At the beginning of the year, many of us made resolutions to lose weight. But not all of us are interested in shedding pounds, rather some of us want to gain weight by packing on some muscle! Two ways to building muscle mass is through compound exercises, which involve the use of multiple body parts into one coherent movement, and a meal plan that keeps your body fueled and ready to go. Below is a workout aimed at building muscle.

Warm-Up

Interval Runs: 1 minute on, 2 off minutes, for a total of 6 repetitions.
Run at 75 percent to 90 percent of your maximum speed for 1 minute and lightly jog or walk for 2 minutes.

Workout

Power Cleans to Shoulder-Press (4 sets of 6 reps)
With knees bent, power clean (bring hands from waist to shoulder) to a shoulder press. Involves a flick and a catch of the bar. Do not arch your back.

Barbell Upright Rows (4 sets of 8 reps)
Holding the barbell at the waist, lift to your chin.

Dumbbell Shoulder Press (4 sets of 8 reps)
In a sitting or standing position, push dumbbells from shoulder to overhead position.

Front Squats (4 sets of 6 reps)
Situate barbell on your chest with hands holding it in place and squat.

Dumbbell Lunges (4 sets of 8 reps)
Place one foot forward and with dumbbells held on each side, bend your front leg in a lunge position.

Frog Jumps (4 sets of 10 reps)
Bend your legs in a 90 degree position and jump up. Repeat. Hands may be at side or overhead.

Cool down

Toe-touches: Stand straight and bend downward, with your hands touching your toes.
Shoulder stretch: Wave your arms forward and backward as if you were swimming (this is meant to increase the flexibility and the movement in your shoulders).

General Meal Plan

The main idea for a good meal plan is to eat “relatively healthy.” This means focusing on eating fresh, clean food, while allowing yourself to eat some junk food, in moderation, such a single serving of ice cream or French fries. In order to pack on muscle, there is a necessary requirement of calories that eating healthy cannot solely provide. In order to accommodate everyone’s food preference, I will provide a general guideline for meal plans. Please note that caloric requirements per person will vary depending upon age, height, weight, and sex. Make sure to look at the nutritional information or make an educated guess of how much you’re eating to gauge your progress.

400-600 Calories
5-15 grams of fiber
40-60 grams of carbohydrates
35-50 grams of protein
10-15 grams of fat
Example: 1 cup of oatmeal with peanut butter and sliced bananas, 1 cup of orange juice and 4 hard-boiled eggs.
Eat 1 egg yolk.

100-300 calories
Example: Greek yogurt, cold cereal with milk, an apple, or a handful of nuts.

700-1000 calories
10-15 grams of fiber
40-70 grams of carbohydrates
60-70 grams of protein
25-40 grams of fat
Example: ½ pound cheeseburger, 1 small serving of fries, a salad, and 1 cup of water

600-800 calories
10-15 grams of fiber
40-60 grams of carbohydrates
50-60 grams of protein
20-35 grams of fat
Example: Grilled chicken with a serving of rice,
vegetables and soup, 1.5 servings of chocolate.