This is the second article in the GAIN WEIGHT series.
To gain healthy weight you must train properly in order to stimulate muscle growth, and you must provide enough recovery time between workouts, and sufficient nourishment, to permit your body to build muscle in response to the growth stimulation.
MISTAKE #1: Following a training program that sucks for weight gain.
To stimulate muscle growth, you must use the right exercises, correct exercise technique, sufficient intensity, and enough volume and frequency of exercise without overtraining. And you must strive to increase your exercise poundages while always maintaining correct exercise technique.
But to do all of that you must be very knowledgeable about effective training methods. Study the articles on this website and at least one of our bodybuilding books.
MISTAKE #2: Rushing progress in the gym.
You want to build strength as quickly as possible, but if you try to rush your progress you’re likely to get injured, overtrained, or injured and overtrained.
For the best results with weight gain, build strength gradually.
MISTAKE #3: Trying to gain weight too quickly.
You don’t want to delay gaining weight, but if you rush your rate of gain you’ll not be happy with the results.
Very fast weight gain is usually almost all body fat, and a lot of body fat won’t make you look good. Much of the western world seems to be concerned with wanting to get rid of excess body fat. You’ll join them if you rush your rate of weight gain.
Furthermore, if you overdo your food consumption—especially of food items or combinations that don’t suit your digestion—you’ll have a lot of digestive tract discomfort.
To help ensure that most of the weight you add is muscle, gain weight slowly.
Keep close tabs on your body composition.
MISTAKE #4: Being more concerned with food quantity than quality.
To gain weight, you must consume enough food so that you have a surplus of nourishment. But if you give great attention to food quantity, you’ll probably neglect food quality.
As an illustration, let’s say that you need to consume 3,000 calories a day in order to be able to gain weight at the right pace for you. (Precisely how many calories you need depends on a number of factors, including your age, gender, bodyweight, and activity level.)
You could get the 3,000 calories primarily from low-quality foods including highly refined sugary cereals, other sugary foods, fried food, refined oils, and soft drinks.
But you could get the same caloric intake from unrefined cereals, wholegrain bread, steamed fish, boiled eggs, grilled meat, fruit and vegetables, nuts and seeds, healthy oils, and dairy products—nourishment free of rubbish.
Poor quality food undermines your health, your ability to train properly, and your ability to recuperate properly, which means that it will hinder healthy weight gain.
For the best results, be equally concerned with the quantity and the quality of what you eat.