Exercising basics for putting on weight

Basic things you need to know about training, before you can start piling on the pounds.

Exercising isn't as important for gaining pure weight as nutrition is. However a good weight training regime will not only speed up the process of weight gaining, it will also make sure that the weight that you gain is distributed in the right places. Here are a few things you need to know before you set a foot in the gym.

Compound exercises. You should be focusing all of your energy in the gym on the compound(multi joint), free weight exercises. These exercises use a lot of muscles in your body, at the same time. There are a lot of benefits to this. Firstly, your muscles are being used as they were intended to be used by nature, this allows for maximum activation of the muscle fibres. In simple terms, a lot more muscles are working. A lot more stabalising muscles are also working, which translates into superior functional strength. Secondly these exercises allow you to lift heavier weights, this puts more stress on the central nervous system. This stress tells the body that it needs to grow(i.e. start releasing the right hormones needed for growth), to add weight in order to adapt to this new stress for the future. Proper barbell squats and deadlifts are essential when it comes to putting on weight as those are the execises that use the biggest muscle groups in your body and force the most growth..

Technique. Using proper technique is essential on all exercises. Firstly it prevents injury in the short and the long term. Secondly it makes the muscles work properly. As an example, a full range of motion squat(you go down low) is a hard exercise to master. If you start doing it with incorrect technique and gradually get stronger, you will develop muscle imbalances. For example the quadriceps(front of the thigh) will be a lot stronger then the hamstrings(back of the thigh) and the glutes(your bum). Not only will this mean that you're not racking a hot behind, it will also mean that after months of performing the exercise you will get to a certain weight, where you will not be able to progress any further until your hamstrings and glutes catch up in strength with your quadriceps. So instead of spending a week trying to get the proper technique you end up wasting months or even years trying to fix muscle imbalances.

Training layout. Training 3 times a week is optimal(monday, wednesday, friday). Your workout sessions should be about an hour. Aim to lift the weight for 2-3 sets of 6-10 repetitions. However when you first start out you may need to do a large number of sets with light weight in order to perfect your technique- DO NOT UNDERESTIMATE THE IMPORTANCE OF THIS!

Intensity. Once you master the exercises you must train heavy and with a lot of weight, you should be pushing yourself every time. This does not mean training until you can't feel your arms. It simply means you should give it all you got on every set. However DO NOT sacrifice technique to squeeze an extra repetition out of yourself.

Cardio. Cardio is fitness workouts like jogging, walking, aerobics, swimming and any other kind of fitness training. If you are trying to gain weight, keep this to a minimum. If you do choose to do cardio for health reasons, I suggest you do it on the days that you don't train and are generally most inactive. Have a lot of food before and after.

Food. You need to have a good meal about 1 or 2 hours before your training session. preferably 2 hours if it's a big meal. You should also aim to have a meal straight after the workout. If you can't have a meal straight after the workout I suggest you drink about 0.5 liters of pure squeezed juice or even better, a smoothie. Protein shakes can also be very effective.

These are the BASIC things you NEED to know about exercising. There is a lot more to learn on the topic and if you are interested I suggest you check out some of the books in my top 3. They have huge sections devoted to exercising and weight training with everything explained.

Today's top 3:

1. The Truth About Building Muscle

Hands down the best book on gaining muscle weight, out there.

 

2. No Nonsense Muscle Building

An excellent book by a true expert.

 

3. Amazing Smoothies

Getting the extra needed calories and nutrients couldn't be easier.

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