A Better You

What happens when you see a skinny individual? You envy them because they don’t have to worry about being obese. However what if that same person is tired of being skinny and wants to add some muscle to his lean body?


A good amount of males from the ages of 16 through 25 want to gain muscle. They see professional body builders and athletes with big bulky bodies, and they decide that is what they want. However for some individuals this is a very tough goal to accomplish. The major factor contributing to this is a high metabolism. A high metabolism can prevent a person from gaining weight due to the fact that it can burn up food faster. For those individuals out there struggling to gain weight here are some tips to help you put on some muscle.

The first step to gaining a bigger muscular body is to create a manageable goal for yourself. This is not going to be easy and this particular goal requires hard work and determination. You don’t want to start out saying that you want to gain 15 pounds of muscle in 3 weeks because that’s not going to happen. Instead say that you want to gain 5-8 pounds in three weeks.
Once you have made a reasonable goal set for yourself the next step is to set up a schedule to go to the gym. Once you have made a schedule for yourself you have to stick with it. Don’t get lazy two weeks into your training or you will see no results. An example of a reasonable schedule is to go to the gym 3 days a week for a half an hour each time. After a few weeks when you start to build up your endurance, up the length to 45 minutes each time.
After you have created your goal and gym schedule it’s time to start on an eating routine. The key to gaining weight is to eat foods with a vast amount of calories. You can’t just have fats; you must have a wide variety of foods. Foods to add to your diet include granola bars, nuts, milk, meats, yogurt and cheese. Fruits and vegetables are also essential foods to add to your new diet. An important aspect to gaining weight is not the amount of food, but the amount of times you eat. Instead of eating three big meals a day, try eating 5-6 small meals per day. The most important part of your diet is consuming lots and lots of fluids. “On average you should drink 8 to 11 cups of water a day.” Said Cassondra Burgess a nutrition professor at Indiana University of Pennsylvania.

Now that you have the easy things out of the way it’s time to get into the gym and get to work. The key to keeping up with your workout routines is to stay motivated. Weighing yourself often is important. If you see that your hard work is paying off, it may motivate you to keep going. Try going to the gym with a friend. Another person working out with you can give you some support.

Now that you have made it into the gym it’s time to talk about certain workouts. Devote each day to certain workouts. An example is one day focus on shoulders and triceps. During this gym period use each machine that offers shoulders and triceps. The next day at the gym you could focus on back, biceps and chest. Finally the third day that you are in the gym, devote that time to workouts for your legs and stomach. If you consistently stick with this workout throughout the weeks you will see results. “When I first started lifting it took me 3 weeks of hard work until I really started seeing results.” said John Basco a professional trainer at IUP. If you really want to gain muscle mass you have to consume a lot of protein. Protein is an essential nutrient that helps the body repair your muscles. Protein can be found in many different types of food. Some types of food that have a good source of protein include meats, milk, fish, nuts and eggs.


With these steps you can almost guarantee a muscular body to show off come summer time. The steps have been laid out for you, now it’s up to you to follow theses steps. Get motivated and you can not only look better, but you can feel better as well.