Building muscle to look better

Being thin is not really a problem but being weak is. The mistake many of us make is that we go by our weight on the weighing scale to judge how overweight or underweight we are, contends Anup Deb Nath

IT is common to hear people complaining about being overweight and trying to shed off the excess weight. There are those who exist on the other side of the line.

People who are underweight and desperately trying to gain are not so uncommon. In desperation, they try to do just the opposite of what the experts advise the overweight to do in their quest to gain some weight. Books on diet and exercise often neglect to look at such people and their problems.

I am a 40-year-old man with a thin and weak body. I am 5 feet 10½ inches and weigh 60 kg. At the moment I go for a brisk walk everyday to keep fit, though I would like to do aerobic exercises and exercises with dumb-bells. I also have a pain in my neck and stiffening of the shoulder to neck area, a problem that gets aggravated by continuous bending. Please could you suggest exercises that would help me get fit keeping my neck problem in mind?

Being thin is not really a problem but being weak is. The mistake many of us make is that we go by our weight on the weighing scale to judge how overweight or underweight we are. We forget that different people have different bone structures and body compositions and two people of exactly the same weight and height may not look the same. One may look thin and the other perfectly fine. It is far better to guage how much we need to lose or gain by looking at ourselves, or measuring ourselves in inches and also seeing how we feel.

If you feel weak then you do need to check with a qualified doctor first as to if it is recommended that you weight train or undertake any exercise programme other than walking. If he recommends it then the following exercises and diet tips should help you in gaining muscle. This will help to reduce the thin look of your body .

Try to break up your bending work into segments. Give your body a few minutes break after every 10-15 minutes. While at work, you can relax your neck and shoulders by sitting straight in your chair and clasping your hands behind your back. Gently stretch your arms as far back as they will go, pulling your shoulders along as well. Hold them at their maximum extent for 5-10 seconds and then gently release. Repeat this four to five times in every break.

While sitting in your chair, gently rotate your shoulders forwards. In this movement your shoulders should move up to try to touch yours ears as much as possible while rotating them. Do six to eight of these rotations and then switch to backwards rotation again for six to eight counts. Remember to do these as slowly and gently as possible keeping your movements as smooth and jerk-free as possible. Sitting on your chair gently move your neck to the left, hold it for a few seconds and then turn it to the other side. Do eight to ten of these rotations of the neck. It is very important to remember to keep your movements smooth and gentle and not jar the body in any way.

To maintain your body (no matter what the age or lifestyle) it is important to eat the correct food. The body works well if we provide it with a balanced diet and regular exercise. Your aim should be to gain muscle rather than just add fat. In order to gain muscle, it is important to eat a balanced diet. A daily diet consisting of 60 per cent carbohydrate, 30 per cent protein, and 10 per cent fat is the ideally recommended proportion.

Larger quantities of complex carbohydrates and protein are required by the body as the carbohydrate gives the body instant energy of fuel to run on. Wheat, oat barley, green leafy vegetables, potato, fruits are good sources. For protein that helps the body form muscles, pulses or daals, soya bean,fish, lean meat, chicken etc. are good sources. Try to eat more frequent, smaller meals in the day.

Begin your weight training with very light dumb-bells. Keep your movements very slow and keep your body posture correct. Do three sets of eight to ten repetitions every time. Remember to breathe out when you are exerting pressure and breathe in when you release. Target your major body muscles like biceps, triceps, chest pectorals, shoulders and back for the upper body and thighs, calves, buttocks,hamstrings in the lower body. It is best to weight train in a gym under the guidance of a trained instructor.

Walking by itself is an aerobic activity. If you walk briskly and regularly (keeping your target heart rate in mind), it will benefit you more. Give all your goals time and patience before expecting results.

This feature was published on March 28, 1999