Kenneth Gardner

Dear Mr. Gardner:

Good day, sir, I saw your email address in the newspaper posted in the University of the West Indies' gym. I am a 22-year-old male student who wishes to gain more weight. I consistently workout, I have a defined six pack, and I am 'cut'. But I am not putting on any significant weight. My weight is 156 lb. Sir, is there anything you could prescribe - eating plan or exercise plan that I need to doin order to see results. Thanks very much in advance.

Dear Reader:

In response to your questions about how to increase your body mass, the following will help.

While many people struggle to lose weight, there are quite a number of others who continue to struggle to gain weight. While you might become frustrated that you can never seem to gain weight, other people who are either overweight or obese may actually envy you for your physique.

The main culprits behind your inability to successfully gain weight may be linked to two important factors - your metabolic rate and your body type. Both factors are linked to your genetic make-up and are completely different in each individual.

Gaining weight takes the same amount of focus and preparation as losing weight. The key to weight gain is to maximise your effort. This involves eating more and lifting weights to increase your body mass.

Eat more calories

Overall, you should try to consume between 300 and 500 calories above your normal diet. With this much food, you will be able to meet your daily energy needs and have the protein to build new muscle tissues many persons believe that the key to gaining weight is by eating a lot, this may not be entirely true. Certainly, eating more than you normally do will make you gain more weight, but this could be in the form of fat. In fact, infusing your increased caloric intake with a weight training programme is exactly what is recommended to put on that extra mass you need.

Increasing your caloric intake and not exercising will allow you to increase your mass with fat, which could cause the onset of lifestyle diseases. Surely, looking skinnier than others could be somewhat depressing, but eating to get fat is definitely not a desirabl In your attempt at gaining weight, try to avoiding fatty foods.

Eat balanced meals and at the same time increase both your carbohydrate and protein intake. You will need the carbohydrates to give you the energy to do the added physical exercise thatyou will need to do and the extra protein is to build the muscles that you need to develop. The order of building mass is by working out with heavy weights with six to eight reps in each set. Try mixing the exercises in your mass training programme so that you're able to work large muscle groups along with small ones.

Working out with barbells will help you gain weight. - rudolph brown/chief photographer

Here is a list of exercises that you can use to add some mass to your frame.

Barbell high pulls (back exercise)

Place barbell on the gym floor.

Step up to the bar with feet shoulder width apart.

Reach down and take a shoulder-width overgrip on the barbell.

Straighten arms, flatten back, bend knees as you assume starting position.

Initiate pull from floor by straightening your legs and extending torso.

Finally, pull barbell up towards lower chest.

Seated dumbbell curls (biceps exercise)

Grasp dumbbell and sit erect on bench.

Place feet flat on the floor for balance.

Place arms at sides with palm facing inwards,

Press upper arms against sides and curl dumbbell forward and upward towards shoulder level.

Hold, then repeat.

Flat bench dumb-bell files (chest exercise)

Grasp two dumb-bell and sit on bench with feet shoulder width apart.

Raise weights up and rest their ends on your knees.

Rock backward and lie flat on bench.

Bring weights with straightened arms above shoulder joints.

Rotate wrists so palms are facing inwards and lower weight outward and downward below the level of your chest.

Without bouncing, return to starting position.