Weight Gain to Obtain Athletic Superiority
- By:Robert Baird Baird
Just as athletes want to lose weight for competitive purposes, many attempt to gain weight to obtain athletic superiority. For most, this means improved strength and power, which can also lead to increased speed and greater resistance to opponents' movements. This would be especially advantageous in sports such as football, heavier classes in weightlifting and wrestling, and track and field events (specifically the javelin and other throwing events).
However, athletes are not the only ones who desire body mass gains. Many recreational weight trainers also strive to gain weight, and the protocol used to achieve this goal should be no different from that used by athletes. Also, from a health standpoint, weight gain is often necessary for proper physical and metabolic maturation. Such is the concern in the extremely lean individual or amenorrheic female who risks bone IOSS. Regardless, the goals of weight gain should maximize increases in lean body mass while minimizing gains in fat mass. But, just as a loss of lean tissue often accompanies weight loss, the accrual of fat is usually an undesired addition to muscular gains. In either instance, optimal physique enhancement is always accomplished by appropriate dietary and training practices.
In the case of weight gain, this is best accomplished through resistance training. Such exercise promotes an anabolic environment by enhancing protein synthesis, stimulating the release of muscle-building hormones, and encouraging muscle growth through adaptation to strenuous training. As this is achieved, the body is primed for the acceptance of additional calories (beyond that required to maintain body weight) that presumably favor lean body mass gains.
The appropriate caloric intake required to stimulate lean body mass gains is approximately 500 to 1000 kcal in excess of the total daily energy expenditure. The approach is similar to weight loss in terms of manipulating energy intakes. However, whereas exercise can be used to increase the daily caloric deficit during attempts to lose weight, it must receive compensation in the dietary regimen of those who seek to gain weight. For example, if an individual expends 2500 kcal daily as a result of free and regular activities, and an additional 300 kcal from weight training (a total of 2800 kcal daily), this individual's program of weight gain should contain 3300 to 3800 kcal daily.
As with weight loss, weight gains should proceed slowly, at the rate of approximately 0.5-1.0 kg/wk. Rapid weight gain is typically associated with gains in water weight initially, followed by fat gains. This is especially the case when one desires to gain a significant amount of weight. To prevent this, weight gain should be prolonged further, such that individuals proceed at approximately 0.25-0.5 kg/wk. This approach would likely ensure primarily lean body mass gains. Finally, as with attempts at weight loss, body weight and composition should be monitored regularly (every 1-2 wks) to signal necessary dietary changes.
Choosing macronutrient ratios that favor muscular gains is also an important but often overlooked strategy for physique and athletic improvement. Proper manipulation of these dietary variables is a substantial tool in establishing an anabolic environment, thus promoting muscular growth. Also, pre and post-exercise feedings are also crucial to attaining a desired goal, be it to gainllose weight or enhance athletic achievement.About the author:
Do you wish to know more about http://www.sportsfitnesstrainin g.org ">fitness exercises or http://www.bodybuilding4u.com ">bodybuilding and fitness? Then have a look at authors site on which you will also find http://www.supplementsmanual .org ">vitamin supplements.