Aa
18 yr old female want to gain weight in muscle
I'm an 18 yr old female 5'7 height and weigh around 125. I'm starting the Army ROTC program next semester and I'd really like to gain about 7 pounds before then. I've tried to gain weight but really struggle with anything above 125. I do a little jogging but nothing serious. . So Q 1 is what are some good foods for healthy weight gain? Q 2 is what are some exercises I can perform without equipment to build muscle? Thanks!!
Eating an extra 500 to 1,000 calories a day can help you gain 1 to 2 pounds a week, according to dietitian Elena Blanco-Schumacher, which is considered a healthy and reasonable rate of weight gain. Most adult women need 1,600 to 2,400 calories a day to maintain their weight, so a weight gain meal plan for women should contain 2,100 to 3,400 calories a day. Keeping a food diary to track your usual intake before starting can help you determine your individual calorie needs for weight gain. To prevent feeling too full on your weight gain meal plan, eat six meals a day instead of the usual three. Try to include as many food groups as possible at each meal to make sure you meet your nutrient needs.
A high-calorie weight gain breakfast might include 1 cup of oatmeal made with 1 cup of low-fat milk and mix-ins that include 12 sliced almonds and 3 tablespoons of raisins for 460 calories. A nutritious mid-morning meal might include 1 cup of calcium-fortified orange juice and one slice of whole-wheat bread topped with 1 tablespoon each of peanut butter and 100 percent all-fruit jelly for 450 calories.
Lunch and mid day eat your fruits and veggies. They may be low in calories, but they're rich in nutrients that keep you healthy. A weight-gain lunch meal might include 3 ounces of grilled chicken on a whole wheat bun topped with a 1-ounce slice of Swiss cheese, lettuce, tomatoes and onions served with 1 cup of mixed greens tossed with 1 tablespoon of olive oil and balsamic vinegar for 475 calories. A few hours later, enjoy a high-calorie mid-afternoon meal such as one large fresh pear with 1 cup of low-fat yogurt and 10 whole-grain crackers for 440 calories.
Dinner and later to prevent meal boredom, eat a variety of different foods throughout the week, especially protein foods such as eggs, beans, cheese or seafood. For dinner, enjoy 4 ounces of broiled tuna steak with 1 1/2 cups of baked sweet potato and 1 cup of roasted Brussel sprouts tossed with 1 tablespoon of olive oil for 520 calories. Finally, finish your day with a healthful, high-calorie evening snack such as 1/2 cup of raw pistachio nuts with 1 cup of low-fat milk for 460 calories.
Now for home exercise. Working out with no equipment whatsoever limits your exercise options, but doesn’t end them. You can still work your major muscle groups by doing body-weight exercises that don’t require weights, a bench or any other tools. In the long run, it’s better to vary your workouts by mixing in exercises that require equipment. But if you’re stuck at home or you just want to change up your routine, you can strengthen your muscles by using your body weight as resistance.
Warm up before your body-weight exercise routine with five to 10 minutes of brisk walking or light jogging. The aerobic exercise raises your core temperature and prepares you for the workout.
Work most of your major muscle groups by performing bear crawls. Begin on your hands and knees with your back straight and abs contracted. Lift your right hand and knee off the floor and move them forward simultaneously, and slowly. After your hand and knee return to the floor, use them to pull yourself forward and then repeat the move with your left hand and knee. google bear crawls to see how it's done.
Return to your hands and knees but extend your legs backward so you’re balanced on your palms and toes to do pushups. Begin with your arms extended and your body straight from head to feet. Lower your chest to the floor and then push yourself up to the starting position while keeping your body straight at all times. Pushups work your chest and shoulders. Do the same exercise with your hands close together, below your upper chest, to target your triceps. Google this also if you need to see how it's done. In fact google all of them!!
Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor to do single-leg glute bridges, which strengthen your back, hips, glutes and legs. Tighten your abs, raise your left knee and grasp your lower thigh with both hands. Pull your knee closer to your chest and then raise your hips above the floor, so your body forms a fairly straight line from your shoulders through your right knee. Hold the position for 15 to 30 seconds. Return slowly to the starting position. Perform equal numbers of reps on both sides.
Rotate to a face-down position to perform supermans for your back, hips and shoulders. Straighten your legs and extend your arms over your head so your body forms a straight line. Slowly raise your arms and legs off the floor, keeping them straight. Maintain your position for a few seconds and then lower your limbs to the floor.
Perform squats by standing erect with your feet about hip-width apart or a bit wider. Brace your abs and then bend your knees and hips simultaneously to lower yourself, as if you were sitting straight down. Try to descend until your thighs are about parallel to the floor and then push yourself up to the starting position. The deeper you bend, the harder you’ll work your muscles. Squats work your abs and your entire lower body, particularly your quads and glutes.
Use a heavy piece of furniture, such as a couch, to build your hamstring muscles. Kneel on the floor with your ankles secured below the couch's front edge. Alternatively, have someone press down on the backs of your ankles. Keep your body straight from your head to your knees as you lower yourself to the floor. Use your hands to brace your descent. When your chest is a few inches above the floor, immediately rise back to the starting position. Push off the floor with your hands as little as possible; let your hamstrings do most of the work.
Stand on the floor, or with the balls of your feet on the front of a step, to do calf raises. Push through the front of each foot to raise your heels as high as possible. Lower your feet slowly to the starting position. As you'd expect, calf raises build your calf muscles.
Perform as many reps of each exercise as possible to add muscle mass. Since you’re not using external weights, the main way to add intensity to these body-weight exercises is to do more reps, or to reduce the resting times between exercises. You can, however, use gravity to make some body-weight exercises more challenging. Elevating your feet when you perform pushups, for example, forces you to lift more of your weight. Likewise, doing calf raises on a step is more challenging than doing them on the floor, if you lower your heels below the level of the step when you descend.
Let your muscles rest for about 48 hours after you perform a body-weight workout.
A few web pages that can help you
http://www.fitsugar.com/Best-Bodyweight-Exercises-30828261#photo-30884605
http://www.womenshealthmag.com/fitness/at-home-workouts
A high-calorie weight gain breakfast might include 1 cup of oatmeal made with 1 cup of low-fat milk and mix-ins that include 12 sliced almonds and 3 tablespoons of raisins for 460 calories. A nutritious mid-morning meal might include 1 cup of calcium-fortified orange juice and one slice of whole-wheat bread topped with 1 tablespoon each of peanut butter and 100 percent all-fruit jelly for 450 calories.
Lunch and mid day eat your fruits and veggies. They may be low in calories, but they're rich in nutrients that keep you healthy. A weight-gain lunch meal might include 3 ounces of grilled chicken on a whole wheat bun topped with a 1-ounce slice of Swiss cheese, lettuce, tomatoes and onions served with 1 cup of mixed greens tossed with 1 tablespoon of olive oil and balsamic vinegar for 475 calories. A few hours later, enjoy a high-calorie mid-afternoon meal such as one large fresh pear with 1 cup of low-fat yogurt and 10 whole-grain crackers for 440 calories.
Dinner and later to prevent meal boredom, eat a variety of different foods throughout the week, especially protein foods such as eggs, beans, cheese or seafood. For dinner, enjoy 4 ounces of broiled tuna steak with 1 1/2 cups of baked sweet potato and 1 cup of roasted Brussel sprouts tossed with 1 tablespoon of olive oil for 520 calories. Finally, finish your day with a healthful, high-calorie evening snack such as 1/2 cup of raw pistachio nuts with 1 cup of low-fat milk for 460 calories.
Now for home exercise. Working out with no equipment whatsoever limits your exercise options, but doesn’t end them. You can still work your major muscle groups by doing body-weight exercises that don’t require weights, a bench or any other tools. In the long run, it’s better to vary your workouts by mixing in exercises that require equipment. But if you’re stuck at home or you just want to change up your routine, you can strengthen your muscles by using your body weight as resistance.
Warm up before your body-weight exercise routine with five to 10 minutes of brisk walking or light jogging. The aerobic exercise raises your core temperature and prepares you for the workout.
Work most of your major muscle groups by performing bear crawls. Begin on your hands and knees with your back straight and abs contracted. Lift your right hand and knee off the floor and move them forward simultaneously, and slowly. After your hand and knee return to the floor, use them to pull yourself forward and then repeat the move with your left hand and knee. google bear crawls to see how it's done.
Return to your hands and knees but extend your legs backward so you’re balanced on your palms and toes to do pushups. Begin with your arms extended and your body straight from head to feet. Lower your chest to the floor and then push yourself up to the starting position while keeping your body straight at all times. Pushups work your chest and shoulders. Do the same exercise with your hands close together, below your upper chest, to target your triceps. Google this also if you need to see how it's done. In fact google all of them!!
Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor to do single-leg glute bridges, which strengthen your back, hips, glutes and legs. Tighten your abs, raise your left knee and grasp your lower thigh with both hands. Pull your knee closer to your chest and then raise your hips above the floor, so your body forms a fairly straight line from your shoulders through your right knee. Hold the position for 15 to 30 seconds. Return slowly to the starting position. Perform equal numbers of reps on both sides.
Rotate to a face-down position to perform supermans for your back, hips and shoulders. Straighten your legs and extend your arms over your head so your body forms a straight line. Slowly raise your arms and legs off the floor, keeping them straight. Maintain your position for a few seconds and then lower your limbs to the floor.
Perform squats by standing erect with your feet about hip-width apart or a bit wider. Brace your abs and then bend your knees and hips simultaneously to lower yourself, as if you were sitting straight down. Try to descend until your thighs are about parallel to the floor and then push yourself up to the starting position. The deeper you bend, the harder you’ll work your muscles. Squats work your abs and your entire lower body, particularly your quads and glutes.
Use a heavy piece of furniture, such as a couch, to build your hamstring muscles. Kneel on the floor with your ankles secured below the couch's front edge. Alternatively, have someone press down on the backs of your ankles. Keep your body straight from your head to your knees as you lower yourself to the floor. Use your hands to brace your descent. When your chest is a few inches above the floor, immediately rise back to the starting position. Push off the floor with your hands as little as possible; let your hamstrings do most of the work.
Stand on the floor, or with the balls of your feet on the front of a step, to do calf raises. Push through the front of each foot to raise your heels as high as possible. Lower your feet slowly to the starting position. As you'd expect, calf raises build your calf muscles.
Perform as many reps of each exercise as possible to add muscle mass. Since you’re not using external weights, the main way to add intensity to these body-weight exercises is to do more reps, or to reduce the resting times between exercises. You can, however, use gravity to make some body-weight exercises more challenging. Elevating your feet when you perform pushups, for example, forces you to lift more of your weight. Likewise, doing calf raises on a step is more challenging than doing them on the floor, if you lower your heels below the level of the step when you descend.
Let your muscles rest for about 48 hours after you perform a body-weight workout.
A few web pages that can help you
http://www.fitsugar.com/Best-Bodyweight-Exercises-30828261#photo-30884605
http://www.womenshealthmag.com/fitness/at-home-workouts
1. Eat more calories than they burn during the course of the day. Take 200-250 calories over maintenance.
2. Go to the gym on a regular schedule.
3. Lift heavier weights.
4. Drink half of your bodyweight in ounces of water daily so your muscles stay full and saturated.
2. Go to the gym on a regular schedule.
3. Lift heavier weights.
4. Drink half of your bodyweight in ounces of water daily so your muscles stay full and saturated.
You are reading content posted in the Exercise & Fitness Community
14 super-healthy foods that are worth the hype
Small changes make a big impact with these easy ways to cut hundreds of calories a day.
Forget the fountain of youth – try flossing instead! Here are 11 surprising ways to live longer.
From STD tests to mammograms, find out which screening tests you need - and when to get them.
Tips and moves to ease backaches
Here are 12 simple – and fun! – ways to boost your brainpower.
