Are Common Weight Gain Diet Strategies Harmful To Bodybuilding Progress?

Mar 5
09:17

2009

Francesco Castano

Francesco Castano

  • Share this article on Facebook
  • Share this article on Twitter
  • Share this article on Linkedin

Many begin bodybuilding with the goal of substantially increasing body weight, and adopt popular muscle building weight gain diet routines. But can such advice prevent bodybuilding results?

mediaimage

Many bodybuilders begin weight training to improve confidence levels,Are Common Weight Gain Diet Strategies Harmful To Bodybuilding Progress? Articles with some being overweight and needing both muscle gain and fat loss, while many others begin the process significantly below what they feel is an ideal body weight, and because they consider themselves excessively thin, decide to embrace weight lifting with the hopes of naturally rectifying this unwanted trait. The common places they visit for help are either Internet web sites or bodybuilding magazines that provide weight gain diet routines, and the belief is, by adopting such eating strategies when combined with regular weight training, the body will begin to dramatically gain weight, and appearance will greatly improve.

The problem with such thinking is that many variables are required when producing a potent muscle building plan, and when a weight lifter aims to gain weight, he or she is not searching for a larger waistline or a second chin, but rather lean muscle gains, which will improve appearance and increase body weight. Although most weight gain diet strategies are designed to produce their stated goal, which is to increase body weight, many accept this as proof that such a diet routine is worth pursuing, but doing so neglects to consider that the type of weight gained may be in the form of fat. A weight gain strategy may easily produce more body fat increase than muscle gain when designed without effective macronutrient ratios, and because of this, the term "weight gain diet" can easily refer to rapid, unnecessary and unwanted body fat gain.

Unfortunately, many bodybuilders do not consider this fact, and follow common bodybuilding weight gain diet plans blindly, believing that such diet techniques will lead to improved self confidence. Yet, in reality, they find that although the scale levels grow, appearance begins to dramatically decline as the body accumulates substantial amounts of fat, which is diametrically opposed to producing bodybuilding results. Despite this fact, many bodybuilders continue to follow such weight gain diet methods, believing that if they remain persistent, their goals will become a reality, and if weight is gained, there is no need to switch paths.

But after some time passes with such flawed weight gain diet techniques, a bodybuilder will begin to feel as if confidence is declining, but for a far different reason, as body fat levels have covered newly built muscle tissue, and destroyed all definition, creating a physique that is far from aesthetically pleasing. If a bodybuilder continues to believe that he or she must weigh a certain amount to have achieved satisfaction, then body fat will remain, and the goal of producing an attractive physical appearance will virtually become impossible, unless the bodybuilder's diet methodology changes dramatically.

The most important point to remember is that popular weight gain diet plans overload the body with carbohydrates, causing a surge in body fat percentage, instead of properly balancing fat, carbohydrates and protein for sustained muscle growth, without rapid expansion of body fat levels. In many cases, body fat will need to increase somewhat as muscle is gained, since many metabolisms cannot build muscle mass without a moderate level of fat accumulation, but commonly followed weight gain diet strategies fuel the greatest amount of fat gain, as compared with providing a properly balanced method that offers consistent muscle building, while controlling body fat increase. The more body fat that is accumulated during the weight gain process, the longer a weight lifter must waste burning fat in the future, and the quicker he or she will regain that body fat in the future due to teaching fat cells to accept a far higher level of body fat than otherwise would have been possible through following a properly structured bodybuilding weight gain diet routine.

So, when attempting to transform a lean build, remember that the goal is to produce muscle gains and minimize body fat levels throughout the process, which necessitates avoiding popular weight gain diet techniques which you will find plastered on the covers of bodybuilding publications, and instead consume nutrients properly so that the body can receive sufficient calories for consistent muscle gains, without the common body fat intrusion. The worst possible scenario for a bodybuilder is to spend much time attempting to build muscle, while following a haphazardly designed weight gain diet strategy that causes body fat to encompass the vast majority of weight gained, so make sure to consider the importance of a correctly designed weight gain diet strategy prior to embarking on a bodybuilding voyage.