In today's society weight is almost a taboo word. There is an obsession in society and in the media with losing weight fast. However, some people do not need to be thinner and actually need to put on a little weight. If they gain muscle mass instead of fat they will not only put on weight, but they will look better for it too. In this article I discuss four guidelines to help you can gain muscle mass:
1) DIET:- Most people who exercise regularly monitor their food intake. They control the quantities they are consuming and avoid certain types of food. To gain muscle mass you need to increase the amount of calories and protein that you are consuming. You may also gain fat in this process (as a result of consuming additional calories) but if you stick to a regular exercise routine you should soon lose this excess fat whilst maintaining the muscle you have gained.
Gaining fat initially is not a bad thing. The excess fat will give you the additional energy and calories required to gain muscle mass. Once you gain the desired amount of muscle you can then change your diet to one that promotes fat burning as opposed to muscle gain till you reach a happy medium. Some athletes have reported that it is easier to lose their excess fat by following a fat loss diet for a short period after they have reached their preferred muscle weight and continuing with their same workout.
2) NUMBER OF MEALS:- If you are trying to gain muscle mass it is recommended that you eat more regularly with 5 or 6 daily meals. By eating more regularly you can saturate your body with amino acids and glycogen (gained from carbohydrates and proteins) and ensure that your body does not enter starvation mode (whereby it would start burning muscle tissues).
3) WEIGHT TRAINING:- Eating the right food is a step in the right direction but without proper training you will not gain muscle mass. In the beginning you should do all your weight training under the supervision of a trained instructor. They will be able to make sure you are doing the exercises in the right way, thereby avoiding injury. They will also be able to show you the best exercises for building muscle. For example, squats and presses are good ways to gain muscle mass.
4) OVER TRAINING:- Over training is a major factor behind bodybuilders failing to gain muscle mass. You need to give your body time to rest and repair so that your muscles can grow. To avoid over training try not to train for more than 2 hours in each session, make sure that you do not train for more than 2 days in succession and take a week's break for every 6-8 weeks of training.
Gaining muscle mass is a great but often overlooked way to improve your health and overall appearance. Building muscle can be difficult when you are a beginner because you are unsure what exercises to do, what foods to eat and what supplements to take. However, with the right information it gets a lot easier. I hope this article has given you a few pointers and helps you in your quest to gain muscle mass.
