The best way to gain both weight and muscle mass is the combination of several different methods. To successfully accomplish these goals, you need to pay close attention to your diet and the work you are performing in the gym. Concentrating on only one of these can limit your progress. To increase the potential for muscle gains, other not-so-necessary methods such as supplements can also be used.
Step 1
Start a resistance training program, which should be full of compound lifts such as squats, bench presses, lunges, dead lifts and rows. Use variations of these lifts to keep things interesting. Squat variations include pause squats, box squats and jump squats. A few bench-press variations include incline bench press, decline bench press and dumbbell bench press. Supplement these compound lifts with isolation movements to target the biceps, triceps, calves, traps and more. Train heavy on squats, bench presses and dead lifts and use medium reps for the rest.
Step 2
Nail down your diet. To gain quality muscle mass, you're going to have to step outside of the gym and into the kitchen. Use the resource provided below to calculate your maintenance calories and add 500 to this number. Pack in protein through lean cuts of beef and pork, fish, chicken and eggs. Take in healthy monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats in the form of mixed nuts, olive oil, natural peanut butter and avocados. Fuel your body with complex carbohydrates such as whole wheat bread, sweet potatoes, brown rice and black beans.
Step 3
Supplement your diet with a few of the many muscle-building products on the market. Creatine, a mixture of amino acids vital to the muscle-building process, can be taken before or after each workout. However, some studies suggest creatine may be linked with kidney and liver damage, so use it wisely if you decide to try it. Whey protein, a supplement loaded with concentrated protein, can be mixed into shakes and taken any time of the day. Other more general products, such as weight-gainers, are great for those who can't get in enough calories throughout the day.
Step 4
Give your body time to recover. Muscle is built while you're resting, so be sure to let that happen. Shoot for eight hours of sleep each night. Wait at least 48 hours between resistance training sessions if you're targeting the same muscles. If you're feeling beat up, take some time off. It's better to take a few extra days of rest than to spend the next few months nursing an injury.
Tips and Warnings
- Not all of your calories have to come from clean and healthy sources. When you're in the mood, have a pizza or loaded burger. Moderation is the key.
- If you don't take the time to learn the proper technique for major lifts such as squats, dead lifts and bench presses, you may end up out of the game with a painful injury.
Things You'll Need
- Gym access
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