Gain Muscle

Just as losing weight is hard for some, gaining weight is just as difficult for others. Knowing what foods to eat and what routine to follow can make packing on muscle a lot easier. This guide will explain what foods are the best and what routines work good to help you in gaining weight.

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• Benefits of a Protein Shake
  • Protein shakes are associated with meat heads, body builders and gym rats. You don't need to fall into any of those categories to drink or benefit from one. Protein shakes can help you gain muscle, increase your strength and get you into shape. In some cases, drinking a protein shake can even help you lose weight.
• Avoid Catabolic States
  • To gain the most weight, you need to keep your body from going into catabolic states (breakdown of muscle tissue).
• How Much to Eat
  • Figuring out your daily calorie needs is the foundation of any weight goal. Gaining, losing or maintaining your weight requires you to eat different amounts and if you don't know how to figure that out, you won't be able to reach your goal.
• No Matter What I do, I Can't Gain any Weight
  • There are some people that find it impossible to lose any weight and then there's you. It seems no matter how much you eat and how little you move, you can't put any weight or muscle onto your body.
• Gaining Weight the Healthy Way
  • You have heard it over and over again, 'If you want to gain weight, eat everything you see.' This advice will undoubtedly lead to weight gain but there are better ways to do it.
• Foods for Gaining Weight
  • When you're trying to gain the right kind of weight (muscle as opposed to fat) you want to eat healthy foods and a lot of them.
• Nutrition for Cutting to Get Lean
  • Cutting, or getting lean is a balancing act. You want to burn the extra fat you've gained while at the same time minimizing the amount of muscle you lose.
    
• Snacks for Gaining Weight
  • Eating the right kinds of snacks will make it easier for you to reach your daily calorie goal.
    
• Fast Metabolism Weight Gain Diet
  • For some people gaining weight is close to impossible. You wake up and eat, go to work and eat, come home and eat and you keep weighing the same. The simple solution is that you need to eat more.
    
• Breakfast for Gaining Weight
  • Your goal when trying to gain weight should be to eat many meals throughout the day. Sleeping overnight isn't very conducive to this since you'll be fasting for 6-8 hours which means no food.
• Meals: Gaining Weight
  • Gaining weight is all about eating more calories than you burn and doing it over a long period of time. Breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks in between meals have to filled with calories in order to gain weight.
• Eating Basics of Gaining Weight
  • To some, gaining weight can be very difficult. As with losing weight, gaining weight can be achieved by adhering to a simple equation: to gain weight you must eat more calories than you burn.
• Exercise Basics of Gaining Weight
• An important part of gaining weight is eating enough food, but to gain the right kind of weight you need to exercise. Putting on muscle is more complicated than taking in a lot of calories.

Frequently Asked Questions

• What's the difference between weight gainers and protein powders?
  • If you're a hard gainer, you've most likely turned to weight gainers or protein powders for help in putting on muscle mass. These two products aren't the same. One is simply a protein supplement while the other is more of a meal replacement used to greatly increase your calorie intake.
• What's the difference between a calorie deficit and calorie surplus?
  • Whether you're trying to gain weight, lose weight or simply stay where you're at, you need to control your calorie intake. Gaining weight requires that you eat more calories than you burn while losing weight requires the opposite. Your calorie balance (difference between what you eat and what you burn) will determine your weight, there is no way around it.
• What's the difference between a catabolic and anabolic state?
  • Catabolic and anabolic are two different states that describe whether the body is building tissue or breaking it down.
• What are the best foods for gaining weight and muscle?
  • The biggest misconception about gaining weight is that you need to eat everything in sight. If you follow this myth, you'll definitely gain weight, but it might not be the kind of weight you had in mind.
• How can a hard gainer gain weight?
  • A hard gainer is someone that finds it nearly impossible to put on muscle or weight no matter how much they eat. These people are cursed (or blessed) with a very fast metabolism that seems to instantaneously adjust and burn off any extra calories that are taken in.
• How often should I change my workout?
  • To get stronger and bigger, you need to stimulate your muscles through exercise. It's not so much the exercise that makes your muscles grow (although exercise is needed), it's the change from doing nothing to forcing your muscles to work that causes them to respond.
• What is a calorie surplus?
  • Creating a calorie surplus allows you to gain weight. A calorie surplus gives your body the extra energy it needs to build muscle which results in weight gain. While a calorie surplus is required to gain weight, simply eating more will only lead to unsightly fat gain. To gain muscle, you need to combine a calorie surplus with a strength training routine.
• How can I gain weight as a vegetarian?
  • The main principle of gaining weight is the same for everyone: if you eat more than you burn, your weight will go up.
    
• Should I do cardio while trying to gaining weight?
  • The rule for gaining weight is to eat more calories than you burn. If you are doing cardio while trying to gain weight, you'll be burning a lot more calories.
    
• Are weight gain shakes effective?
  • Weight gainers may seem like a good idea until you look at the nutrition label and realize what they're really made of.
    
• What supplements can help me gain weight?
  • In general, most supplements make claims that aren't backed up by independent studies and research but there are a few that can help you make better gains.

Top 5 Lists

• Top 5 Ways for a Hard Gainer to Gain Weight
  • A hard gainer is a skinny person (usually male) that has an extra hard time gaining any sort of weight. It seems as though they eat and eat only to find that their weight stays the same. Hard gainers are still human and because of that, gaining weight requires the same steps that everyone else needs to take. Hard gainers simply need to work harder because of their fast metabolisms.
• Top 5 Muscle Foods
  • Building muscle and gaining quality weight is more than just hitting the gym and eating whatever you crave. If you want to get muscular and avoid the fat, what you eat is as important as how you workout.
• Top 5 Easy Ways to Gain Weight
  • Gaining the wrong kind of weight is as easy as eating everything in sight and sitting on your couch watching TV all day. If you want to gain muscle, you need to eat the right foods and workout hard. While it may not be easy to do, the plan is easy to follow.
• Top 5 Ways to Increase Your Bench Press
  • One important measure of strength is the amount of weight you can bench press. Improving it is more involved than simply benching over and over again. Here are a few steps you can take to increase the amount of weight you can lift.
• Top 5 Muscle Building Myths
  • In your quest to gain muscle, you've probably read magazines, visited web sites and asked a question on a message board in hopes of finding accurate information. You were probably bombarded with some good and bad solutions. Here are the top 5 myths you shouldn't be doing to build muscle.
• Top 5 Supplements that Work
  • There are so many supplements on the market that it is difficult to separate marketing hype from good scientific research. Find out what supplements work before you waste your money.
    
• Top 5 Ways to Increase Your Protein Intake
  • Good protein can be hard to find. The problem is that some sources of protein are incomplete, absorbed poorly and associated with a high amount of saturated fat. Luckily, for those that are looking to increase their intake of protein, their are some healthy and complete sources you can use.
• Top 5 Mistakes People Make When Trying to Get Big
  • Getting big can be very hard for some people and in their quest to gain muscle mass, some make mistakes that can rob them of real gains.
    
• Top 5 Ways to Increase Your Calorie Intake
  • If you're trying to gain weight, your calorie intake needs to be high enough to support muscle growth. Here are some easy ways to increase your daily calorie intake.
    
• Top 5 Breakfast Foods for Weight Gain
  • Breakfast is the most important meal of the day but if you're trying to gain weight is has added significance.
    
• Top 5 Ingredients of a Weight Gain Shake
  • Here are the top five ingredients all weight gainers should include.
    
• Top 5 Snacks for Gaining Weight
  • Gaining weight requires you to eat whenever you can. That is why snacking between meals is crucial to keep your calorie count high.
    

Tools

• Free Diet Plans
  • This tool will provide you with a daily meal program that is personalized for your own needs. Whether you're looking to gain, lose or maintain weight, the SH Trainer can help you reach your goals.
• Free Workout Routine
  • This tool will provide you with a daily workout routine tailored to your goals and schedule. Whether you want to tone up or build muscle, the SH Trainer has a plan for you.
• Calorie Calculator
  • This tool will estimate your daily calorie needs based on your age, height, weight and activity level in order to help you figure out how much to eat to gain, lose or maintain weight.
• Health Calculator - Daily Calorie Needs Calculator, BMI and Ideal Weight
  • This calculator will give you information such as your daily calorie needs, BMI and ideal weight. If it detects that you are either overweight or underweight, it will recommend a calorie intake to bring you to your ideal weight.