Diet and exercise to gain weight

For people who want to gain weight and want to gain a belly, the secret is that weight gain is due to an increase in muscle mass and fat accumulation. For this, it is necessary to perform physical exercises that cause a great effort and muscular wear, such as performing musculature exercises or practicing CrossFit. In addition, you must take a diet rich in proteins such as meat, eggs, and beans, avoiding the consumption of foods rich in sugar.

In some cases, it may be necessary to use protein supplements to promote muscle hypertrophy and accelerate muscle recovery after performing physical activity. However, the ideal in these cases is to go to a sports nutritionist to evaluate if there is a need to use them, as this will depend on each person.

How should the diet be?

To gain weight without gaining a belly, the diet must be based on natural and fresh foods, rich in fiber, such as wholegrain cereals, fruits and vegetables, which help to increase intestinal transit and decrease the absorption rate of carbohydrates and fats at the intestinal level , promoting a greater feeling of satiety and regulating blood sugar and cholesterol, thus increasing weight in a healthy way.

It should also be rich in proteins such as meats, eggs, fish, chicken, tofu, cheeses and natural yogurts, and rich in foods that provide energy and include good fats such as maní or cacahuate, marañón or merey, olive oil, avocado and seeds like la de chía, linaza, girasol and calabaza. The combination of these foods will favor the increase of muscle mass and muscle recovery after training.

Another important point is to avoid foods rich in sugar and flavors such as pies, pasteles, pan blanco, galletas, bizcochos, sweets, chucherías and industrialized products. These foods have a high caloric concentration and stimulate the production and accumulation of fat in the body. See an example menu to increase muscle mass.

Know what your ideal weight is using the calculator below:

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When to use supplements

Supplements to gain muscle mass are rich in proteins and their precursors (amino acids), and must be used under the guidance of a nutritionist or nutriologist, and are indicated when protein consumption through food is not sufficient or when it is difficult to achieve the amount of protein in some food during the day, especially in those people who spend a lot of time outside of home or work on the street.

In addition to protein supplements, supplements such as creatine, BCAA and caffeine can also be used, which provide a greater disposition for training and increase the energy reserve in the muscles. Discover the main supplements to gain muscle mass.

What are the best exercises

The best exercises to gain muscle mass are muscle exercises and crossfit, which are activities that require a stimulus of the muscle by overload, which is why it is forced to bear a weight greater than what it normally can. This excess load stimulates muscle hypertrophy to be able to practice the activity with greater ease.:

Physical activity is essential to gain weight without gaining belly, it must be practiced for 1 hour daily. However, it is important to create a series of routines that you can alternate, since after working a group of muscles, they must be given a rest for a day or two, this is for the purpose of allowing their recovery and promoting hypertrophy, and During these rest days, work on another muscle group.

Watch the video for the continuation and see other tips from our nutritionist to gain weight in a healthy way: