How to Gain Weight and Muscle



If you want to gain weight and muscle, that is, lean muscle mass, you will have to engage a two-pronged approach of eating right, and often, and exercising right, and left. This means eating lots of calories, protein and nutrients and weight-training at least four times a week. Try to maintain realistic expectations throughout the process. Take care of your body, rather than the body you wish you had.



Steps

Exercise Right
1.
Weight train four to six times a week.



2.
Focus on exercises that engage lots of muscles at once, rather than specific muscle groups. This can include squats, deadlifts, presses, rows and pull-ups.


Aim to work out your entire body each session. You can also alternate sessions that focus on your upper body or lower body.
3..
Do less with more. Push yourself to lift heavier weights with less reps.


Stay between 8 to 10 and 12 to 20 reps per muscle group. Staying closer to 12 reps of the heavies is preferable. Your sets should last between 40 and 70 seconds.
Your work-outs do not have to last longer than 45 minutes altogether.
4.
Stretch before you lift. Your body builds muscle by tearing apart and then knitting together hearty tissues within your body. Stretching helps will aid your body's recovery between work-outs and help you avoid injury.


5.
Change it up. Every few weeks, try your exercises with a different grip or slightly modulated position. This will engage different muscle groups you may have neglected. Consider keeping a weight journal to track your routines and your progress.


6.
Cut back on the cardio. Cardiovascular exercises are great for increasing stamina and cutting fat, but, unless executed right, not so great for putting on lean muscle mass.


Try to run, walk, or bicycle for no more than 1 hour a week.
Interval training will increase muscle mass while shedding fat. Sprint for 1 minute, and slow down to a comfortable pace for several minutes. Sprint for another minute, and then slow down again. Continue for 30 minutes, 3 times a week.

Eat Right
1.
Try to eat 5 to 6 small meals a day. Getting plenty of protein, carbohydrates and nutrients into your body is essential, giving your body material to build muscle and your metabolism the boost it needs to burn off fat.


2.
Stay healthy. Focus on foods packed with vitamins, minerals, nutrients and calories. These can include turkey sandwiches on whole grain bread with mayonnaise and tomato, protein shakes and fruit smoothies.


Supplement your meals with yogurt, fruit, nuts and healthy fats.
Increase the amount of protein you eat everyday. Some protein rich foods include lean chicken and fish, beans and nuts.
Foods high in carbohydrates and unhealthy fats, such as cake or potato chips, will help you gain weight, but they won't increase your lean muscle mass.
3.
Eat protein-filled snacks before or after a work out, such as protein bars or shakes, yogurts, or fish.


4.
Aim for up to 500 extra calories per day to start, and reduce the number if you gain weight too quickly or find you are gaining fat instead of muscle.


5.
Whet your appetite by drinking fluids, taking walks, and spicing up your meals. If you are having trouble eating enough, drinking fluids between meals, taking walks while you eat and adding different spices to your foods may help.



Live Well
1.
Get plenty of sleep. The body needs recovery time for muscles to grow. Aim for at least 7 hours of sleep every night.


2.
Don't stress. Stress causes the body to release cortisol, a hormone resulting in fat build-up and muscle loss. Do what you can to avoid excess nervousness or tension.



Some Foods to Target
Protein shakes
Fruits, vegetables and plant fats (nuts, peanuts, seeds, peanut butter, almond butter, avocados, hummus, and oils)
Dairy (if you are not high cholesterol)
Potatoes
Foods stir-fried in healthy oil
Cheese pizza and sub sandwiches made with lean meat can be great in a pinch.


Some Exercises to Target
Squats
Pull-ups
Deadlifts
Presses (bench and overhead)
Rows
Snatches



Tips
Consider keeping a journal to track your routines and your progress.
Stock up on protein shakes, energy bars and enhancement foods such as yogurt, nuts and fruits. Eat these between meals and after work-outs.



Warnings
Do not start right off with the super heavies. Build up to them.
Do not over exert yourself. Stress leads to cortisol, and cortisol leads to fat and less muscle. Take a day off after particularly strenuous work-outs, and make sure you get at least 7 hours of sleep each night.
Don't play around with weights, as you may seriously injure yourself. Use exercise equipment carefully as instructed.
If you find yourself gaining fat as opposed to muscle, modulate your diet. Cut out the junk food, excess sugars and saturated fat.