Many people are struggling to gain weight and muscle mass. Most of them have a very fast metabolism and they are just a hard gainer but gaining mass can be achieved by anyone if you have the right training and nutrition plan.
Typically when you want to increase your weight you want to increase your muscle mass instead of just fill up on empty calories that would later on turn to fat and to achieve this you need to follow a training routine known as muscular hypertrophy.
Muscular hypertrophy is a term that means your muscle cells are increasing and growing. By doing that your muscles become stronger and grow in size and it’s all achieved by exercising. The easiest way to achieve hypertrophy through workouts and increase your muscle mass is to lift weights.
Gaining Mass and Increasing Muscle Size Through Weightlifting
When you are weightlifting you have to make sure that your muscles suffer some mechanical damage and metabolic fatigue. This means that the weight you are lifting needs to be heavy enough that engages your muscles in a way that they have to use a significant amount of force to do repetition and resist the weight.
When your muscles suffer mechanical damage to the muscle proteins the body responds to fix the damage. When the damage to the muscle fibers is fixed the muscles grow in size and strength.
Another way to gain muscle mass for the hard gainer is by causing mechanical fatigue to your muscles. When your muscles get fatigued, they have exhausted the compound that allows them to contract and they can’t do the exercise properly anymore. When this happens, it also leads to muscle growth and gaining mass.
To achieve hypertrophy you need to allow your body to rest and recover because that’s a key component that allows your muscles to grow and gain muscle mass. The most ambitious schedule you can set for yourself is to lift weight 3 times per week with a day of rest between each workout. You can also lift every day if you alternate your workouts and engage different muscle groups each day to allow for the one you engaged previously to recover.
What to Eat to Gain Muscle Mass
What you eat is also very important for gaining mass. Especially if you are a hard gainer. Eating enough protein is paramount for reaching your goal because protein is the main component and a building block in our muscles. You also need to consume carbs to have sufficient energy when you work out because they are the primary source of fuel for our bodies. Eating a balanced diet with an accent on your protein intake is best for gaining mass and increasing your muscle mass.
Some foods that will help you gain weight and increase muscle mass are oats, milk, eggs, fish, chicken, turkey, steak, pasta, and rice.
You also want to have a consistent eating schedule and eat at least every 2-3 hours. Providing the right nutrients to your body is essential for gaining mass. This doesn’t mean that you must have full meals every 2-3 hours because that would be too much food for you. You can start with breakfast, have a snack after 2-3 hours, then have lunch followed by another snack and then a rich dinner. You can sneak in a shake between lunch and dinner as well to increase the calorie intake for the day.
Keep Yourself Motivated By Setting Goals
Many fail to stick to their plan because they get demotivated quite fast. Setting goals can help you stay motivated and keep your spirits up. You can set the main goal that you want to get to in the long term but also set short-term goals that you can reach in a week. For example, you can set the main goal that would be to increase 50 lbs in six months and then set short-term goals such as: stick to your diet plan for an entire week, increase the weight each week by small increments, and so on. These short-term goals would help you keep on the right path to achieve the long-term goal.
For the hard gainer, gaining mass in general, especially increasing muscle mass can be a daunting task and it may frustrate many people. The key is always consistency and sticking to your plan to reach the short-term goals that will lead you to achieve your long-term goal. Following the advice above will surely get you to the desired state with the benefit of making your body healthier and better looking.
