How to gain weight fast | Scientifically proven

Spring, summer, fall and weight gain season, sounds good right? This is the case for many fitness enthusiasts who take advantage of the colder months to put on muscle mass.

We all love food, so most of us will relish the idea of ​​eating more. If your caloric intake increases without doing heavy cardio, you will gain weight and increase fat tissue, but is gaining weight really that easy?

In this article, we’re going to give you some tips on how to gain weight the right way, which is your goal to maximize muscle mass while reducing fat at the same time. But if you think pizza, chips and ice cream will be on your menu, it won’t be!

In this article you will find:

• How to fuel your weight training workouts
• Climbing workouts
• Upload recovery
• How to sleep to upload

How to fuel your weight training workouts

Imagine you’ve just gotten into your car and are heading off on an exciting road trip. Let’s say this journey takes you to a nice far away place, then you’ll need some fuel to get there. What if you have to cross the whole country? Then you’ll need an entire tank full to the top to be able to complete your trip. If you forgot to fill the tank, then you will have to get out of the car and spend the whole day in a bad mood.

You probably already feel where we are going – your body is the car. Fuel is food and travel is your workout. But how should you eat when you want to gain weight?

What should you eat to gain weight faster?

As we have already said, the fact that you are in a period of weight gain is not an excuse to overeat and eat unhealthy food, doubling your calorie intake. To gain lean muscle mass, you need to eat clean food. We’re talking about high-quality protein, such as chicken breast, fish, eggs or yogurt (can be plant-based). These are rich sources of essential amino acids that the body needs to build muscle mass. 1

The amino acid considered the most important element for building muscles is leucine . It is a branched-chain amino acid and is the best stimulator of the metabolic process that leads to the production of new muscle protein. Think of leucine as the key that unlocks the process. It is recommended to take 50 milligrams of leucine per kilogram of body weight. This amount can be obtained through food (with the intake of chicken, tuna and tofu) or through the intake of a food supplement ( whey protein has the highest content of leucine).

You also need a good amount of carbohydrates to be able to recover properly after a workout. Carbohydrates are mainly stored in the body in the form of muscle glycogen and are the main source of fuel during training. After a workout, muscle glycogen stores need to be replenished so they can be ready for the next workout. Carbohydrate intake is a good way to do this. Useful sources of carbohydrates are:

• Whole wheat pasta (macaroni)
• Rice
• Potatoes and sweet potatoes
• Whole grain bread
• Oat flakes
• Fruits

Fat is the most energy-dense macronutrient. They contain 9 calories per gram, which is more than double the amount of protein and carbohydrates. Therefore, increasing your fat intake is an easy way to increase your caloric intake and be in a caloric surplus. BUT it also means you can easily go over the calorie limit by eating too much fat. So you have to be careful with your portions. Choose healthy fats (mono and polyunsaturated fats) such as:

• Nuts and nut oils
• Seeds
• Avocado
• Olea
• Dairy products

Also, you should not discount micronutrients, which are vitamins and minerals, because they are essential to overall health. Therefore, you should eat a variety of fruits and vegetables.

When should we eat to gain muscle mass?

In order to gain lean muscle mass, you must be in a state of positive nitrogen balance. This is the condition where the building of muscles is more intensified than the process of breakdown. To make this happen, try eating more protein (about 20 grams) every 3-4 hours. The key moments for this are breakfast, immediately after training and before bed.5 This can be done by eating three meals and several snacks or a shake between each meal.

As we said, carbohydrates are the main source of energy that the body uses for daily activities as well as exercise, so ideally you should consume carbohydrates throughout the day. Since they play a key role in exercise recovery by replenishing muscle glycogen stores, it’s important to get some carbs after your workout.4 This can be as simple as drinking a glass of milk, or even better, mixing it up with some protein powder and you’ll score two nutritional goals in one.

However, be judicious about your carbohydrate intake and judge the amount you take in based on how much exercise you’ve been doing. If you’re on a rest day, then you won’t need as many carbs (or total calories) compared to days where you do heavier training. Keep your carbohydrate intake to about 3 grams per kilogram of body weight on rest days or light training (for example, this equates to about 240 grams if you weigh 80 kg). Increase the amount until you reach the necessary healthy threshold according to your training regime. 6

Track your progress to see in action how your body changes as a result of the food you eat, but also remember that gaining muscle is not a race.

Nutritional supplements that will help you gain muscle mass quickly

Supplements are not essential for gaining muscle mass, but they can help make the process easier. They’re practical for busier days and will easily meet your nutrient needs. They can also be taken quickly and easily if you don’t have the time or desire to cook. When it comes to muscle, here are some supplements you can try:

• Protein powder – whey, casein, soy, pea and others.
• Protein bars
• Peanut butter
• Creatine
• Leucine
• Supplements for gaining muscle mass (carbohydrate and protein blends)
• Caffeine – for more energy before training

Match your training to your goal

Now that the diet is out of the way, what’s left for training? It is good to vary your training so that the body cannot get used to and adapt to the exercises if they are too monotonous. When you give your muscles a new stimulus by changing the types of exercise you do, their intensity or duration. This will make you adapt, grow and change for the better.

Have you ever done weight training and forgotten about it and the next day you’re all sore? Then you’ve probably noticed that the next time you train that muscle group, you won’t have as much muscle soreness. This is due to the adaptation to training that the body achieves and is important during a period of weight gain.

Having said all that, here are some types of exercises that will help you pack on the pounds and start building lean muscle. You can combine the different types:

• Multi-component exercises (squats, deadlifts, deadlifts)
• Power exercises
• Calisthenics (pull-ups, push-ups, etc.)
• High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT)
• Full body workouts
• Monotonous cardio

Yes, you read that right. Cardio is important for maintaining cardiovascular health and overall body tone. Therefore, even when you gain weight, you should do several workouts a week. But don’t overdo it, cardio can burn a lot of calories, so you need to eat well.   Correct recovery

You may be thinking “the more I train, the more results I will get”, but this is a very big mistake. In fact, not recovering properly from workouts or overtraining can hinder the process of building muscle mass.

When you perform strength training, muscle fibers are injured because they are stretched and torn. During recovery, muscles regain their shape and build. In this way, they grow and become stronger. This makes recovery from training a key component in successful muscle building.7

Most of us associate the process of building muscle mass with lifting heavier and heavier weights or performing more repetitions. In general, what we envision are harder workouts that will make our muscles grow. Incorrect recovery can prevent you from achieving this.

One study involved men following a strength training regimen. None of the participants could complete a ten repetition maximum (with maximum weight) for eight different exercises, after only 24 hours of recovery. Even after 4 days of recovery, only 80% of participants were able to complete the task. 8

Give yourself a few days rest before starting to train the same muscle group again so that you can get all the benefits of the training session. You are also putting yourself at a greater risk of injury and contusion, so take your time.

Of course, don’t forget proper nutrition. You need carbohydrates to fuel your muscles up to 30 minutes after your workout. Regarding protein, you’ll have a larger chunk of time post-workout to consume it. Up to 2 hours after training is the best time window for protein intake that will optimize muscle mass growth. 9  Sleep is important!

It is important to get enough quality sleep to maintain your overall health. Poor sleep and persistent lack of sleep can have a negative effect on the body’s psychological and cognitive functions. It can also reduce the effectiveness of gaining weight. 10

During slow wave sleep (NREM), when you are asleep but not dreaming, the body releases growth hormone. As its name suggests, this hormone is involved in the growth, construction and repair of tissues. Also, the body releases anabolic hormones during NREM sleep that prevent the breakdown of muscle protein and help you retain the muscle mass you’ve already built. 11

When gaining muscle mass you need to get enough growth hormone and anabolic (muscle building) hormones. This can be achieved by getting enough quality slow-wave sleep – at least 7 hours a night is enough.

Conclusion

Gaining muscle mass is a more complicated process than eating things you like. To do it right and get the best possible results, you need to perform the basic techniques correctly. Follow these easy steps, take your time, and see where your journey can take you to reach your goal, which is more than just gaining muscle mass.