Whether you are losing weight or gaining does not matter. These two processes must be controlled. But how to do that? You will find out the answers to this question and many others right now. If the nutrition and training programs are drawn up correctly, then the athlete can, on average, gain about one kilogram of high-quality muscle tissue mass during the week. Thus, within a month, you can safely gain up to 4 kilograms. At the same time, physically in seven days, you can gain up to 10 kilograms.
How to control weight while gaining muscle mass
As you know, during mass-gaining cycles, athletes need to eat a lot and use various sports supplements. As a result, this can lead to an increase in fat mass. Most often, if you gain 10 kilograms of total weight in a week, then 40 percent is muscle, and the rest is fat and fluid.
It is possible to gain net mass in a short period of time only at the initial stage of training, when the growth potential of muscle tissue has not yet been activated. Of course, if an experienced trainer works with you, then gaining mass is much easier. However, not everyone can afford it. As a result, progress may slow down or stop altogether.
To understand if your exercise program is right, you need to keep your body weight under control. Often, during mass-gaining cycles, athletes gain fat mass or, on the contrary, lose weight. For this reason, it is very important to know How to properly control your weight in bodybuilding.
If you have just started to exercise and, for example, your weight is 70 kilograms, then during the first six months, if you exercise correctly, you can add 15 or 20 kilograms. But then the process of gaining mass slows down and if you can gain one kilogram per week, then this will be a very good result.
When you get the first results and see the initial numbers, then everything will become clear to you, and you can understand whether it is necessary to make changes to the nutrition or training programs. To know How to properly control your weight in bodybuilding, you need to follow only two rules:
- You need to weigh yourself once a week and do it on an empty stomach.
- Weigh yourself at the same time on the same day, such as Sunday.
If you follow these simple rules, you will be able to make appropriate changes to the training or nutrition program in a timely manner. For example, if your weight does not change for two weeks in a row, then most likely you are consuming few calories, and you should reconsider your nutrition program.
How to control weight while losing weight
By and large, there are no big differences with weight control during weight gain. If you follow the correct nutrition and training program, you can also lose about one kilogram in 7 days. In this case, I especially want to focus your attention on the fact that the term "lose weight" means the loss of fat mass.
If your diet is formulated correctly, the training program contains anaerobic and cardio loads in a certain proportion, then the maximum that you should count on is a loss of two kilograms per week. You should not believe the promises of various diets about the possibility of losing 5 kilograms or more in 7 days. Even if it does, then you will gain weight again. It is very important to lose weight gradually according to your plan.
The optimal means for losing weight are not various diets or drugs, which in most cases are not only ineffective, but can harm the body, but playing sports. To get rid of those extra pounds, you just need to be physically active and consume fewer calories than you burn. To summarize, when losing weight, you should focus on the figure of one kilogram per week. If you go back to the various advertised diets, then you can lose 10 kilograms in a week. But it is important to understand that the fat mass in the total weight lost will still be the same 1 kilogram or a little more. Everything else falls on muscle mass and fluid.
In addition, you will not be able to constantly use such nutritional programs, since they greatly limit the list of foods allowed to eat. At a certain moment, the body will not stand it, and you will again begin to eat in the same mode. But as we said above, with such a rapid weight loss, muscle mass is mainly burned.
Returning to your usual diet, you will gain weight again, but it will only be fat mass. Muscle mass can only be gained through strength training. It is also important to remember that the more muscle mass you have, the faster metabolic processes will take place in the body. The body requires a tremendous amount of energy to maintain muscles, even when you are at rest.
All diets that significantly limit your food choices will prevent you from achieving the results you want. Only strength training combined with cardio training and proper nutrition will make it possible to lose weight. But you need to be patient, as fat burning is quite a long process.
It is also very helpful to keep a training diary. This will allow you to more accurately track your progress not only in terms of gaining muscle mass, but also when losing weight. You also need to weigh yourself once a week on the same day and at the same time. If you have not lost weight, then change your nutrition program. The same should be done when gaining body weight or a sharp decrease.
For more information on proper weight management, see this video interview with a dietitian:
