It can feel a little strange to wish you were a few pounds heavier when everyone around you seems to be trying to shed extra pounds. Try saying it out loud; the phrase “I’m trying to gain weight” will gather many wistful responses of “I wish I had that problem.” What those people don’t know is that as someone who’s looking to bulk up safely, your struggle will be just as difficult as the person who’s trying to lose weight.
Whether you have a high metabolism or a naturally slender frame, it’s possible to gain weight and even have fun doing it. So tell your friends to get all their skinny jokes out of their systems because once you learn how to gain weight, you’ll be on your way to becoming a bona fide beefcake.
Food
In terms of healthy eating and regular exercise, the process of knowing how to gain weight draws some similarities to the process of losing weight. When you’re looking to gain weight in a healthy way, you need to consume more calories, but that doesn’t mean you should hustle over to the vending machine and pick up a dozen bags of junk food. You don’t want a beer belly to cover those ribs -- you want muscle. You want to go for foods that will help you build lean mass and give your body the nutrients it needs as you build that muscle. Eat more but eat well, incorporating healthy foods such as whole grains, fruits and vegetables, dairy products, and lean proteins like chicken, fish or beans.Considering it takes about 3,500 extra calories to gain a pound, with all that low-fat healthy food around, you may be wondering when the “gaining” will come into play. Don’t the items above sound like the food choices of someone trying to lose weight? Part of the answer lies in portion size. Unlike someone trying to shed pounds, you can allow yourself an extra helping of pasta at dinner. You don’t have to feel guilty about adding another tablespoon of olive oil to your chicken stir-fry. You can also eat more cheese, potatoes and nuts. Each day, eat three meals along with a couple of snacks.
Exercise
Another key component in knowing how to gain weight is exercise. You want the extra pounds to arrive in the form of muscle, not flab, so you’ll need to give your exercise regimen a new focus on strength training.Weight lift at least three times a week if you want to gain weight. Form is important; if you’re unsure about any exercises, pay for a few sessions with a personal trainer. Having a spotter is a plus, especially if you’re a beginner. Go hard each workout and lift as much as you can handle; try for enough weight so that you can only do about six to eight repetitions of the exercise.
By Jen Janzen
