Contrary to what most people think, it can be quite hard for certain people to gain weight. To be clear, I’m talking about those people who you catch eating all the time but it never shows on their body. While this may seem like a blessing, it can also be an obstacle for individuals who want to build muscle.
Here are a few reasons why it might be hard for you to gain weight:
1. Fast metabolism
2. Genetics
3. Prolonged chronic illness
4. Extreme physical training
Here are a few tips that you can use to start bulking up in a healthy way:
1. JUST EAT MORE
Now I know it gets very annoying when everyone tells you to eat more but hear me out. You might be underestimating how many calories you need to be eating and your appetite- you’d be surprised about how much more your stomach can take in.
So how much more should you eat?
To start with, you can add an additional 500 calories to your existing maintenance requirements. This will help you gain approximately 0.5g/week. For a quicker weight gain, you’ll have to consume 700-1000 calories additionally.
For example: If your maintenance requirement is 2000 kcals, first start consuming 2500 kcals/ day and then slowly build it up to 3000 kcals/day.
2. Eat smaller meals, more frequently
There’s nothing wrong with having 3 huge meals but for people with a limited appetite it would be better if you ate more no.of meals every 2-3 hours. You can start eating early and span out 6 meals throughout the day. Clean bulking is significantly harder than dirty bulking so it’s important to make sure that each of these meals is calorie dense.
If you’re having a hard time meal prepping, check out our Fitmeals athletic meal plan where we deliver high calorie, protein packed meals right at your doorstep.
3.Lift heavy
This is a no brainer again, if you want to build muscles, you have to lift heavy. Cut down your cardio to 2 times a week and do more compound exercises on the rest of the days. Make sure you gradually increase the weights that you are using and focus on progressive overloads. Some great exercises would be hip thrusts, deadlifts, bench presses, squats etc.
4. Add a supplement
If you aren’t getting enough protein from your diet, make sure you invest in a good protein supplement that will help aid your training and muscle recovery process. A protein shake post heavy lifts can be helpful for your muscles to recover efficiently.
5.Track your progress
It is so important for you to not only check your weight throughout this journey but also to check your inches. Take all the necessary measurements like your arms, thighs, chest, belly as well as note down the no.of reps you’re able to do with each exercise. This will give you a general idea about your bulking and muscle building progress.
Finally, be patient with your progress. Bulking diets and muscle building programs are not really easy and you may get disheartened about barely gaining 2 kgs after a month but that’s just normal- focus on small ladder steps and eventually you’ll get the results that you really want.