Individuals with lean bodies often try to use fast methods or tricks to increase the bulk in muscles and gain weight. But, did you know that exercises can help to gain weight as well? A mixture of the right workout and diet can help to gain healthy and strong mass muscle.
Here are remarkable of the biggest workouts for weight gain. Secure to seek help from a health trainer to do these exercises correctly.
Reasons for not gaining weight
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Before you try to gain weight, you must know why you are not gaining weight or why you do not have a healthy weight. Certain health conditions may be affecting your healthy weight management. Genetics also play an important role in body type and may have a naturally lean body type in some people.
For others, different medical conditions and some medical treatments may lead to weight loss and struggle for weight gaining. These cover the following conditions:
Hyperthyroidism
An overactive thyroid causes an overdose of thyroid hormone in the body. The thyroid hormone is responsible for different components of human metabolism, including metabolic rate regulation.
People with hyperthyroidism have an overactive metabolism and often burn extra calories in a whole day. Without the proper medication, hyperthyroidism can create a problem for weight gaining, even when food consumption is increased.
Type 1 diabetes
Type 1 diabetes is a kind of autoimmune disease in which the body damages the cells of the pancreas that are responsible for insulin production.
Insulin is the hormone important for glucose metabolism. When type 1 diabetes goes unmanaged, it causes high levels of blood glucose, which is then created in the urine. This extra glucose excretion can lead to involuntary weight loss.
Inflammatory bowel disease
Inflammatory bowel disease is also a condition that affects healthy weight. These conditions, like ulcerative colitis, and Crohn’s disease, can cause a negative influence on the ability to manage weight. This health condition also limits your food consumption and causes frequent diarrhea and weight loss.
Eating disorders
While there are different kinds of disordered eating problems, people with an eating problem that reduces food consumption may not be able to gain weight. In its most extreme case, anorexia nervosa leads to extreme weight loss and sometimes the ability for weight gain. Other conditions like bulimia can cause difficulty for a person to get enough calories down to manage weight.
Eat frequent meals
Frequent meal consumption can make you eat more calories in a whole day, especially if you do not like large meals.
Making part of large meals, more frequent meals can make you eat extra calories without having to uncomfortably fill your plate or fill the stomach.
Use weight-gaining strategies
Outside of getting a hidden medical condition, the truth is that it is harder for some people to gain weight than others. If you are having difficulty with weight gaining, there are some lifestyle changes you can make to provide yourself a good chance of raising bodyweight healthily.
Build more muscle
Both weight training and cardio are necessary for overall health, but weight training is important when you try to develop more muscle.
Since muscle weighs extra than fat, weight training can help to increase complete weight without raising your complete body fat.
Medications and treatments
Certain medications and treatments that lead to appetite loss, vomiting, nausea, and diarrhea can make it hard to manage a healthy weight.
For example, medications like treatments and antibiotics like chemotherapy are commonly known to cause gastrointestinal problems.
Commonly, people who need these types of treatments may get weight loss and feel difficulty gaining weight from treatment.
Enjoy high-calorie foods
Meals containing whole grains and healthy fats tend to provide sufficient calories than meals consisting of fewer calories foods, like vegetables and lean protein.
Begin every meal with at least one cup of grains and try to add different fats like nuts, oils, and other condiments. Finally, complete with some lean protein and have some vegetables.
Use more condiments
Condiments, especially those that contain high fats can include some calories in every meal.
For example, mayonnaise light drizzling oil-based sauces can help to add more wrap, sandwich, or salad.
Try shakes and supplements
If you are unable to meet everyday calories goals, protein shakes and supplements can help to add more calories to everyday consumption.
Meal replacement shakes tend to be more in calories and is aimed at managing weight for people who can not eat regular food.
Don’t fill up on water
Most people drink water before having a meal, which prevents overeating, but this trick can backfire if you are trying for weight gain.
It is still necessary to drink water regularly for the whole day, but if you are feeling difficult to eat meals due to fullness, skip drinking more water before you sit down for a meal.
Exercise that Helps You Gain Weight
Squats
Squats is one of the simple exercises for the lower body that help to strengthen and tone the lower body and it is often added in the weight gain exercise. Once you learn the easy squat form, you can proceed to complex variants by including weights.
How to do it:
Stand tall by keeping back straight and feet at hip-width. Look straight with arms stretched in front of you.
Squeeze glutes and ensure to move butt backward, and not only bend knees.
Breathe in, engage the core, and begin flexing knees while pushing butt out.
Sit down using body weight on heels. Go down till your hip joints are lower than knees. Because that is what a complete squat is.
Hold this position for 3-seconds and breath out, manage body weight on heels, and begin getting up and repeat.
Target muscles:
Quadriceps, Hamstrings, Calves, Glutes, Abdominals.
Remember:
Avoid bending knees while getting into the squat position.
It puts more unnecessary stress over the knees and makes a good squat impossible.
Avoid slouching or relaxing while doing squats.
The abdominal muscles should be strong as they strengthen the lower back from the exercise.
Push-Ups
For beginners, push-ups are something you should try. It is one of the most essential workouts for weight gain. It also increases upper body strength. Most importantly, push-ups help to build muscle in the shoulders and arms.
How to do it:
Lie face down over the ground.
Keep hands slightly wider than shoulders.
Gently push the body upward until your arms are completely stretched.
Lower down the body till the chest nearly reaches the floor.
Take a pause and push yourself back upward.
Target muscles: Shoulder, Chest, Core, and Triceps
Remember:
Ensure that your chest reaches the floor first instead of your head or nose.
Manage your abdominal muscles engaged as you do the workout to help align the spine to skip back injury.
Avoid doing push-ups if you have any type of shoulder injury as this workout for weight gain needs significant strength of the shoulder.
Alway manage a straight line from head to toes while doing push-ups. Core tight and but gripped, your body should usually be in a plank position.
Lunges
Like squats, lunges also help to increase weight and tone your hips and leg muscles. It is one of the effective exercises to gain weight. You can also raise the challenge level by adding weights or trying some variation of the lunge.
How to do it:
Stand up straight and bend your abdominal muscles.
Take one big step forward.
Lower body until your thigh forms parallel toward the floor and the shin is vertical.
Push back on your heel to rise back upward to your beginning point.
Repeat the other leg.
Target muscles:
Glutes, Calves, Hamstrings, Quads.
Remember:
Skip leaning more while doing this workout for weight gain.
Avoid overextending your leg when you lunge front. It can cause back to arch.
Not stepping far enough is also not safe for knees and can cause injuries.
Tricep Dips
Trice dips are another easy to perform back and arm workout to gain weight at home. When done in the right way, dips can include muscle mass to the upper body. This exercise can also help to develop strength for another workout like a bench press.
How to do it:
Sit at the edge of the chair or a bench and hold the edges with your hands.
Move out of the seat and lower down hips to the floor.
Hold this position by putting pressure on your palms.
Go back slowly to the seating position.
Target muscles:
Chest, Triceps, Shoulders, Upper Back, Shoulders, Lower Back.
Remember
Ensure to keep your neck and head stable as you go forward while doing the dips.
The whole workout depends on the pose of elbow joints.
Making them flare outwards can make the move easier, but it won’t impact the muscles you are targeting.
Apart from the head and neck, ensure to stabilize your whole body during the movement as swinging can lead to injuries.
Pull-Ups
Pull-ups, particularly with weights, are the best way to increase muscle size. If you are a beginner, start by doing simple pull-ups and shift to weighted pull-ups as you slowly gain strength. If you are doing this weight gain workout at home, you can use a pull-up bar to do it.
How to do it:
Grip the pull-up using both hands while your palms face away from you and arms at shoulder-width apart.
Pull yourself upward enough so that your feet are not reaching the ground, and keep doing till your chin is over the bar.
Now gently lower yourself so that your arms are straight again and repeat.
Target muscles:
Upper back, Shoulders, Arms
Remember:
Make sure you engage shoulders from the start. Not doing so can cause unnecessary strain over muscles or joints.
Before you worry about the speed of doing weight gain exercise, develop strength and manage a good pose.
Dumbbell Overhead Press
Performing overhead presses will help to increase overall muscle mass. This workout will not only increase posture, but it is the best way to develop strong back muscles and gain weight.
How to do it:
Stand straight and keep the back straight.
Hold a dumbbell in both hands and lift the weights over the head in a controlled movement while breathing out.
Hold this pose and go back to the beginning point while breathing in and repeat this.
Target muscles:
Shoulder, Back muscles, and Triceps
Remember:
Do not do this workout for weight gaining if you are suffering from neck or back or shoulder injury.
Ensure that your method is correct otherwise, you can get injured.
Also, if you are a beginner, do not use any heavyweights. Begin low and slow build-up
Bench Press
It is the best way to include muscle mass in the chest part. However, like other workouts, it is important to perform this weight gain exercise in a proper form.
How to do it:
Begin by lying over the bench and holding a bar.
Start with only the bar without any weights to warm and then include the weights.
Grasp the bar again and secure your elbows out before lowering the bar toward the chest.
Take a long breath and lift the bar above the chest with arms completely stretched.
Get the bar toward the original point and repeat.
Target muscles:
Chest muscles, Shoulders, Back, Triceps,
Remember:
Ensure that arms are at a point of 45 degrees to the body.
Avoid locking out elbows suddenly.
You should keep your head flat on the bench and your feet flat on the floor. Ensure to not press your head over the bench to help the lift.
Your hips also should remain flat over the bench and it can lead to lower back pain.
Crunches
Well, crunches are known for reducing belly fat, and that is right. But doing crunches exercise also raises your core strength and promotes lean muscle mass and tada, which helps to get you desirable midsection.
How to do it:
Lie flat over a carpet or yoga mat keeping knees bent and feet flat over the floor.
Keep your arms across the chest, contract abs, and breath in.
Breath out and raise the upper body while keeping the neck and head in a relaxed state.
Manage arms across chest, and compress abs, and breath in.
Breath out and raise the upper body while keeping the head and neck relaxed.
Breath in and go back to the beginning point.
Repeat the same.
Target muscles:
Rectus abdominis, Obliques
Remember:
Make sure to not perform any fast movements.
Keep your lower back in contact with the ground from the workout.
Manage lower back in contact with the floor throughout the workout.
Skip pulling your head while pulling yourself upward. You might end up having severe cervical pain if you do that.
Stop doing this weight gain workout if you experience discomfort in the lower back, because it may cause serious back problems.
Deadlift
While it is the best way to intensify posture, performing deadlifts will also promote complete muscle mass. You will be able to tone and strengthen leg muscles and increase weight. You can do them doing kettlebells, dumbbells, or a barbell.
How to do it:
Stand with your midfoot under the barbell.
Flex over and hold it using your hands while your hands are shoulder-width.
Flex your knees till your shin reaches the bar. Raise your chest upward and straighten your lower back.
Take a deep breath and stand up using weight. Bring the weight at the top and hold the position for a second with your knees and hips locked.
Take the weights toward the floor while bending legs and moving hips back.
Take a one-second break and repeat.
Target muscles:
Hamstrings, Glutes, Core, Hips
Remember:
If you are a pro at raising heavyweights, ensure to wear a support belt to skip any muscle spasm and lower back injury.
Do not flex back in a curve as it can cause serious back injuries.
Ensure to do warm-up for 15-20 minutes before starting this weight gain exercise.
Banded Side Steps
If you are looking for ways to boost the weight particularly around the hips, then this workout is good for you. From side-lying leg raises to hip drops, there are many workouts you can do to enhance your hip abductor strength, and performing side steps with a resistance band is the most effective one.
How to do it?
Keep the resistance band near calves.
Stand using feet under hips and squat down in a semi-seated point while keeping shoulders back.
Step out to the side, push heel against the band.
Get the other foot so that both feet are once again at hip distance.
Repeat.
Target muscles:
Hips, Core, and Glutes
Remember:
In your half-squat pose, keep your knees level over the center of your foot. It ensures you are focusing on the right muscle.
Skip bouncing or swaying during the movement as it will take the target away from the targeted muscles.
If you feel pain or stress in the lower back while doing this workout to gain weight at home, stop right there because you might be doing it wrong.
Besides doing the above exercises for gaining weight, you have to ensure that you eat the right food and eat regular healthy fats and protein.
Let’s find out, which are those foods:
Foods for Weight Gain
Milk
Have protein shakes to boost weight gain easily and are most effective after doing exercise. Milk provides a mix of fat, proteins, and carbohydrates. It’s also a good source of minerals, vitamins, and calcium.
The protein present in milk makes it the best choice for people trying to develop muscle.
One study discovered that after a resistance training exercise, drinking skim milk helped to develop muscle very efficiently than a soy-based product. A similar study involving females in resistance training showed improved results in those who drink milk following an exercise. For anyone trying to gain weight, milk can be included in the diet from the day.
Protein shakes
Protein shakes can boost a person to gain weight efficiently and easily. A shake is most effective at a benefit to develop muscle if drunk shortly after an exercise. However, it is essential to note that premade shakes often consist of extra sugar and other additives that should be skipped. Make sure to read product labels carefully.
Rice
A cup of rice provides 200 calories, and it is also the best source of carbohydrates, which leads to weight gain. Various people find it easy to add rice into meals consisting of vegetables and proteins.
Red meat
Eating red meat has been shown to benefit developing muscle and weight gain. Steak consists of both creatine and leucine, nutrients that play an important role in promoting muscle mass. Steak and other meat provide fat and protein, which boost weight gain.
While a person is suggested to reduce their consumption, leaner cuts of red meat and other healthier food for the fattier cuts and heart.
One study discovered that including lead red meat in the diet of 100 females aged 60-90 helped them for weight gain and raised strength by 18% while supporting resistance training.
Nuts and nut butter
Eating nuts regularly can help a person to get weight safely. Nuts are the best snack and can be included in different meals, including salad. Dry roasted or raw nuts have the most health benefits. Nut butter prepared without much-hydrogenated oils or sugar can also help. The ingredient in this butter should be nuts.
Whole-grain bread
This bread consists of complex carbs, which can boost weight gain. Some also consist of seeds, which offer included benefits.
Potatoes and starches
Potatoes and other starchy foods are a cost-effective and very easy way to include extra calories.
Try to choose one of these healthy sources of starchy carbs:
Oats
Quinoa
corn
Potatoes
Oats
Sweet potatoes
Buckwheat
Squash
Legumes and beans
Winter root vegetables.
Potatoes and other starches include carbs and calories to assist you to gain weight, they also increase muscle glycogen stores.
Glycogen is the predominant fuel source for most activities and sports.
Many of these carb sources also offer essential fiber, nutrients, and resistant starch, which can help to nourish gut bacteria.
You can have easy sweet potato toast. For example, slather it with mashed avocado and add fried egg topping having 300 calories every serving. Quinoa is one type of seed that is made and eaten as a grain. It can be cooked and eaten on its own, including soups, bread, porridge, drinks, and flour.
Quinoa is a super healthy grain with rich protein and nine amino acids. It also has minerals, protein, and vitamin B.
Get a healthy dose of both sweet potatoes and quinoa in this healthy lunch recipe for roasted sweet potato and quinoa 336 calories every serving.
Other ways to include calories to complex carbs:
Include sour cream in potatoes
Mashed potatoes or Grated cheese with quinoa
Add healthy fats like avocado or olive oil to roast vegetables.
Include hummus to whole-grain crackers or bread.
Use soy milk or dairy instead of water in oatmeal or other hot grains.
Protein supplements
Athletes looking to gain weight often add protein supplements to promote muscle mass, in combination with resistance training. Protein supplements are obtainable for purchase online. They may be an inexpensive way to eat more calories and gain weight.
Salmon
Six ounces of salmon will consist of about 240 calories and salmon is also rich in healthy fats, making it the best choice for those looking to gain weight. It also consists of different nutrients, such as omega-3 and protein.
Dried fruits
Dried fruits provide rich calories and nutrients, with one-quarter cup of dried cranberries consisting of around 130 calories. Different people prefer dried pineapple, apple, or cherries. Dried fruit is widely found online or a person can dry fresh the fruit at home.
Avocados
Avocados provide rich fat and calories, as well as some minerals and vitamins.
Dark chocolate
Dark chocolate consists of high fat and high calories. It provides antioxidants. A person looking for weight gain should choose chocolate that has a cacao content of 70%.
Cereal bars
Cereal bars can provide the mineral and vitamin content of cereal in a more convenient form. A person should choose bars that have whole grains, fruits, and nuts. Avoid those that consist of excessive sugar.
Whole-grain cereals
Different cereals provide rich minerals and vitamins. However, some consist of high sugar and less complex carbohydrates. This food should be skipped. Instead, choose cereals that consist of whole grains and nuts. These nuts and grains have calories and carbohydrates and fiber, and antioxidants.
Eggs
Eggs are the best source of healthy fat, protein, and other nutrients. Most nutrients consist of the yolk.
Fats and oils
Oils, such as those derived from olives and avocados provide calories and unsaturated fats for the heart. One tablespoon of olive oil also provides 120 calories.
Cheese
Cheese is the best source of protein, fat, calories, and calcium. A person looking to gain weight should choose full-fat cheeses.
Yogurt
Full-fat yogurt can also offer nutrients and protein. Try to skip flavored yogurts and lower fat contents as they often provide more sugars.
Pasta
Pasta can offer a calorically dense and carbohydrate-rich diet for healthy weight gain. Skip bleached pasta, and chooses whole grains products.
How to find out if you’re underweight
Body mass index is a health screening tool that is frequently used for understanding the overall composition of the body. BMI estimates the amount of one’s body fat according to weight and height.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, you are underweight if your BMI is lower than 18.5. Below, you will find out a full BMI chart for what health experts consider underweight, overweight, normal weight, and obese for adults.
BMI
Weight status
18.5 Or below: Underweight
18.5–24.9: Normal
25.0–29.9: Overweight
30.0 Or above: Obese
It is necessary to note that different factors affect overall health and BMI should not be utilized as a definitive measure of health. Even if you are underweight based on your BMI chart that does not necessarily mean that you are unhealthy. However, if you are underweight and having difficulty with weight gain, it may be time to reach out to the doctor.
Talk with a doctor
For most people, minor weight fluctuations are regular. However, if you have seen unexplained weight loss that is not the result of dietary changes or an intentional lifestyle, you should make an appointment with your physician.
Your physician can review your health history and do the right test to understand the underlying health condition affecting weight.
If there are no underlying conditions about your health for weight loss, your physician can advise your nutritionist or dietitian. This trained nutrition expert can help to create a well-rounded diet plan to achieve a healthy weight.
Takeaway
Healthy weight gain commonly involves choosing balanced and healthy foods with high calories and building muscle from weight training.