If you’re looking for ways to boost your muscle mass and strength while maintaining your weight, then you’ve come to the right place. Nowadays, there are many different opinions about what is the ideal weight for a woman. However, when it comes to building significant muscle, there seems to be only one true answer – as long as you continue to gain weight, you’ll remain healthy and strong.
The important thing is to follow a weight gain program that works for you and keeps you motivated. In this article, you’ll discover how to gain muscle without losing weight and the exact training program that I followed to successfully do so. So, let’s get started.
Eat To Nourish Your Muscle
When you eat to fuel your muscle, your body will experience an increase in growth hormone production. This, in turn, will encourage your muscles to grow stronger and larger. When you start gaining weight, your body will respond by increasing its growth hormone production. This is why it’s essential to eat proteins when you’re trying to build muscle mass.
If you want to grow your muscles, you must provide your body with the necessary nutrition. To put it simply, you must eat to build strong muscles. Now, you might be thinking, “Well, what does that mean to eat?” To answer that question, let’s take a look at the foods that I focused on during my weight gain phase:
- Eggs (large): I always try to eat at least three eggs every day. While there are many different types of eggs that you can eat (such as egg whites and yolks), the best way to build muscle is through the consumption of whole eggs. Why? It’s quite simple. When you eat an entire egg, your body will experience an abrupt rise in blood glucose. This, in turn, will encourage your muscles to grow. Furthermore, large eggs contain a high amount of protein which will facilitate your body’s protein synthesis. Lastly, large eggs are an excellent source of vitamin E. This nutrient may help to protect your muscles from becoming weak.
- Greek Yogurt: Similar to eggs, Greek yogurt is another muscle-building superfood. Just like eggs, Greek yogurt contains high amounts of protein, and it’s quite versatile when it comes to preparing foods. However, what sets Greek yogurt apart from other types of protein is that it is rich in calcium which helps to maintain strong bones. For this reason, it’s often referred to as the “gold” food. Since Greek yogurt is quite versatile and it interacts well with various types of dishes, it makes it a bit easier to prepare when you’re deciding what kind of diet plan you want to follow. For example, if you want to gain muscle, then you may want to consider having Greek yogurt for breakfast every day.
- Dark Chocolate: If you want to build muscle, then you must consume foods that contain caffeine. Of course, you don’t need to consume caffeine to gain muscle, but it won’t hurt either. One of the best muscle-building foods that contains caffeine is dark chocolate. If you’re looking for a chocolate alternative that doesn’t have caffeine, then try looking into coconut milk chocolate or almond chocolate. These types of chocolate, in particular, are quite high in flavonoids which act as antioxidants that protect your cells and DNA from becoming damaged.
- Lean Meats: When you want to gain muscle, then you must include meat products in your diet. The reason for this is quite simple. When your body consumes protein, it’ll begin its synthesis process and build more muscle than it already has. This is why I ate so much red meat during the first half of my weight gain phase – it helped to increase the amount of muscle that I had. Furthermore, it’s not only about eating proteins, but also about timing them throughout the day. For example, if you consume your proteins at night, then your muscles will begin to repair and grow overnight. Thus, giving you a better chance of seeing significant results from your efforts.
- Seeds: For best results when it comes to building muscle, you should eat seeds. Why? Not only do they contain a good source of proteins, but they are also high in fibre. This means that your digestion will be improved and you’ll feel fuller for longer. Additionally, the Omega-3 fats which are found in seeds may help to reduce inflammation in your body. This, in turn, can help to increase muscle mass.
- Beans: If you’re looking to build muscle, then you shouldn’t avoid having beans in your diet. While most people think that beans are just going to make them gain weight, this couldn’t be further from the truth. One of the best types of beans for building muscle is black beans. If you’re not sure about how to prepare these beans, then you should try out some of the delicious recipes that I shared with you. Simply put, black beans contain a high amount of fibre which gives them a soft texture. This makes them easy to digest and absorb nutrients from.
- Artichokes: Like most other vegetables, artichokes contain a high amount of fibres which are essential for building strong muscles. However, what makes artichokes different is that they contain a good amount of iron which helps to increase the activity of your muscles. This is why some people refer to artichokes as the “power vegetable”. Simply slice off a few of these veggie delights, throw them in a microwave-safe dish, and heat them up in the microwave. This is a simple yet effective way of getting your daily dose of iron.
- Asparagus: Finally, we arrive at the most potent of the food items that I focused on while ginning up my muscle – asparagus. Now, like most other types of vegetables, asparagus contains high amounts of carbohydrates and fibres which are necessary for the upkeep of your muscles. However, what makes asparagus special is that it is quite high in vitamin C. This nutrient, as you may know, is necessary for collagen synthesis and maintenance. Collagen is a protein that gives human skin its elasticity. Thus, it’s quite evident that you’ll begin to notice a significant difference in your skin’s texture as soon as you start incorporating asparagus into your diet.
Consume More Water
When you’re trying to gain muscle, you must remember to drink a lot of water. This is especially important if you want to get the best results from your efforts. Believe it or not, adequate hydration helps to prevent some of the damage that may occur due to strenuous exercise. For this reason, you should drink at least eight glasses of water each day to stay on track to gain muscle. This is a rather easy thing to do if you’re following my program because I drink a lot of water throughout the day. Moreover, if you’re not drinking enough water, then you may begin to experience some of the effects of dehydration. These effects can range from mild (such as headaches and dizziness) to more severe (such as irritability and muscle cramps). To put it simply, you must stay hydrated if you want to build muscle.
Take Protein In The Right Amounts
While we’re on the subject of staying hydrated, it’s also important to remember that you must consume proteins in the right amounts. The best way to do this is by including more substantial portions in your diet. This way, your body will receive the necessary nutrition that it needs to maintain strong muscles. Remember, protein is as important for a human body as water – we can’t survive without it. However, try not to overdo it and eat too much protein since this may cause you to gain too much weight. Simply follow the suggested daily amounts in regards to proteins and you’ll be okay.
Now, you may be wondering what is the best type of protein to consume if you want to build muscle. While there are many different types of proteins, there is one true answer to this question – chicken! If you want to gain muscle, then eat chicken! It doesn’t get any simpler or more effective than this. If you want to learn more, then I would recommend checking out the Perfect Chicken recipe. This is one of the best and most popular recipes on my blog due to its simplicity and delicious taste. Not only does chicken provide high amounts of protein, but it is also very versatile. This is why I always have this protein in my fridge in case I suddenly find myself starving.
Set Short-And-Sweet Goals
While we’re on the subject of food, let’s say a few words about how you should be setting your goals for weight gain. As I mentioned earlier, there are many different opinions about what the ideal weight should be. However, when it comes to building muscle, there seems to be only one true answer – as long as you continue to gain weight, you’ll remain healthy and strong.