How do i gain weight? By JP Clifford

How Do I Gain Weight?By JP Clifford
Try asking people how to gain weight and you'll likely see somebewildered faces staring back at you. For the majority ofpeople, hearing that question is akin to hearing the questions,"How do I stub my toe?" or "How do I run out of gas?"
Those confused faces not withstanding, the question is alegitimate one and one that frustrates those who findthemselves on the light end of the scale. While those on theheavy end can't get through a commercial break or flip throughmore than five pages of a magazine without someone offering upa solution to their weight problems, it can be a lonelystruggle for those who want to put on weight.
If you are lucky enough to get a reasoned response to yourquestion, it will probably involve the words "eat more." That,despite being obvious, is great advice. Quite simply, to gainweight you will need to up your calorie consumption to thepoint where you consume more calories than you expend. Couplean increased caloric intake with a little weight training andyou have the recipe for healthy weight gain.
You may think you eat a lot, even enough to keep pace with yourmore weight-furnished friends, but you are probablyover-estimating your intake. After a trip to the doctor'soffice to rule out medical causes for your inability to bulkup(thyroid disease and other medical problems can hamper weightgain), a first step to designing an effective weight gainprogram is to journal your eating habits. Counting caloriesfor a week will give you an accurate view of your diet.
From there, increase your daily caloric intake by about 300-500calories until you start putting on the pounds. Keep in mindthough, while your caloric intake will directly influence yourbodyweight, it will be other factors like the types of food youeat and your weight training regimen that decide the type ofweight you are putting on. So if you are after anaesthetically pleasing weight gain, that of lean muscle weightas opposed to just some extra body fat to lug around, it willbe important to pay attention to these factors.
To get the most muscle out of your weight gain, avoid the junkfood and focus on eating whole foods. A good weight gain dietshould be composed of 30-50% protein, 20-50% carbohydrates and20-40% fat (the majority of which should be essential fattyacids). Different ratios within these ranges will workdifferently for different people. Keep up your food journaland experiment to find the ratios that work best for you.
Providing your body with the materials it needs to build muscleis only one piece of the puzzle. A weight training programdesigned to give the body a reason to add some muscle will bevery important to achieving your goals. Your workout routinesshould concentrate on compound weight lifting exercises (thosethat involve multiple muscle groups like the squat or benchpress) with weights that allow you to do 6 to 12 reps per set. Higher rep ranges will tone your muscles but may notsufficiently signal the body into muscle growth. Try to eitherincrease the amount of weight lifted or the reps completed witheach workout.
Don't go overboard with your workouts. Two or three one-hourworkouts per week done with intensity should do the trick. Toooften those that have trouble gaining weight (hardgainers) spendtoo much time in the gym. This can be counterproductive in twoways. First, it means you are burning off a lot of thecalories that could otherwise be used to build muscle and,second, you can over-train your muscles by working them toohard, basically making them unresponsive.
If you are looking for some company in your quest to gainweight, venture into the bodybuilding community. There youwill find many people also seeking ways to put on lean musclemass. You will also find many products marketed to help yougain weight. Be very cautious when looking at these products. Gaining weight may not be as in demand as losing weight but itis still big business and there are a lot of companies outthere looking to take your money. While some of these productscan help, others aren't necessary.
With a little motivation, a weight gain diet and a solid weighttraining program in place you will have all you need to achieveyour gain weight goals. Better yet, you will never again haveto ask that question that gets all those funny looks aimed backat you.
About the Author: JP Clifford is an avid natural bodybuilderand creator of The Build Muscle and Gain Weight Fast Guide, afree online resource for those looking to gain muscle mass.Visit the site at http://www.gain-weight-muscle-fast.com formore tips and advice on bulking up.
Source: http://www.isnare.com