I realize this may seem like a rediculous issue, but many people actually have a hard time gaining lean body weight. I happen to be one of those people.
Recently I completed a month long training program to gain a few pounds of lean body tissue. It wasn’t hard to make the gains, but I had to train differently, make a conscious effort to eat plenty of foods that are nutrient dense throughout the day, and get plenty of rest. Within 30 days, I gained 3 pounds of lean body tissue and reduced my body fat percentage by 2 percentage points.
First things first. A few stats:
Age: 45
Start date: October 15, 2011
End date: November 19, 2011
Start weight: 194
End weight: 197
Start Body Fat Percentage: 18%
End BodyFat Percentage: 16%
Eating strategy: In order to gain healthy weight, you need to first determine your basal metabolic rate. In my case, the number was 3,180 calories to maintain my weight. So, to gain healthy weight, I needed to increase my caloric volume by 10%, which made the total around 3,498 calories. (Click to use a chart and determine your BMR)
However, this does not mean increasing the caloric volume by eating high fat, sugary foods. This means consuming foods high in nutrient density with vitamins and nutrients. You see, the most effective way to build lean body tissue is with nutrients. Junkfood, processed foods and fast foods do not count because they don’t have sufficient nutrients. Whole foods, such as fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, healthy fats, and lean proteins work. (Click to view sample meal plans according to your desired caloric goal to gain healthy weight)
I also used a few supplements to help with this endeavor:
- multivitamin
- Omega 3 fish oils
- Vitamin D3
- Brain Food multivitamin
- whey protein drink or soy protein drink
- Calcium
- Zinc
- melatonin
Workout Routine: The workout routine seems overly simplistic in concept, but believe me, it does require some serious effort. In order for this workout to be effective, you must exert maximum effort into each repetition. Slow reps are hard, but well worth the results.
Complete the first 3 exercises on Day 1 and complete the next 3 on Day 2.
Routine should comprise of 2 strength workouts per week: Day 1 and Day 2, with at least 2 or 3 days of rest between strength workouts. Example: Day 1 on Tuesday and Day 2 on Saturday.
Do this strength workout routine in addition to your cardio workouts. Do a cardio workout every day for 30 – 60 minutes (walking, water fitness, swimming, Zumba, or other aerobic activitiy).
One final note here, make sure you get plenty of rest every night with quality sleep. Having quality sleep is where you make your most significant gains in lean body tissue as it is the time when your body repairs and regenerates itself. Investigate the supplements 5-HTP, melatonin, Zinc, and calcium, all of which will assist in sleeping better.
Click to download the