Toning up and gaining weight are best accomplished through a structured weight training regimen and a proper diet. According to the American College of Sports Medicine, when lifting weights for strength gains, you should lift a weight that is heavy enough that you are unable to perform more than five to eight repetitions. This type of weight lifting will increase your strength by adding muscle mass. Following a proper weight lifting routine and making the right food choices will allow you to gain weight and tone up your body.
Step 1
Lift weights regularly. According to the American Council on Exercise, you should work each muscle group two times per week, with a day of rest in between each session.
Step 2
Push heavy weight. The principle of overload is defined by Thinkquest as the application of any demand or resistance that is greater than those levels normally encountered in daily life. The application of these challenges to the muscle, which are greater than what it normally encounters, will push your body to adapt by adding more muscle.
Step 3
Ask a friend to spot you. To effectively push yourself to your true maximum on each and every workout, you need to have someone spot you. Keep in mind that this is not just to protect you from injury, but also to give you the confidence to push yourself to failure, which is paramount to increasing muscle mass.
Step 4
Add a superset to your workout routine. A superset is done by immediately following the heavy lift with a similar exercise for the same muscle group, using a lighter weight, until failure. An example would be lifting heavy on a bench press for five to eight repetitions, then immediately dropping to the ground and doing push-ups to failure. Supersets will completely exhaust the muscles and tone them up as well.
Step 5
Eat foods high in protein. Data contained on Truly Huge indicates that the American Dietetic Association recommends 0.8 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight. Some research shows greater benefits for weight training by ingesting 1 to 1.5 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight. Divide your weight in pounds by 2.2 to convert it to kilograms. After overloading your muscles, your body uses protein to rebuild and add additional muscle mass.
Step 6
Participate in cardiovascular exercise on days when you are not lifting weights. Keep the intensity at a level that feels moderate. Extended cardiovascular exercise at moderate levels will allow your body to use fat as the main fuel for the activity. Removing fat from your body will give you more definition and tone up your body quickly.
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