 40-50 minutes of weight training, the level of testosterone (the main hormone responsible for muscle growth) in the body increases, then stabilizes and gradually begins to decrease.
In parallel with testosterone, stress hormones are produced as the body’s response to the training load - cortisol, adrenaline and norepinephrine.
The release of these hormones into the circulatory system increases with increasing duration of training. That is, the longer you are in the gym, the greater the production of these hormones.
Why is this dangerous? One of the functions of these hormones is the breakdown of muscle tissue. So draw your own conclusions.
- Gaining mass is closely related to performing basic exercises
70% of your workouts should consist of basic exercises with free weights (barbells, dumbbells) and your own body weight.
The secret of the high effectiveness of basic exercises is that they hold the record for stimulating testosterone production.
You can add machines and blocks to your training process, but the “base” should prevail.
- The optimal number of exercises is 4-8 per workout
The higher the level of training, the less exercises are used.
- Number of working approaches - 2-3 in one exercise
- Basic rep range: 6-12 reps
- The weight of the weights used is 70-85% of one repetition maximum
Depending on the training methodology used, these load indicators may vary. But basically, all programs that are designed to build muscle fit into this format.
Don't waste your time and energy reinventing the wheel. Just put these tips into practice on a regular basis.
5) Pump up your cardio
You've probably heard that "hard gainers" (i.e. people who have a hard time gaining muscle mass) are advised to give up cardio altogether. There is a grain of truth in this, but it is not completely true. When done correctly, there is room for cardio in a hardgainer program. Plus, you should never miss the opportunity to exercise your most important muscle—your heart. Big muscles won't stay big for life, and you'll still need a heart.
For these purposes, do low- to moderate-intensity cardio for 20-30 minutes. 2 or 3 cardio sessions per week will improve heart health, increase the rate of delivery of nutrients to the heart and reduce recovery time.
How to gain muscle weight
Frequent meals
Eating frequently is the key to success in gaining quality muscles, eat every 2-3 hours, and do not skip meals. If you forget, set an alarm on your phone, take notes, ideally, as soon as a feeling of hunger appears, it is necessary to satisfy it immediately, otherwise the hormone Cortisol comes into play, which destroys muscle tissue, eliminating hours of hard work in the gym.
Never skip breakfast; muscles require high-quality fuel; without receiving it, they take all the energy from the muscles. If you can’t eat in the morning, well, food doesn’t fit and that’s it, use cocktails, liquid food is digested faster and consumed without problems.
Use after training complexes
Immediately after finishing your workout, you need to refuel with a decent portion of proteins and carbohydrates, this must be done within 30 minutes. After this time, the exhausted body begins to look for energy to restore its condition after training, and since it does not come from outside, it gladly takes it from the muscles.
It’s clear that not everyone can decompose straight into the locker room and knead porridge with cottage cheese, to do this, use post-workout complexes - gainers, proteins, amino acids, prepare a cocktail from them in advance and drink after training, get a lot of protein and carbohydrates, with almost no fat
Keep a food diary
In this case, I don’t just recommend, but I insist, write down absolutely everything you consume during the day, don’t be lazy, you won’t remember everything in your head. When you see all the consumed products before your eyes, you can immediately see where you need to consume more, and where you need to slow down.
Without a food diary, the numbers are all approximate, not clear, and there is a very big temptation to eat something forbidden. If you see that adipose tissue appears, you need to reduce your diet by 200 calories. per day and write everything down for a clear vision.
A clear fixation of nutrition is the best way to increase weight and avoid obesity. Without this, you will never know how many calories you consumed during the day.
No training when hungry
Never, I repeat NEVER, go to training with an empty stomach, this is the same as driving a car on a long road, but only filling 10% of gas and hoping for success.
Understand guys, any workout is stress for the whole body, all organs begin to work harder, increasing energy consumption. If it is not supplied in sufficient quantities before training, all the energy will be taken from the muscles. It turns out that you are lifting not to build muscle, but to reduce it, what’s the point?!
At the same time, taking 2-3 cookies or a bun before training is not good, you need a decent portion of slow carbohydrates 2 hours before the start of training, you can’t work with a spoon, a gainer and protein will always come to the rescue.
Optimal cardin loads
The most common cardio exercise is running, jumping rope, cycling, more complex exercises are exercises on an orbital track and various types of aerobics. Doing too much cardio burns a decent amount of body fat, but it also slows down muscle growth because it burns a lot of calories. Everyone knows that in order for weight to increase, more calories must come in than are expended.
Therefore, with a properly structured diet, do cardio exercises daily for no more than 15 minutes at an average pace . This intensity will prevent fat deposits from accumulating and will not interfere with the growth of muscle fibers; in addition, metabolism will speed up slightly, appetite will improve and recovery processes in muscle tissue will occur faster.
Eat high-calorie foods
However, calorie content varies, you can eat a decent piece of cake and get a crazy number of calories, fast carbohydrates and a large proportion of fat, or eat buckwheat porridge with chicken fillet, you will also get a lot of calories, but mainly due to carbohydrates and proteins with a minimum fat content. The appearance of your figure directly depends on what type of high-calorie foods you choose.
Choose those foods that provide as many calories as possible with a minimum volume; find out the mandatory list of foods for weight gain here.
Try to avoid foods that swell when they enter the stomach, causing a false sense of fullness - popcorn, chips, low-calorie soups, large amounts of bread due to the swelling effect of yeast.
Double the portion
This conclusion suggests itself if you had 100g for breakfast. buckwheat porridge, eat 200g, at lunch we ate 70g. chicken fillet, now you will have 150g, if you are tired of working with your jaws, prepare cocktails.
The easiest way to make a carbohydrate-protein cocktail is 250 ml. milk, 100g. cottage cheese, 1 banana, 2 tbsp. spoon of oatmeal and 1 tbsp. A spoonful of honey will provide important calories throughout the day.
Prepare portions in advance in the evening or in the morning, this will eliminate the possibility of constantly spending time in the kitchen in terms of preparing food. When the opportunity arises, always try to eat more than you ate before gaining weight.
Always focus on the amount of weight gained; about 3 kg is considered optimal. per month, everything higher will be a mixture of muscle and fat, also do not forget to read about the rules for gaining muscle mass.
Subscribe to groups on social networks (VKontakte, Odnoklassniki, Facebook, Twitter, Yandex Zen), it’s very easy to find us, just write Bomb body in the search for the desired group!
Use large dishes
By increasing the volume of the plate, you push yourself to eat everything to the end, but do not increase it indefinitely; getting up from the table, there should not be a feeling of nausea from too much food. This trick was invented by nutritionists, only there the plates are reduced by 2 times, but here we will do exactly the same, but in reverse. If you can’t handle it, try eating 1 part, and after 20 minutes the second.
I’m interested to know who and which of the 8 proven methods brought the greatest benefit, I look forward to your comments, and I wish you a lot of clean, sculpted meat
