Let’s face it… being a lean dude while trying to gain weight can be frustrating.
If you are already in the process of getting to your desired weight the last thing you want to do is burn too much of it off by doing cardio.
That’s why we designed this article so that you know how to do cardio while trying to gain weight.
No need to let go of good cardio health. You can keep your weight-gaining journey safe and effective.
So, are you ready for this?
Let’s dive in!
The short answer:
To Effectively Do Cardio While Gaining Weight…
…Continue Weight Training and Calisthenics
Cardio exercise is the go-to avenue for losing weight. Intense cardio requires lots of energy to keep your heart rate up. For this to happen, your body has to burn lots of calories–something you DON’T want if you’re trying to gain weight.
It’s understandable to think cardio exercising might hurt your weight-gaining goal, but here’s a shocker. The right kinds of cardio can actually help you gain weight! What you need is the right amount of cardio exercise 2-3 times weekly.
Below are some of the best cardio weight-gaining exercises for men and women. They’re super simple and exciting.
- Push-ups. This is a simple and effective way of building your arm and shoulder muscles while facing the ground.
- Pull-ups. This works in the same way as push-ups. The difference is, you’ll need a pull-up bar to grip onto. It’s awesome for building arm and shoulder muscles.
- Squats. This exercise is good for building your glutes and leg muscles.
- Lunges. This also helps you with leg toning and building your glutes.
- Bench Press. This exercise will help build chest muscles, triceps, and shoulder muscles. Simply lie on a bench with your back and repeatedly lift and lower a bar with a challenging amount of weight on it.
- Overhead Press. This one helps you build up the following areas: back, abs, legs, shoulders, and arm muscles. You’ll need a weighted bar to pull this off, too.
The Best Diet for Weight Gaining with Cardio
Gaining weight should be easy and fun. To help you gain weight fast, you need to eat healthy foods. However, it can be hard when you don’t have a meal plan to follow.
You know you will need to consider the excess calories you will be burning during cardio. But how does a weight gaining meal plan look?
It should be determined by looking at your body mass index (BMI).
BMI measures the amount of weight you carry versus your height. Keep in mind it this is not always the best indicator of health.
A BMI range of 18.5 – 24.9 is said to be a healthy body mass ratio. However, if yours is falling below 18.5, it means you’re most likely underweight.
If this is the case, you’ll need a meal plan for gaining weight the healthy way. Here’s a sample you can follow:
- Every morning between 7-8 am, eat 6-7 almonds.
- For breakfast, between 8-9 am, take some corn flakes or oats with milk. You can also try some cereal porridge.
- For mid-morning breakfast, between 11-12 noon, take whey protein or full-fat milk.
- For lunch, between 1:30-2:30 pm, some rice, vegetables, a piece of fish or chicken breast or eggs, salad, or a glass of yogurt will be perfect.
- For an evening snack, between 5:30-6:30 pm, eat vegetable sandwiches or some baked potato.
- For dinner, between 8:30-9:30 pm, eat some brown rice served with kidney or black beans and some salad.
- And before going to bed, take a glass of full-fat milk.
Following this simple yet effective meal plan should help you gain weight fast.
Sample Foods to Eat When Trying to Gain Weight
- Whole-Grain Bread: Rich in nutrients and full of fiber.
- Nuts: A source of healthy fat that you can consume as snacks. An example is almond nuts.
- Fat Rich Fruits such as avocados. Besides the fat, they’re full of nutrients and fiber-rich.
- Full-Fat Dairy Products: These are nutritious and multi-vitamin rich. Whole milk is a perfect choice.
- Eggs: These are protein-rich thus excellent for bulking up.
- Red Meat: The best kind is organic red meat from grass-fed cows. Others can be harmful to your health.
- Lean Proteins: These are awesome for building healthy muscles and tissues. Examples include chicken or fish.
Check out our other article dedicated to foods to eat to put on weight.
Join a Weight-Gaining Program
Such programs exist for a reason. You’ll definitely get more motivation to achieve your goals when you join one. Some types of programs include offline gym sessions, online fitness classes, or teaming up with like-minded friends.
You’re probably asking, “Why do these programs work?” Let me show you.
- They’ll help you keep track of weight-gaining best practices, such as foods and cardio intensity.
- They’ll help you set realistic and SMART goals.
- They’ll help you stop bad habits such as too much consumption of alcohol or smoking.
You can accomplish a lot alone, but joining weight-gaining programs will help you achieve a lot more and faster.
Try Out Weight Gaining Supplements
Taking in the right foods and exercising are good ways to build muscle and gain weight. However, for quick results, you may need to try some weight-gaining supplements. Below are the best supplements for weight gain.
- Protein Powder. Proteins are critical for muscle growth. In fact, the National Institutes of Health recommend that your daily calorie intake should contain 10-35 % of protein-rich foods or protein supplements. Check out our article dedicated to our favorite protein powders and no protein powder options.
- Creatine. Creatine exists naturally in your body’s cells. When taken as a supplement, it has tons of additional benefits. Examples include: energy production and muscle gain improvement. Creatine monohydrate is a perfect choice since it’s safe and effective.
- Weight Gainers. These are high-calorie weight gaining supplements. They’re made of carbs and proteins. Including them in your meal plan will help you take more calories for weight gain.
- Exercise Stimulating Supplements. Some great examples are caffeine, Citruline, Beta-Alanine, and HMB. Generally, these supplements supercharge you during your cardio exercise sessions. And the more you exercise, the more you build up your muscles.
Final Thoughts
Are you still wondering how to gain weight without gaining fat? This article should help answer all your questions.
But reading alone can only take you so far. That’s why we recommend you take PROMPT action. Do you have any questions or a tip we haven’t included in this piece? Then, let us know in the comment section.
Author Bio
Randolph Ray has worked as a nutritionist for years and can explain the nutrition contents in food to help you resolve eating disorders. Also, he is fond of yoga and likes writing articles on his blog.
….Are you looking to gain weight fast? Then, we’d like to recommend you check out the best weight gainer on gymexpert.com.
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