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How to Gain Lean Bodyweight Part I
The secret
to gaining lean bodyweight is calories. Most people who want to
gain weight and are having a difficult time doing so just aren't
eating enough. Simple isn't it? Of course there's more to it than
just calories; like the nutrient density, calorie density, meal
frequency and the ratio of calories from carbohydrate, protein and
fat. There's also proper training, recuperation and sleep to factor
in too. But when it comes to gaining lean weight, calories are the
bottom line just the same. No matter what you eat and no matter how
hard you train, if you're not eating enough it is physiologically
impossible to gain muscle.
There are
many factors involved in gaining lean bodyweight, but the starting
point is to calculate your total daily energy expenditure (TDEE),
which is the number of calories you require to maintain your
bodyweight. According to exercise physiologists William McArdle and
Frank Katch in their excellent textbook, Exercise Physiology, the
average TDEE for women in the United States is 2000-2100 calories
per day and the average TDEE for men is 2700-2900 per day. To
calculate TDEE you must first determine your basal metabolic rate
(BMR). Your BMR is defined as the minimum level of energy required
to sustain the body's vital functions in the waking
state.
Here's a
simple formula developed by Dr. Fred Hatfield of the International
Sports Sciences Association that you can use to estimate your BMR
based on your bodyweight in kilograms. (One kilogram is 2.2
lbs.)
Men's BMR
= 1 X body weight (kg) X 24
Women's BMR = .9 X body weight (kg) X 24
Example:
You are male
You weigh 172 lbs. (78 kilos)
Your BMR = 1 X 78 X 24 = 1872 calories
The
formula above is based on total body weight, not lean body mass,
therefore it will be fairly accurate provided your body fat levels
are not above the average ranges (14-19% for men, 20-25% for
women). If your body fat is substantially higher than average, then
basing caloric needs on total bodyweight alone will overestimate
calorie expenditure.
If you
know your lean body mass, then you can get an even more accurate
estimation of your BMR. This formula from Katch & McArdle takes
into account lean mass and therefore is more accurate. The
difference in calorie expenditure between men and women is due to
the fact that men generally have a higher lean body mass and a
larger total body surface area. Since this formula accounts for
lean body mass, it applies equally to men and women.
BMR (men
and women) = 370 + (21.6 X lean mass in kg)
Example:
You are male
You weigh 172 lbs (78 kilos)
Your body fat percentage is 14% (24.1 lbs fat, 147.9 lbs lean)
Your lean mass is 147.9 lbs (67.2 kilos)
Your BMR = 370 + (21.6 X 67.2) = 1821 calories
Now that
you know your BMR, you can calculate TDEE by multiplying your BMR
by the following activity factor.
Activity
factor
Sedentary =BMR X 1.2
Lightly active = BMR X 1.375
Moderately active = BMR X 1.55
Very active = BMR X 1. 725
Extremely active =BMR X 1.9
Continuing
with the previous example:
You are a 172 lb. male with 14% body fat and a BMR of 1821
Your activity level is moderately active (work out 3-4 times per
week)
Your activity factor is 1.55
Your TDEE = 1.55 X 1821 = 2822 calories
Once
you've determined your TDEE, the second step is to increase your
calories high enough above your TDEE that you can gain weight. It
is a basic law of energy balance that you must be on a positive
calorie balance diet to gain muscular bodyweight. If you consume
the exact amount of your TDEE you will simply maintain your weight.
Generally speaking, you'll need to add another 300-500 calories per
day onto your TDEE in order to gain weight. To be more specific,
add a minimum of two calories per pound of bodyweight on top of
your TDEE to determine your optimal caloric intake to gain
weight.
Continuing
with our example:
Your weight is 172 lbs.
Your TDEE is 2822 calories
Your additional calorie requirement for weight gain is 2 X 172 =
344
Your optimal caloric intake for weight gain is 2822 + 344 =
3166
Using the
formulas above, we have determined that our "typical" 172 lb.
moderately active male will need 3166 calories to gain weight. Keep
in mind that this is merely an estimate: All calorie expenditure
formulas are estimations. Due to genetic factors, there may be a
20% variance of BMR either way. Age is another factor that you may
want to take into consideration. According to Dr. William Evans,
PhD., one of the world's leading authorities on exercise and aging,
we may need as much as 100 calories less per day per decade to
maintain our body weight. Also consider that certain athletes train
so frequently and so intensely that their TDEE can be off the
normal activity scale limit of 1.9. Daily energy expenditure can be
much higher for competitive athletes or extremely active
individuals. Some triathletes and marathon runners have been
reported to require as many as 5000-6000 calories per day or more
just to maintain their weight!
Don't just
focus on gaining weight. It doesn't do you any good to gain weight
if most of it is fat. The goal of a weight gain program is to gain
lean muscle mass with little or no increase in body fat. If you
have access to body fat testing, get it done every 1 -2 weeks. If
you find yourself gaining fat, first add in 20-30 minutes of cardio
3-4 days per week. If, after adding cardio you still gain fat and
the quality and quantity of calories is correct, then you will need
to begin cycling your calories up and down in a "zig-zag" fashion.
Three high calorie days at your optimum calorie intake for weight
gain, followed by three lower calorie days at or slightly below
your maintenance level (TDEE) will allow you to add solid weight
while keeping your body fat in check.
Using
these calorie guidelines, you can expect to gain muscular
bodyweight at a rate of 1/2 to 1 lb. per week, or slightly slower
if you are female. If two weeks go by and you haven't gained any
weight, you're doing something wrong; most likely, you're not
eating enough and you should increase your calories. After 3 - 4
months, the rate of muscle gain tends to slow down closer to 1/2
pound per week. Eventually, as you get closer and closer to your
genetic limit for carrying muscle mass, the rate of muscle gain
will slow down to 1/4 lb per week. Even at this rate, that's still
13 pounds of solid muscle per year.
About the Author:
Tom Venuto is a lifetime natural bodybuilder,
personal trainer, gym owner, freelance writer and author of "Burn
the Fat, Feed The Muscle" (BFFM): Fat Burning Secrets of the
World's Best Bodybuilders and Fitness Models. Tom has written over
140 articles and has been featured in IRONMAN magazine, Natural
Bodybuilding, Muscular Development, Muscle-Zine, Exercise for Men
and Men’s Exercise. Tom is the Fat Loss Expert for
Global-Fitness.com and the nutrition editor for Femalemuscle.com
and his articles are regularly featured worldwide on literally
dozens of other websites.
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