How much weight can i gain in a month

Ideal Monthly Weight Gain | livestrong

When trying to gain weight, aim for a steady pace of 1/2 pound to 1 pound per week.

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If you have a high metabolism or are recovering from illness, or if you're an older adult with little appetite, gaining weight can be as challenging as losing weight. It's best to gain weight at a moderate rate to ensure that you're not adding too much body fat and are putting on a fair amount of healthy muscle. A steady pace of 1/2 pound to 1 pound per week -- or 2 to 4 pounds per month -- can usually be achieved in a sound nutritional way. Resist the temptation to speed up the process and load up your diet with poor quality foods that may have a lot of calories but lack the nutrition to help you look and feel better.

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How You Gain Weight

Weight gain results when you consume more calories than you burn. A pound equals 3,500 calories, so if you add 250 to 500 calories per day, you can add 1/2 to a full pound per week. For people who are recovering from illness, such as a wasting disease, or trauma, some fat gain may be welcome. For those who want to gain weight to improve sports performance, energy and appearance, muscle is preferable tissue to gain. If you don't exercise while gaining weight, particularly with strength training, two-thirds of every pound gained is fat. Talk to your doctor about your personal weight-gain goals.

Ways to Add Calories Healthfully

Choose calories from nutritionally dense foods to add weight. Increase your servings of starchy vegetables, such as sweet potatoes and corn, and fruits at meals. Proteins low in saturated fat, including lean steak, pork tenderloin, salmon, dried beans, eggs and poultry also help you add healthy calories. Calories from extra protein are especially helpful if you're actively trying to build muscle. Whole grains provide you with more nutrients than refined grains. Options such as quinoa, barley and brown rice provide fiber, B vitamins and minerals, including zinc and manganese.

Too much saturated fat can compromise your health, but unsaturated fats are a concentrated source of calories that support healthy body functioning. Find this type of fat in nuts, seeds, avocados, fatty fish and olive oil.

Planning Your Diet for Weight Gain

Eating more at meals is one strategy to gain weight. Planning snacks for between meals also helps ensure you don't go longer than two to four hours without taking in calories. A smoothie made with a banana, berries and yogurt, hummus with whole-grain crackers and a peanut butter sandwich on whole-wheat bread are healthy, high-calorie options. Alternatively, make snacks easy to grab and go. Pack a handful of trail mix, mixed nuts or dried fruit in a baggie to carry in your backpack, purse or briefcase. A 1/2 cup serving of almonds, for example, provides 410 calories; 1 cup of dried apricot halves, 300 calories; and 1/2 cup of hummus has about 200 calories.

Just a few tweaks adds calories to meals. Whole dried milk powder contains 159 calories per 1/4 cup; mix it into liquid milk, smoothies or casseroles. Sprinkle an ounce of cheese over eggs or vegetables or add a slice to a sandwich for an additional 114 calories. Increase your brown rice serving at lunch or dinner by 1 cup, and you'll take in another 216 calories daily.

Some Exercise Helps With Weight Gain

Strength training helps you add weight in the form of lean muscle. You can realistically only gain 1/2 pound of muscle per week -- or 2 pounds in a month. If you add calories and strength train, but experience greater weight gain than this, you're likely putting on fat too.

A weight-gain strength training program addresses all the major muscle groups with compound -- or multi-joint -- exercises, such as squats, presses and pulls. Use a heavy weight that allows you to eke out just four to eight repetitions in a set. One to three sets supports muscle growth in each of two to three sessions per week.

You benefit from strength training even if you're not actively trying to become a bodybuilder. Machines, resistance tubing and body-weight exercises can be used instead of heavy free weights. Cardiovascular exercise also helps stimulate your appetite and keeps your heart healthy, so do a minimum of 20 to 30 minutes at a moderate intensity daily.

How Much Muscle Weight Can You Gain in a Month?

You can build about 2 pounds of muscle per month.

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You naturally begin to lose muscle with age, but resistance training can help prevent or reverse this loss. The exercise can also help promote bone strength, boost your metabolism, reduce your risk of injury and help prevent or relieve conditions such as diabetes, back pain, arthritis and osteoporosis. Your body is only capable of producing a limited amount of muscle in a month, but you can maximize gains through healthy eating and a well-planned strength-training program.

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Rate of Gain

Your body can only gain about 2.5 pounds of muscle per month. Your individual rate of gain depends largely on your gender, hormonal makeup and genetics. If most of your family members are thin or have trouble gaining weight, chances are you'll have a much slower rate of muscle gain than someone from a family of burly individuals. Men tend to gain muscle faster than women due to their higher levels of testosterone.

Calorie Surplus

To build muscle at a rate of 2.5 pounds per month, or half a pound per week, you'll need to start consuming 250 to 500 calories more than you burn each day. If you tend to gain fat easily, aim for the lower range; but if you struggle to gain any weight at all, go for more calories. The amino acids in protein are the building blocks of muscle, so try to eat 1.2 to 1.7 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight per day. Boost your caloric intake by eating plenty of carbohydrates in the form of whole grains, juices, fruits and vegetables.

Building Muscle

Eating extra calories without strength training will only result in fat gain. To ensure your extra food intake turns to new muscle mass, make strength training your primary form of exercise. The American Council on Exercise recommends performing three to six sets of six to 12 repetitions to promote muscle hypertrophy, or growth. Choose one to three exercises for each muscle group in your body, and always lift with enough weight to fully fatigue your muscles by your final repetition. If you can finish your final set with proper form, increase the resistance level for your next workout.

Warnings

While both nutrition and strength training are necessary for muscle growth, doing too much too fast won't speed up your gains and can cause serious health concerns. Many athletes looking to gain muscle turn to protein supplements. But because your body is unable to rid itself of excess protein, any excess is stored as fat. When your body processes protein, it consumes water and expels urinary calcium. Thus, taking too much protein -- especially in the form of supplements -- can lead to osteoporosis and dehydration. After strength training, always give your muscles a full 48 hours to recover between workouts. Stop lifting right away if you experience pain, dizziness or feel short of breath. Talk to your doctor before beginning any new diet or exercise program.

How to exercise and what to eat to gain weight

February 1, 2021 Sports and fitness

No genetics can stop you.

Iya Zorina

Author of Lifehacker, athlete, CCM

Why is it difficult for you to gain muscle mass

Scientists have long noticed that the ability to build muscle mass is different for everyone. So, some people can gain 1.6 kg of muscle in 12 weeks of training, while others will not add at all during the same time.

And it's not just about eating habits and the amount of exercise. You're just unlucky:

You have fewer type II muscle fibers - those that work without oxygen, tire quickly and seriously add in volume.
Your muscles have fewer receptors that respond to testosterone, the hormone without which they won't grow.
You don't create new ribosomes so quickly. These are cell organelles that take amino acids and, according to the instructions of mRNA, make proteins out of them. The ribosome factory is located in the nucleolus of the cell, and your enterprise is slightly behind in terms of production volumes.

But that doesn't mean you can't build muscle. The mechanism of muscle growth is the same in all people. It's just that you have to spend more time and money on food and sports nutrition than those who won the genetic lottery and walk around all so athletic.

How to train to gain muscle mass

When muscles contract, their fibers experience mechanical stress. The receptors feel it, and a chain of molecular reactions is launched, which ends with protein synthesis. He completes the muscles, increasing them in volume.

Of course, muscles contract during any kind of work - for example, when you get up from a chair or run a marathon. But in the first case, the tension is too small for growth, and in the second, type I muscle fibers are mainly involved, which are reluctant to increase in volume. For noticeable muscle growth, fast type II fibers (of which you already have few) need to work. And to make them do it, you have to pull iron.

How many times per week to exercise

After training, protein production increases by 24-48 hours. If you load the muscle again before the synthesis drops to its previous values, part of your efforts will be lost.

So train two or three times a week and don't train two days in a row.

By exercising more often, not only will you not get the benefits for muscle growth, but you can also overwork the central nervous system. This will reduce your performance, and therefore the incentives for muscle growth.

How many and what exercises to do

Perform four to eight strength exercises for different muscle groups in each workout. Be sure to include multi-joint movements, that is, those that involve several joints and muscle groups: squats, lunges, deadlifts, bench and standing presses, and others. They train the whole body, pump coordination, allow you to work with large weights and provide the necessary incentive for muscle growth.

However, you should not build a training session only on such activity. So you run the risk of tiring the central nervous system and lower performance. Dilute the mentioned exercises with single-joint ones: biceps curl, triceps extension, arm reduction in the “butterfly” simulator (chest) and others.

We will list the best exercises for pumping different muscles. They were tested using electromyography (EMG), so “the best” is not just words. To plan your workout, take one exercise for each muscle group. In the article about legs, choose one option each for the front of the thigh, the back of it and the calves.

The best exercises for different muscle groups 🏋️‍♂️

How to train your back
How to train your shoulders
How to train your biceps
How to train the triceps
How to train the chest muscles

In addition, do one exercise for strengthening the abs and extensors of the back at each workout. These muscles help you maintain balance and perform all movements without harm to the spine.

How many sets and reps to do

Do the exercises for 3-5 sets of 8-12 reps. Select the weight so that the last repetitions in the approach are difficult. The final set can be done to muscle failure: when you can no longer do even one more time.

Checklist

Train 2-3 times a week.
Do 4-8 strength exercises for different muscle groups.
Include both multi-joint and single-joint movements in one workout.
Do 3-5 sets of 8-12 reps.
Select the weight so that the last repetitions of the approach are difficult. Do the last approach until muscle failure.

How to eat to gain weight

To gain weight in general, you need to eat more, and in order to grow muscles, you need to monitor the amount of protein.

How many calories to consume

First, calculate your daily calorie intake using the Mifflin-Jeor formula:

For men: (5 + (10 × weight [kg]) + (6.25 × height [cm]) - ( 5 × age [years])) × 1.55 (corrected for training 3 times a week).
Women: ((10 × weight [kg]) + (6.25 × height [cm]) − (5 × age [years]) − 161) × 1.55 (adjusted for training 3 times a week) .

Increase your calorie intake by 15%. This is how much you will need to consume each day.

Needless to say, a 15% gain will not necessarily help you gain weight. It all depends on your metabolism. Eat like this from two weeks to a month and, if there is no progress, increase the calorie content by another 15% (from the original norm). During the first month, you will get used to eating more, so adding the next portion of calories will not be so difficult.

One study increased calorie intake by 40% (approximately 1,000 kcal per day) for 8 weeks. As a result, the leanest participants gained 4.84 kg of weight and 2.87 kg of muscle mass. And this is without training, only due to increased calories and protein - it was 25% of the daily nutrient intake.

However, this study lasted only one and a half months. It is not known how this amount of protein will affect health in the long term. Too much of it can harm the kidneys and disrupt calcium metabolism. And although this is not completely proven, if you have kidney problems, before you go on a high-protein diet, check with your doctor if you can eat like that.

How many calories should come from proteins, fats and carbohydrates

All macronutrients are needed to gain muscle mass:

Protein will be used as a building material and a signal for muscle growth.
Carbohydrates will help produce the hormone insulin and insulin-like growth factor-1, without which the muscles will not grow. And they will give you the strength to train.
Fats are needed for the production of hormones, including testosterone.

Your daily diet should consist of 25% protein, 20% fat and 55% carbohydrates. In this case, the protein should not exceed 2 g per kilogram of body weight. If your calculation results in more protein, add the remaining calories in the form of carbohydrates.

Let's say your daily calorie intake is 2,500 kcal (male, 30 years old, weighing 70 kg). You add 15% (2500 × 0.15 + 2500 = 2875 kcal). To calculate BJU, you need to remember that 1 g of proteins or carbohydrates contains 4.1 kcal, and 1 g of fat contains 9 kcal.

Thus, the man from the example should eat 140 g of protein per day (70 kg × 2). At the same time, 25% of its daily calorie content will be 718 kcal. In order not to exceed the protein norm, we consider this way: 718 - 574 kcal (140 g × 4. 1 kcal = 574 kcal) = 144 kcal. Add this amount to carbohydrates. Now we calculate the rate of fats and carbohydrates: 64 g of fat (2,875 kcal × 0.2 = 575 kcal ÷ 9kcal in 1 gram of fat) and 420 g of carbohydrates (2875 kcal × 0.55 = 1581 kcal + 144 kcal remaining from protein ÷ 4.1 kcal).

If you put this on the classic bodybuilding food, you get a pound of boiled breast, 100 g of nuts and 2 kg of boiled buckwheat. Sounds awful.

Although you can, of course, diversify your diet with many other foods rich in protein, fats and carbohydrates, and gain your calorie intake without suffering from monotony. But you still have to eat a lot.

How many times a day to eat and when to eat

Divide your allowance into equal amounts - for example, six meals. Each of them should contain at least 0.25 g of protein per 1 kg of body weight.

It is not necessary to consume a dose of protein immediately after training. You can do it 1.5-2 hours before it, work out quietly for 1-2 hours, drive home and eat again. At the same time, the anabolic response will be no less than when taking supplements right in the locker room.

Checklist

Calculate your calorie intake and add 15% to it. Eat like this for 2-4 weeks. If there is no progress, add another 15%.
Determine the calories to be obtained from macronutrients: 25% protein, 20% fat, 55% carbohydrate.
Count the grams of macronutrients (4.1 kcal per gram of protein or carbohydrates, 9 kcal per gram of fat).
Protein must not exceed 2 g per kilogram of body weight. If you have more, add the rest of the calories to carbohydrates.
Divide all grams by the number of meals. Eat at least 0.25 g of protein per 1 kg of body weight each time.

If the thought of so much food makes you shiver, you don't like to cook and you don't want to eat so much, welcome to the world of sports nutrition.

What supplements can I buy

Protein powder

This is a concentrated protein from animal or plant foods: milk, eggs, legumes. Try whey protein (Whey) - it is well studied and recognized as effective for building muscle.

Less expensive concentrate, but not suitable for people with lactose allergy. If you have such problems, buy an isolate. For the most wasteful, there is a hydrolyzate - it is quickly absorbed and increases insulin levels, which is good for muscle growth, but at the same time it costs more than everyone else.

Also buy casein, a slow digesting protein to take before bed. 30-40 grams of casein increase muscle protein synthesis at night. So you will be building muscle while you sleep.

For vegetarians, there are also many different types of protein derived from plant sources: soy, pea, rice.

Gainer

Gainer is a drink with a mixture of proteins and carbohydrates. It increases muscle protein synthesis just as effectively as protein without carbs.

There is really no evidence that the carbohydrate + protein combination increases protein synthesis more than protein alone. However, lean people burn more carbs during exercise than others, so this supplement may be beneficial.

Gainer will help you hit your daily carbohydrate intake without a bucket of buckwheat.

Creatine monohydrate

Creatine is a substance that is involved in energy metabolism in muscle cells. The more it is in the muscles, the longer you can work and lift heavy weights, which means that the muscles will grow faster. This supplement is well-researched and safe for the liver and kidneys.

There are two ways to take creatine:

Loading. Take 20 g per day for six days: 5 g four times a day, one of them immediately after training. In the future, use 2-3 g per day to maintain creatine levels.
Gradual acceptance. Take 3 g daily immediately after training for a month.

Beta-Alanine

Beta-Alanine is a beta-amino acid that helps to work longer without muscle acidification and increase the level of anabolic hormones after training. Together with creatine, it helps to increase lean muscle mass.

Take 36 g of beta-alanine daily for 4-6 weeks.

Checklist

Consume a protein powder and/or a weight gainer to hit your daily calorie, protein and carb intake.
Buy casein to take at night.
For added benefits, you can use creatine monohydrate and beta-alanine.

what to do and how long to wait - Moscow 24, 10/24/2016

October 24, 2016, 18:07

Sports

To lose weight or gain muscle mass takes time, sometimes quite a long time. So how many hours, days or months do you need to spend to achieve the desired result? These questions were answered by m24. ru columnist, fitness trainer and TV presenter Eduard Kanevsky.

Photo: YAY/TASS

In childhood, we all believe in fairy tales. We believe that if something does not work out for us, or we want something, a miracle can happen. We believe until we become adults, and children's illusions are replaced by the harsh truth of life. And we understand that in order to achieve something, you need to make an effort. Sometimes it takes more time to achieve a result, and not everyone has the patience to wait that long. We, as adults, also want to believe in a fairy tale, but a fairy tale does not happen.

In my twelve years of professional practice as a personal fitness trainer, people never cease to amaze me. People who for years did not take care of their health at all, led a sedentary lifestyle, ate anyhow. People with a lot of health problems who come to a fitness club and, like in childhood, hoping for a miracle, want to transform into beautiful people in a couple of weeks, like from the cover of a fashion magazine, but, not seeing an obvious result, they give up and stop exercising altogether.

Indeed, there are no miracles. Everyone who has achieved something in life knows that behind this or that success there is a long, painstaking work, with its ups and downs. Work that ultimately leads to the desired result. Career, family, wealth or sporting achievements - behind everything is a hard and long friend. This also applies to those people who come to do fitness. But this does not mean that now someone needs to spend years to achieve a result, because in order to understand what you can achieve and in what period of time, you need to decide what your goals and objectives are.

Fighting excess weight

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Excess body weight is the scourge of modernity. Every second Muscovite is overweight, and every fourth is obese. Doctors have been sounding the alarm for a long time, because along with overweight, the number of people with various pathologies is growing: hypertension, atherosclerosis, diabetes, and so on. To really understand how many extra pounds you have, use the advice of this article, which describes in detail all the methods that determine body composition. Although, sometimes it’s enough just to look at yourself in the mirror.

In order to lose weight at the expense of subcutaneous fat, so-called aerobic training is needed. For such workouts to be as effective as possible, their duration should be at least forty-five minutes, and the number of workouts should be up to five per week. This is the amount of work that is guaranteed to produce results.

So over what period and how much can you lose weight if you follow all the recommendations? It all depends on the excess fat in a particular person. The more extra pounds, the faster the weight goes off, but this only happens in the first month of regular training. As a rule, an obese person can lose up to 15 kilograms of excess weight in a month. It is important to understand that this is without the use of unhealthy and often banned fat burners. Further, the rate of weight loss will decrease - this is a normal reaction of the body to regular exercise.

It is during this period that you need to be patient and train with great enthusiasm. If we are talking about a person, say, weighing 120 kilograms, and the norm of his weight is eighty, then he will be able to safely and effectively get rid of the extra forty kilograms in six to eight months. This is the period when weight loss will not adversely affect health. The main thing is that a person will clearly understand that he is losing weight, and he will not have breakdowns in food, as often happens.

People who have put on ten or fifteen kilos need to endure not so long. Two or three months, and you can forget about excess weight.

Gaining muscle mass

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Gaining muscle mass is, in some cases, harder than losing fat, as there are different body types and different predispositions to build muscle. Almost any beginner can boast of a good result after three to four months of regular, up to five times a week, strength training. People who really enjoy lifting iron can gain up to eight to ten kilograms of muscle mass in six months of training.

But then the so-called stagnation or plateau inevitably occurs, when the body reacts worse and adapts to power loads, which means that muscle mass and strength increase more and more slowly. If a visitor to the gym wants to grow further, he will have to gain heroic patience, since muscle growth is a really long process.

Those who want to be like Schwarzenegger must spend years of their lives training. But you need to understand that this is only subject to the complete absence of prohibited drugs in training, which can cause irreparable harm to health.

Endurance development

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Various areas of functional training are now in vogue. Muscovites also began to run a lot, taking part in mass starts for short and long distances. To develop endurance in different directions, it is enough to train regularly from a month to six months. So, for crossfit training (if a person has no health problems, because this class is suitable only for absolutely healthy people), it is enough to undergo initial training within a month.