You must have heard people saying, ‘Hey you look malnourished; why don’t you gain some weight’ or ‘Don’t you eat food?’ So, what you do now? As always, have to justify why you don’t gain weight. Believe it or not gaining weight is as hard and challenging as losing weight and most importantly gaining weight through true muscle mass and not just fat!
Tools To Identify Your Need To Gain
Basal Mass Index (BMI)
Body Mass Index (BMI) is a measure which indicate the ideal body weight as per height. Although this will not tell you in depth about your body composition (Fat%, Muscle mass etc.) but might help you understand how much weight you need to put on. The BMI is expressed in kg/m2. BMI is calculated as:
BMI = weight (In Kg) ÷ Height² (In Meters)
WHO has given the following BMI ranges:
| Category | BMI range (kg/m2) |
|---|---|
| Underweight | < 18.5 |
| Normal weight | 18.5 to 24.9 |
| Overweight | 25 to 29.9 |
| Obese | >30 |
❝ Generally, BMI is not used for muscle builders and athletes as it does not take into account whether the weight is carried as muscle, water or fat. Those with a higher muscle mass, such as bodybuilder, may have a higher BMI due to high lean muscle mass (Muscle mass is heavier than fat mass). ❞
Body composition analysis:
You must already be aware of this tool and its importance in assessing and monitoring weight loss, but little do you know it help in understanding if you need weight gain too! However, getting it done at least 30 mins before any exercise, without food or water otherwise it may affect the accuracy.
It helps you know your -
- Lean Muscle mass - Helps you understand how much you lack and therefore how much you need to gain.
- Fat Mass or Fat % - Helps to understand overall fat gain (Some people have a subnormal fat%)
- Skeletal mass – will tell you bone density means how strong and dense your bone is. Low bone mass density indicates poor bone health probably nutrients like Ca, Vit D, K, Zn, P, Mg deficiency
- Water weight% - It consider the age, gender and helps to calculate hydration level.
Eg: Tanita, In Body Analysis 230
By knowing where you lack, your first step towards weight gain is met because now you know what to work on to get there!
Know Your Body Type
once you have identified your body type, it will be easier to come up with a perfect methodology to meet the challenge weight gain poses!
So, let’s once and for all lay your confusion at rest and understand what the different body types and a solution to their weight gain problem are!
| Body Type | Characteristics | Diet and Exercise | Supplementation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ectomorph |
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| Ecto-Mesomorph |
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| Meso-Endomorph |
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❝ once you have identified your body type, it will be easier to come up with a perfect methodology to meet the challenge weight gain poses!❞
We Say
By following a perfect Diet that suit your requirement, Training, Supplementation schedule and based on your present body composition and goals it is possible to overcome the challenges that people face in the quest of Weight gain!
