5 Tips to Gaining Good Weight and Muscle for Men
1.
Rest! When you lift weights, your muscle fibers are being torn and broken down.
The body builds muscle when you are asleep: resting! This is why it is so important to get a full eight hours of sleep every night.
Besides, if you don't rest your body, do you really think it is going to be ready for the next workout? Lack of sleep will not only prevent muscle gain, it will negatively impact your performance and cause fatigue.
2.
Eat Frequent, Lean Proteins and Whole Carbohydrates It takes about 3,000 calories to construct one pound of muscle tissue.
It is also common sense that the more you eat, the more weight you will gain.
However, the fuels you put in your body determine whether you will gain muscle mass or fat.
Try to stick to lean proteins such as chicken breast, turkey, or egg whites.
A good rule of thumb is to take in about 1 gram of protein for each pound of your current weight.
As for carbohydrates, try to stick to whole grains, which slow the release of insulin.
This makes it less likely that your meal will be converted into fat.
3.
Use Free Weights We've all seen the expensive machines on television.
Do they work? Maybe over time, but not as efficiently as free weights.
Dumbbells force your body to not only lift the weight up, but to balance it in three different planes simultaneously.
You work far more muscle groups when opposing muscles are forced to counteract each other.
An exercise machine simply guides your lift along a track, eliminating the need to balance the weight.
Worse yet, that track may not be the natural movement path that your body would otherwise take.
Unnatural movement can also result in injuries, so try to stick to free weights.
4.
Do Fewer Reps and Add More Weight Muscle grows most efficiently when you lower the amount of reps and use a weight that is challenging to lift at that number of reps.
The optimum number of reps is five to seven.
If you can do more than seven reps, you should consider adding more weight to each set until it becomes a challenge.
For short, intense movements like those required in weight lifting, the muscle uses "fast twitch" muscle fibers.
Coincidentally (or not), fast twitch muscle fibers are also responsible for muscle build-up and strength.
When you do short, quick reps, you work those fast twitch fibers and will see gains much quicker.
5.
Limit Cardio Activity Your only cardio activity should be a brief (five minutes) warm-up before your workout session.
The reason for this is that your body needs calories to build muscle.
If you use those calories to go for a long run, they are not going to be there when you need them for bulk.
However, if you find yourself gaining muscle and fat, consider doing 20-30 minutes of cardio three times per week.
If you do this, it is crucial that you increase your caloric intake by the amount burned during cardio.
Rest! When you lift weights, your muscle fibers are being torn and broken down.
The body builds muscle when you are asleep: resting! This is why it is so important to get a full eight hours of sleep every night.
Besides, if you don't rest your body, do you really think it is going to be ready for the next workout? Lack of sleep will not only prevent muscle gain, it will negatively impact your performance and cause fatigue.
2.
Eat Frequent, Lean Proteins and Whole Carbohydrates It takes about 3,000 calories to construct one pound of muscle tissue.
It is also common sense that the more you eat, the more weight you will gain.
However, the fuels you put in your body determine whether you will gain muscle mass or fat.
Try to stick to lean proteins such as chicken breast, turkey, or egg whites.
A good rule of thumb is to take in about 1 gram of protein for each pound of your current weight.
As for carbohydrates, try to stick to whole grains, which slow the release of insulin.
This makes it less likely that your meal will be converted into fat.
3.
Use Free Weights We've all seen the expensive machines on television.
Do they work? Maybe over time, but not as efficiently as free weights.
Dumbbells force your body to not only lift the weight up, but to balance it in three different planes simultaneously.
You work far more muscle groups when opposing muscles are forced to counteract each other.
An exercise machine simply guides your lift along a track, eliminating the need to balance the weight.
Worse yet, that track may not be the natural movement path that your body would otherwise take.
Unnatural movement can also result in injuries, so try to stick to free weights.
4.
Do Fewer Reps and Add More Weight Muscle grows most efficiently when you lower the amount of reps and use a weight that is challenging to lift at that number of reps.
The optimum number of reps is five to seven.
If you can do more than seven reps, you should consider adding more weight to each set until it becomes a challenge.
For short, intense movements like those required in weight lifting, the muscle uses "fast twitch" muscle fibers.
Coincidentally (or not), fast twitch muscle fibers are also responsible for muscle build-up and strength.
When you do short, quick reps, you work those fast twitch fibers and will see gains much quicker.
5.
Limit Cardio Activity Your only cardio activity should be a brief (five minutes) warm-up before your workout session.
The reason for this is that your body needs calories to build muscle.
If you use those calories to go for a long run, they are not going to be there when you need them for bulk.
However, if you find yourself gaining muscle and fat, consider doing 20-30 minutes of cardio three times per week.
If you do this, it is crucial that you increase your caloric intake by the amount burned during cardio.
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