Posts Tagged ‘quality calories’

5 Biggest Mistakes When Trying To Gain Weight

Posted: September 24, 2011 by williampower in Behavior Modification, Exercise, Myth Busting
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1. Eating two or three huge meals with several hours in between. Yes, you hard gainers (those who have trouble gaining quality muscle) are less inclined to turn these meals into fat due to your fast metabolisms, however, this method will also force your body to feed off stored energy (often muscle mass over body fat) in between meals. This makes it more than difficult for your body to retain muscle mass. The best solution for this is to eat 5 to 6 meals each day.

2. Consuming excess amounts of calorie-laden junk foods. Eating can be like a job for hard gainers. In an attempt to pack on some quick calories, hard gainers often turn to fast food like burgers or pizza. However, these foods contain entirely too much sugar, fat, and refined flour. They are better at adding inches to your waistline than adding inches to your biceps. In the fitness game, always emphasize quality over quantity. Eat quality whole foods and consume quality liquid calories when whole foods aren’t available. For some, weight-gaining products taken correctly can be a great way to gain mass.

3. Using too many energy drinks, which inhibit appetite. Caffeinated energy drinks play an important role in mustering energy and supporting mass gains. The problem is, they reduce appetite making it less likely for hard gainers to consume the quality calories necessary for mass gains. No one is saying to eliminate caffeine from your diet, just remember to consume it in moderation so that it doesn’t impact to intake of necessary quality calories.

4. Eating inconsistently. Most hard gainers have a tendency to eat well for two or three days then fall off the chuck wagon for lack of a better term. You have to eat consistently to grow. You should be hitting our target amount of calories each day.

5. Overtraining. More than a few hard gainers are under the assumption that more training means more muscle growth. Well that’s not entirely accurate. Muscles grow after you train, while you’re resting. Training too long or too often can be counterproductive.