How to gain muscle mass asthenic. Asthenic physique in women, men, children

Usually, people who have recently come into bodybuilding, training intensively, notice an increase in muscle mass in particular and overall weight in general. But athletes with an asthenic physique (not predisposed to fullness or simply thin) sometimes cannot gain even a few kilograms and are looking for answers to questions about how to gain weight, while doing bodybuilding 3-4 times a week. Let's look at the reasons.

The reasons may be an excessive amount of the hormone cortisol, which prevents the formation of adipose tissue, increasing metabolism. If this is a hereditary factor, then even with the use of a large amount of carbohydrates, it is not possible to gain extra pounds. Such thinness is usually called extreme.

An important step in deciding how to gain weight is to review your diet and add gainers to it, which have a complex structure, consisting mainly of carbohydrates, and proteins that are absorbed by the body for a long time. It would be a mistake to replace carbohydrates with fats in the diet, fats should only be an addition to them.

The work of gainers is based on the fact that a different glycemic index, which are part of carbohydrates of varying complexity, allows the body to accumulate an optimal glycogen reserve in the muscles.

In addition, the composition of gainers includes protein, vitamins, minerals, creatine and glutamine. All together enhances the anabolic properties of these drugs.

Protein is essential as a building block for your muscles. It is almost impossible to get enough of it from ordinary food (subject to intensive training). The easiest way is to use synthesized protein (in powder form)

Well, if it is meat, broths, nuts, cottage cheese.

There is another important question: how to gain mass in bodybuilding without pumping your body with fat? Practice shows that gaining dry weight, as a rule, is not possible.

Therefore, initially pay attention to the increase in total body weight.

However, do not be too fanatical about weight gain. Keep track of the number of calories you eat throughout the day. If you are recommended 2500-3000 calories, then do not try to eat 5000, eat 3500-4000.

It is also important not to get carried away by eating a large amount of carbohydrates, otherwise this can lead to a decrease in the sensitivity of the hormone insulin. And this means that carbohydrates will cease to be a building material for muscles and will begin to intensively build adipose tissue.

In custody:
Eat balanced meals often
Reduce your workout time to 1-1.5 hours.
Deep, even breathing during exercise helps to saturate the muscles with amino acids.
Minimize physical activity between core workouts.
· Use nutritional sports supplements if you want to achieve the fastest result.

The asthenic body type is characterized by a low percentage of fat and muscle mass. People of this type (they are also called ectomorphs). For them, experts say, special nutrition and training programs are needed. “Few people understand how to train in order to gain muscle mass,” comments Anna Starodubtseva, founder of the online beauty and health school “Star Project Fitness”, company ambassadorOptimumNutrition. - If you want to grow, you must work to the limit of your strength, that's for sure. And this is the most basic mistake: because girls come to the gym, as a rule, they take 2 kg dumbbells, do some exercises, sit on a very light diet and want to grow. But this is fundamentally wrong: for growth, you need serious physical activity, work at the limit of your capabilities, and, of course, a properly composed menu with increased calorie content - muscles need to be “feeded”.

How to gain weight: nutrition rules

The most important of them we have already voiced is a balanced diet with increased calories. How to calculate calorie intake? “Since we are all different, the exact numbers will have to be selected individually,” says Anna Starodubtseva. - For example, according to this scheme: if your daily diet is 2000 kcal, then at first you need to increase the rate by 10% and watch yourself. If you notice that you are not growing yet, add another 5% and so on. But if you added 20% and see that you began to rapidly recover due to the fat layer, then you need to reduce this calorie or add cardio training.

The basis of the menu should be complex carbohydrates, protein and fiber. Sometimes high-calorie meals are acceptable. “For some of my clients, I “prescribe” some fast food twice a week - a burger, fries with mayonnaise, pizza, etc. Some ectomorphs, especially men, need to eat a plate of dumplings a couple of times a week, because it can be difficult to get everything calories from “clean” food, ”Anna sums up.

How to pump asthenic: the rules of classes

Muscle growth depends on several factors. “Two of its main stimulants are mechanical “damages” and the production of growth hormone,” says Anna Starodubtseva. “A properly planned exercise program will allow you to use both of these processes, which means you will grow faster and better.”

* Load up on strength training and focus on multi-joint exercises (squats, deadlifts, presses) . “They stimulate the production of growth hormone, which is responsible for the growth of muscle mass. And, accordingly, the more we stimulate its level, the better we will grow,” explains Anna Starodubtseva.

* At each workout, try to load the muscles of the whole body , and not work out the "top" and "bottom" in isolation. “This approach stimulates a powerful hormonal surge,” says our expert.

* Choose the right weights . “Train with such weights that at 8-10 repetitions it would be difficult for you to complete the last 2 movements. Most likely, you will need a partner for this, especially with exercises on the “top” - bench press and from the chest, ”recommends Anna.

* Adjust class mode and number of repetitions . “If you are a person far from fitness, I would recommend that you train in the 15 rep range for the first 2 weeks, just to master the mechanics of execution,” says Anna Starodubtseva. - Then gradually you need to reduce the number of repetitions and increase the weight, this is an important condition for growth. You need to come to 6-10 repetitions (sets from 3 to 5) to make the most of the growth phase."

* If you are a beginner, spend the first 5-6 sessions with a personal trainer . He will “set” you the right technique and help you choose the right working weights.

* If you are a “pure” ectomorph and it is very difficult for you to gain weight, You can skip cardio . “If you, rather, have a mixed body type, and don’t want to gain extra 10-15 kg, you can do light cardio for 20-30 minutes, either after strength training or take it out on a separate day,” advises Anna Starodubtseva.

* Get busy 3 times a week . “Such a scheme will do: in the first workout, include squats, deadlifts and pull-ups, bench press. In the second - squats, glute bridge, bench press, you can add more pull-ups. On the third training day, repeat everything that you did on the first, ”the expert sums up.

We asked Anna to show us exercises that will help asthenics to pump.

To complete the complex, you will need a neck (or bar), a bench, a frame and a low rack for fixing the neck.

Barbell Squats

Attach the bar to the frame at shoulder height. Stand facing him at arm's length. Place your palms on the bar with a straight grip slightly wider than your shoulders, step your left foot to the frame and “dive” under the bar, placing it on your shoulders. Take two steps back, removing the neck from the frame. Place your feet shoulder-width apart, toes slightly apart. Move your chest forward and slightly up. Keeping a natural arch in your lower back, bend your knees and push your pelvis back. Stretch your tailbone back and down, make sure that your knees do not go beyond the projection of the toes. Work the muscles of the press, back, buttocks and legs. Slowly return to the starting position. This is one repeat.

Rod pull

Sit on the floor with your shoulder blades leaning against the wide edge of the bench. Place the barbell over your hips, bend your knees slightly, and rest your feet on the floor. Place your hands on the bar with a straight grip shoulder-width apart. Pushing off with your feet, lift your pelvis off the floor there so that your shoulder blades are on the bench, your knees are bent at right angles, and the bar is resting on top of your thighs. Slightly bending your knees, lower your pelvis below the level of the bench and slowly return to the starting position, placing the body parallel to the floor. This is one repeat.

Not all women strive to get rid of extra pounds. Some of the fair sex suffer from thinness and dream of acquiring pleasant roundness and appetizing shapes. Do not think that the set of kilograms depends only on the number of chocolates and buns in the diet. Sometimes it takes more effort to gain weight than to lose it.

How to gain weight for a girl at home?

To increase the number of kilograms and not turn into a shapeless lady at the same time is not an easy task. According to nutritionists, for successful and proper growth of muscle mass in the right places, you need to completely change your lifestyle, come to grips with your diet, start regular exercise and take special supplements that increase muscle mass.

Success in increasing body weight is based on the "three pillars":

You need to spend fewer calories than you take with food.
Do exercises that contribute to the increase in kilograms.
Drink plenty of clean water: it helps to regulate the water-salt balance of a person and improves metabolism.

Rapid weight gain in a week - is it possible?

This diet guarantees: only one week will pass and the weight will increase. If you eat according to the rules below, even an asthenic can get better, and both fat and muscles will increase, thanks to which a beautiful relief is formed. The main condition, according to professional nutritionists, is to make the home diet multicomponent. What does it mean?

This means that a girl should not lean on sweets, buns or sandwiches with mayonnaise: you need to eat high quality and varied. And do not forget to follow certain rules:

Eat small meals and every 3 hours.
Include lean proteins (poultry or fish) in your diet, and use “slow” carbohydrates (oatmeal, buckwheat, durum pasta) as a side dish.
Eat high-calorie snacks. Different types of nuts are very good for weight gain - they are very nutritious and at the same time contain many valuable trace elements that are favorable for improving metabolism.

Attention mode!

Do not eat heavy meals after 7 p.m. Otherwise, you will get not an appetizing, but a plump figure.

Try to follow the rules and in just a week you will be able to see the first results in the mirror.

How to quickly gain weight for a thin girl?

Any thin girl hopes to get results quickly and effortlessly. However, the optimal rate of increase is considered to be 500-700 grams in 7 days, adding more will become dangerous for health: this will negatively affect the functioning of internal organs.

Make an individual training program and do it at home: in a couple of months you will definitely see the results and pleasant changes in the mirror.

What exercises will help you get better? First, it's a leg workout. Your personal program should include squats, leg squeezes on a special simulator (a large ball can serve as a simulator at home), forward bends and lunges, as well as push-ups and a plank. Each girl is able to master these exercises on her own.

Any girl should not forget that aerobic exercise will have to be excluded: running, exercise bike, step aerobics accelerates metabolism and contributes to increased energy expenditure. But strength training is your main assistant: spending per session is about 400 Kcal, but muscle tissue growth is guaranteed.

The main condition for any transformation is to prevent stress that destroys the human body. Harmony and a positive attitude is a good half of success. Give up bad habits. Remember: cigarettes tend to speed up the metabolism, and you do not need it at all.

Fill up on health!

Maria Soboleva

Do you want to gain weight? Learn the secrets of gaining cherished kilos

Here is a paradox - for someone, a tiny donut is laid off with extra pounds, while the other eats from the belly and is slender, like a cypress, or even just thin, one might say, skinny, and passionately wants to get better. Is it possible for such people to gain weight, what should be done? Are there other methods besides enhanced nutrition - answers and useful tips in this article.

Reasons for being underweight

So, you are determined to get better. Thin women want to add roundness to their forms, and angular men want to add volume to their muscles.

Are you afraid of difficulties? After all, gaining weight is not an easy task. It may take a lot of time, effort and patience. And the increase, most likely, will not be particularly noticeable.

Thinness in the absence of diseases is more of a psychological problem. You just don’t like your own appearance and it seems that the treasured few kilograms will save the situation.

In general, according to many doctors, thin people have better health and are more likely to live a long life.

Before you start gaining weight, eliminate one of the causes of thinness.

Reason number 1. Diseases

Often weight loss is associated with hormonal imbalances. A disruption in the production of thyroid hormones affects the metabolic rate, which can cause weight fluctuations.

Often these diseases are accompanied by loss of appetite. This symptom should alert and force you to consult a doctor. It is pointless to try to gain weight if its loss is associated with some kind of illness.

Reason number 2. Bad habits

Do you know this fact - smoking speeds up metabolism?

Reference: metabolism (metabolism) - a set of chemical reactions in the body that support its vital activity.

In addition to harm to health, smokers often also have a high risk of losing weight.

Painful thinness is also characteristic of drug addicts.

Excessive consumption of tea and coffee (containing caffeine) also contributes to weight loss.

Reason number 3. The human constitution

Body weight is genetically programmed. Thinness is laid in you by mother nature, you can’t get anywhere - it will be very difficult to recover.

If you have an asthenic body type, it means that gaining weight is really hard work for you. Thin asthenics have an increased metabolic rate. There is not enough fat mass, and the muscles are poorly expressed.

How to be so slim? Expert opinions differ. Some argue that with the right approach, it’s real to get better, it’s just that the process will be long and hard, and the result will be modest. Others are sure: to deviate from the genetically laid down norm is a useless exercise. All the same, with difficulty, the kilograms gained with difficulty will quickly leave.

Reason number 4. Physical activity

Strong physical activity - strenuous sports training or hard work - often leads to weight loss. By the way, in addition to the loss of fat and muscle tissue, the body also loses moisture. It helps to reduce body weight, but dehydration is extremely harmful.

How to be? Optimize exercise and eat well.

Reason number 5. Stress

You know, after all, a common truth - all diseases are from nerves. Troubles at home and at work, conflict situations, diseases of loved ones, difficult life situations cause nervous tension and stress. Because of this, a person can lose weight dramatically - stress hormones actively burn fat.

Determine the body mass index

Are you sure you're too skinny, or do you think so? It is very difficult to assess yourself objectively.

There is such an indicator of BMI (body mass index), which will help to understand whether the problem is far-fetched or real.

It is calculated as follows: BMI = Weight (kg) / Height (m) 2.

The weight in kilograms is divided by your height squared. For example: with a height of 1.7 m and a weight of 65 kg, the BMI will be 22.5. This indicator fits into the norm recommended by the World Health Organization - from 18 to 24.9.

Smaller numbers already indicate a lack of weight, and an index of 16 and below - there is a dangerous pronounced lack of mass. It is necessary to recover, but only under the supervision of doctors, because obviously we are talking about serious health problems.

It turns out that the task of gaining weight in each case is very individual. For some, this is vital, and for some it is important from an aesthetic point of view.

What to do to get better

We decided that only quite healthy people can gain weight themselves. In principle, ideally, they should also turn to professionals. A nutritionist would select the optimal weight gain program specifically for each person. Realizing that this option is not available to everyone, we will figure out how to recover on our own.

Sleep and rest mode

Does it help to gain weight? Definitely yes. And here's why: a sound restful sleep, ideally 8 hours, relieves stress (and we remember that they lose weight from it), improves mood, improves appetite. During sleep, growth hormone somatropin is produced, which promotes muscle building.

On weekends, allow yourself a daytime afternoon nap, just lie down, relaxed, for half an hour or an hour. After having lunch at work, also try to sit quietly for a while. During the working day, relaxing 10-15-minute breaks are useful.

Evening walks will help improve sleep.

Sports activities

We remember that excessive physical activity provokes weight loss, on the contrary, properly dosed sports activities help to increase body weight.

Muscle development is promoted by physical exercises, and both men and women need them, but to varying degrees.
It is optimal, of course, to work with a personal trainer on an individual program. But ... In general, we manage ourselves.

You need to load all muscle groups, a great way is swimming, tennis. Weight training will do. There are many complexes for muscle development. We set out to train regularly - choose the right one, since they are easy to find on the Internet or in specialized literature.

Nutrition for those who want to get better

We have come to the most interesting part - after all, most of us are sure that it is proper nutrition that will help you gain the cherished kilos.

A calorie is a unit of energy that is contained in food and used by our body.

If you consume more calories than you expend, the excess is stored by the body and weight is added. How much someone needs these same calories depends on gender, age, activity and physical activity. Average: 1600-2400 for women and 2400-3000 for men.

To get better, you need to increase your calorie intake by 500-1000 per day. But remember: it is not the number of calories that is more important, but where they are contained. Food must be healthy! You can, of course, gobble up a cake and add about 500 units, but it’s probably more useful to get them by having lunch with a piece of turkey with a rice side dish.

So, you should not overeat with buns, pies, cakes and chocolates. Calorie? Yes, but our goal is to get better, not to get diabetes, caries and indigestion. We will add kilograms by eating healthy foods.

Here is a whole list of what saturates the body with the necessary proteins, fats, carbohydrates, minerals and vitamins:

Eggs are tasty, high-calorie, a source of protein, vitamins A, D, E, folic acid.
Fatty fish: salmon, trout, mackerel, tuna contain the protein we need, omega-3 unsaturated fatty acids contribute to the work of the heart.
Shrimp is a high-calorie seafood rich in protein and amino acids.
Cheese is valuable for its high content of protein and fat, calcium, and calorie content.
Milk, sour cream, yogurt - we use it daily, we get vitamins, protein, calcium.
Oil: we eat both butter and vegetable - olive, sunflower, peanut, corn.

Carbohydrate-rich foods: pasta, oatmeal, cereals, baked goods, legumes, brown rice, vegetables.

And also obligatory in the diet: fruits, juices, nuts and seeds, dried fruits.

We are also trying to gain weight with nutritious cocktails.

There is such a folk recipe: stir 2-3 tablespoons of fatty sour cream in a glass of dark beer, salt and drink.

Another high-calorie drink: mix a glass of milk, a banana, a tablespoon of peanut butter, a teaspoon of honey, add a couple of ice cubes.

In addition to breakfast, lunch and dinner, it is good to have snacks during breaks. Suitable almonds, peanuts, dried fruits. Do not forget about fruits - bananas, peaches, melon, grapes. It is quite possible to afford ice cream or cake between main meals.

Such a rich diet in order to get better is recommended by many nutritionists.

But there is also an alternative point of view. Its adherents criticize frequent and high-calorie meals, giving their reasonable arguments.

Firstly, if you saturate the body with food all day, when will all of it have time to be digested? Secondly, from such food there is a load on the pancreas, liver, and our internal organs are not a conveyor for processing the flow of products ().

There is no more, but better - this is the motto of this method.

Carbohydrates will help those who want to build up adipose tissue (ladies, of course). And muscle development is promoted by amino acids obtained from protein products: eggs, milk, meat, fish. Men should focus on them.

Enzymes that help digest food are supplied by vegetables and fruits. They are essential in the diet of those gaining weight.
In general, the menu, the purpose of which is to get better, is simply the envy of losing weight. Is it possible to compare the range and quantity of products needed in these cases?

Regarding special means: anabolic steroids, gainers, protein supplements. Don't think they are your lifeline. Such things are used by athletes with strong physical exertion and under the supervision of specialists.

Achieve results with proper nutrition and lifestyle.

Let's try not to harm ourselves in pursuit of the desired kilograms, not to turn into an automaton, absorbing more and more portions of food. Better to be skinny but healthy than fat but sick.

Take it, tell your friends!

Ectomorph Nutrition Secrets

It is necessary to avoid high-fat foods, especially animal fats, sausages, mayonnaise, whole milk products, fatty and sweet desserts, fast food, food from containers, chips;

For an ectomorph, the ideal ratio of nutrients in the diet can be (approximately):

55% complex carbohydrates (whole grains, rice, nuts, vegetables);

30% quality protein (whey, turkey, chicken, eggs);

15% healthy fats (cold-pressed olive oil, flaxseed oil, good omega-3 fatty acids from sources such as sea fish and seafood).

Nutrition for an ectomorph at first should be increased by consuming proteins and other healthy nutrients in order to increase the calorie content of food and. (But that doesn't mean you can now just eat chocolate all day!)

By increasing the amount of proper balanced nutrition, you can help the body synthesize its own protein to build a muscular frame.

What exercises are most attractive to an ectomorph?

In order to get the most benefit from exercise, training for an ectomorph should include long rest breaks between exercises. Be patient, these lazy pauses will not only help your body recover, but also significantly increase the effect of building muscle mass.

Include strength training in sports! They contribute to the increase in muscle mass through daily activities with weight lifting. Their varieties:

Monotonous work of muscles with various free weights;

Increasing the intensity of classes;

Improving the technique of performing exercises;

5 Tibetan exercises-pearls for strengthening strength and flexibility.

Strength and endurance need to be developed and maintained constantly, as your muscle mass grows very slowly. You can’t abandon training, otherwise, due to high-calorie nutrition and physical inactivity, your slender curves will go away!

Aerobic exercise should also be part of your workout. Although ectomorphs do not have the task of losing weight, which is provided by cardio, they are important for relieving stress - an actual problem for people with asthenic body type, as well as for increasing the level of endurance and taking care of their health. 15-30 minutes of aerobic exercise, moderate to fast paced, three times a week is sufficient for such tasks.

At the same time, cardio training should take place in the “corridor” of values: 60-80% of your maximum in order to prevent burning too many calories that can be used to build muscle. Over time, you can increase the number of workouts per week to four.

Include in your training program: muscle stretching exercises, toning exercises, body balance (body balance) or tai chi.

The most famous ectomorph stars are: Angelina Jolie, Paris Hilton and Michelle Pfeiffer.

This type of physique, like an ectomorph, is called by many beautiful and graceful. But people with an asthenic body shape are also prone to excess weight due to their lifestyle. By switching to healthy products, and maintaining a taut tone of a slender figure with physical exercises, you can always look at 100%!