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Some Tips on How to Gain Weight and Muscle - Start Packing On Mass Now

By David Kamau

Republish: EasyPublish™ Published: 27Nov2010 Word count: 608 Viewed: 352 time(s) Get Free Content For Your Site

While many people try to overcome problems and issues with obesity, there are many that have difficulty gaining lean muscle mass. In short, they are at a complete loss as to how to gain weight and muscle. In a way, this can be more difficult than losing excess body fat since a person with a very fast metabolism might discover weight gain to be an elusive creature. Thankfully, we have several decades worth of successful results to look at to arrive at an answer.

First and foremost, do not employ the use of commercial weight gain shakes as a first resort. The way these products work is that they provide the body with an enormous amount of calories. A single shake may contain 2,000 calories and these shakes are intended for very hard gainers. Remember, any calories you do not burn will turn to fat. These weight gain shakes are for those individuals with very fast metabolisms and should never be used flippantly or else they will yield undesired results.

And if you must use weight gain products, select one from a reputable manufacturer. Use this as a supplement to your food, not substitute.

If there was one acceptable starting point for the answer of how to gain weight and muscle, it would be to launch a mass building exercise program. If you are performing high reps with low weights, you will not gain weight since this is a weight loss/toning strategy. If you are doing weight lifting exercises at reps of 50, you might gain slight mass but your workout will mainly be one that promotes muscular endurance.

Specifically, you will want to perform mid-level reps (6 - 8) of weights that are roughly 75% of your maximum lift. Also, you will want to train these exercises to failure. That means you will lift until you cannot lift anymore. Again, you should fail at the 6th or 8th rep. If you fail early, your weight is too heavy and this would be a strength workout as opposed to a mass building one. If you fail at 10 or higher, the weight is too light and you are working a definition/weight loss exercise concept. Stick with the 75% capacity for 6 - 8 reps and shoot for 4 - 5 sets. This will greatly aid in building mass.

Does it matter whether you perform compound exercises or isolation ones? Well, it certainly does not hurt to do both but the compound exercises will build mass significantly. The greatest mass builder of all is the squat because it helps the body increase its natural growth hormones. The next two major mass builders would be all the variations of bench presses and shoulder presses. These exercises hit all the muscle points of the upper body and greatly help enhance mass.

Isolation exercises are also good mass builders even though they do not incorporate as many muscles as compound exercises. Isolation exercises do, however, help fill out the body and create symmetry in a person's overall physique.

Finally, when it comes to how to gain weight and muscle, it is certainly helpful to increase your protein intake. This can be achieved either through eating protein in its natural food state or by taking protein supplements. The main key is to increase protein intake since it helps repair and build muscle. Really, if you are deficient in protein you will never gain weight or muscle.

And one final point: don't try to gain weight through a poor diet with the hopes of burning off the fat. This won't work! You will simply look like someone who lifts weights and overeats. That is hardly the type of physique anyone should shoot for!

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