Gain Weight: Muscle Training
Gain Weight: Muscle Training
The key to weight gain is a balanced diet and exercise. But many times, especially for women, just working out isn’t enough. In a traditional sense, our bodies fall into one of three categories: endomorphic, mesomorphic, and ectomorphic. Women tend to have a compilation of all these categories with variations reaching into the 300 count. If you have a body that is naturally thin it might take you a bit of work if you want to add some curves and bulk. And the first thing that you should be focusing on if you want to gain weight in the form of curves is the way you’re working out. The best types of exercises for weight gain are muscle strengthening exercises instead of fat burning workouts, which focus on cardio. A cardio workout usually lasts for about an hour, three times a week. This means that you are burning more calories than you are consuming on an average day. Cut back on your cardio workout, unless you are training for a marathon. You’ll still be able to maintain your present fitness level even if you do less, or shorter, cardio workouts.
If you want to gain weight not only do you need to cut back on your cardio workout you also need to focus on the strength training aspects of your workout. If you’re already lifting light weights try to go a bit heavier so that you stimulate your muscles and add more bulk. If you’re not lifting weights at all this is the right time to start. You don’t need to start on an intense training program using weights. All you need to do is let your body experience a bit of stress during the workout so that your muscles grow and you gain weight and mass. Your goal isn’t to turn into an avid weight lifter but rather to add some curves and definition to your body. Some great exercises for muscle training include lunges, bicep curls, squats, push-ups, and the bench press. Start out with about 6 to 10 repetitions of each exercise.
During the first 12 weeks of any strength training program you probably won’t notice any significant changes in your muscles. Your strength will be increasing as your muscles learn how to contract in a more efficient way. After the three months, if you’ve been consistent in your strength training workouts, you should notice that you are gaining weight and that your body is acquiring more shape and definition. Women who are thinner will notice that they look more “defined” than women who have an average sized body. This happens because thinner woman have less body fat to soften any cures that are developing from the strength training. If you find that you are looking too defined you might want to increase your body fat by just a few percentages.