Any time you want to make quick changes to your body, you have to display confidence and discipline. Adding more weight and muscle will not only boost your self confidence, but it can also positively impact your sport performance where contact is involved. The approach includes both dietary adjustments and exercise.
Adding Calories
When you are trying to lose weight, you need to reduce your calories. Weight gain is the complete opposite. By adding 250 to 500 calories to your daily intake, you can gain about 1/2 to 1 lb. a week. Opt for foods that are calorie dense, but still healthy, such as whole grains, beans, root vegetables, fresh and dried fruit, lean meats, low-fat dairy, nuts, seeds and fish. These foods are also good sources of protein, carbs and fat, which are pivotal for building muscle.
Multiple Meals
Trying to fit extra calories into a diet can be tough when you only eat two or three times a day. Eat five or six times a day instead and have your first meal as soon as you wake up. Be sure to add a serving of quality protein to every meal because it is important for muscle preservation. A bison burger on a whole wheat bun with lettuce and tomato is a meal, for example.
High-Calorie Beverages
Fruit-based drinks, soy milk and low-fat milk make good additions to a weight gaining plan. These can keep your calories up in between meals. A 12 oz. glass of orange juice, for example, contains nearly 170 calories. Be aware of the time you drink these beverages. Drinking beverages close to your meals might cause you to become too full to eat as much as you would. Refrain from drinking about 30 minutes prior to your meals to prevent this.
Weight Training Exercises
When you lift weights, you have the option of doing isolation or compound exercises. For fast gains in strength and muscle, base your workouts around compound exercises. These involve more than one joint and muscle working at the same time. This in turn sparks a high amount of muscle fiber recruitment. Perform exercises such as bench presses, overhead shoulder presses, bent-over rows, dips, squats and deadlifts.
Heavy Resistance
The amount of weight you push and pull will determine how fast you make progress with workouts. Aim for a resistance that you can only lift 8 to 12 times with good form. To ensure you make your reps, work out with a training partner. To keep making progress, add 5 to 10 percent to your maximum weight each week. For example, if you bench-press 100 lbs. this week, aim for 105 to 110 lbs. next week.
Sleep
Lifting weights is important for building muscle, but you also need to get adequate rest. Take at least one day off between your workouts and make sure to go to bed at a decent hour. While you are asleep, your body releases key hormones necessary for muscle building. If you are sleep-deprived, you will also feel sluggish during your workouts and not perform to your full potential. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or CDC, recommends that adults get 7 to 9 hours of slight nightly.
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