How to Gain Weight & Muscle Bulk

Compound movements, such as bench presses, are better for muscle bulk than isolation movements.

Gaining weight and bulking up your muscles go hand-in-hand. Not only does muscle weigh more than fat, but your muscles need extra calories to grow. However, there's more to bulking up your muscles efficiently than eating more and lifting weights. Some exercises and foods are better for your muscle growth than others.

Instructions

1. Eat food with plenty of lean protein and complex carbohydrates, such as poultry, fish, red meat with the fat trimmed away, whole-grain breads and pastas, eggs and green leafy vegetables. Avoid excessive sugar and simple carbohydrates such as white bread and rice. However, don't worry too much about avoiding fat except for saturated fats. Healthy fats found in olive and canola oil, nuts, avocados and fatty fish are good for your muscles.

2. Stay hydrated. Your body needs water to build muscles as well as for overall health. You also need to drink more water to replace the moisture you're losing through sweat. Aim for at least a gallon of water a day.

3. Eat six to eight small meals instead of three large meals during the day. This gives your muscles constant nutrition and helps them to grow. Your post-workout meal should be larger and heavier in protein than your other meals to nourish your weary muscles. These small meals should total about 250 to 500 calories more than you usually eat per day.

4. Take supplements to increase your growth. Omega-3 fatty acids, amino acids, creatine and well-balanced multivitamins can stimulate muscle growth, increase strength and energy and nourish your hardworking muscles.

5. Sleep at least seven hours every night. Your muscles actually grow when you're resting, not when you're working out. Furthermore, fatigue can prevent you from lifting heavy weights, hinder muscle repair and decrease levels of muscle-building hormones.

6. Use compound movements when exercising. Compound movement are exercises that use two or more muscle groups, such as squats, bench presses, pull-ups and leg presses. They are more efficient than isolation exercises, which only work one muscle group.

7. Avoid cardiovascular workouts such as running and aerobics. As mentioned, your body needs 250 to 500 extra calories a day in order to build muscle, and cardiovascular activities burn away those calories and prevent muscle formation. Cardiovascular activities also lead to weight loss.

References

• Body Building; 10 Newbie Tips for Bulking; Matt Weik
• Building Muscle Guide: The Key to Building Big Muscles is Getting a Good Night's Rest.
• Trying Fitness; Try Compound Exercises to Build Muscle; Eartha Haines; October 2007.
• Body Building; 6 Supplements You Need for Explosive Growth This Summer; David Robson.