4 Exercises You Should Engage In If You Are Underweight

Have you ever had been in an awkward situation at the gym with someone else who asked you weird questions like: “You are underweight, what are you trying to do here?!” If you are underweight and a regular at the gym, you don’t have to answer, because it is impossible to go through a week at the gym without having to deal with these questions. It is difficult to blame people who think this way because many female fitness programs and courses by so-called gurus have built their entire system around telling women that they are overweight and that weight loss, fat loss (or however they put it) is the only reason why they should be interested in working out.

But this notion is far from the truth. People who are underweight or “lean” need to exercise too, and many of them are interested in bulking up, growing some muscle, and keeping fit. Being underweight does not necessarily mean you are malnourished, although, for some people, it might mean that their weight is less than what is healthy for their height. If you are unsure, you can use a free body mass index (BMI) calculator on the internet to find out.

If you are underweight, try to avoid many fake and scammy female fitness courses and focus on exercises that will help you bulk up without any side effects. Some exercises are good for weight loss but very terrible if you wish to gain weight (for example, aerobic and cardio exercises like running). In this article, we will go through some of the best exercises you should engage in if you wish to gain weight.

  • Push-ups

Yes, good old push-ups should be one of the first exercises that come to your mind when you think about weight gain. This is because push-ups help you build muscles in your chest and arms. When combined with the right protein and calorie diet, push-ups can turn into a lethal weapon in your weight gain arsenal. Push-ups are very efficient when they are done to the point of hypertrophy, i.e., muscle cell growth, and this is attained by pushing your body to the limit every time you do a push-up.

Push-ups are easy to do and common in every female fitness routine. To do a push up correctly:

  • Lie flat on the floor with your face down.
  • Place your palms on the floor apart at shoulder length at your chest level.
  • Raise yourself to your arm’s length with your palms.
  • Let yourself down gently to your initial position.
  • Raise yourself again and repeat the process for as many reps as you wish.
  • Squats

Squats are powerful tools that women, especially underweight women, can use to build their butt muscles, leg muscles, and quads. If you are involved in a lot of female fitness programs for fat loss and muscle gain, you must have come across this exercise many times. In fact, it is so popular with women that many people outside the fitness world assume erroneously that it is for women only. Just like push-ups and other similar exercises, it can be a potent weapon for weight gain when combined properly with the right type of diet.

To do a squat:

  • Stand up straight with your legs hip-width apart.
  • Put your hand on your waist or stretch it forward and start to lower yourself like you want to sit on an imaginary chair until your thighs are parallel to the ground. While doing this, keep your upper body straight and still.
  • Raise yourself back up to your original position and repeat the process for as many reps as you want.
  • Lunges

Lunges is another powerful leg exercise that helps tone your legs and butts. It is very powerful and can be very stressful to the legs, especially when you are just starting. Just like squats, it is recommended by every female fitness trainer or course with the goal of weight loss or muscle gain. However, it is much more powerful in helping you build your quad, leg, and butt muscle and giving you a perfect shape along with it.

To do a perfect lunge:

  • Stand up straight with both legs just a few centimeters apart.
  • Move one leg (right or left) forward like you are kneeling until your legs are at 90 degrees.
  • Push yourself back up using your heel.
  • Repeat the same process with the other knee.
  • Repeat over and over again, alternating the knees until you are satisfied.
  • Deadlifts

Deadlifts are used by female fitness trainers to help their students with weight loss and fat loss, but it is also a very potent tool for people to gain weight. Because of its ability to engage the maximum number of muscles in the body, it has a reputation for being one of the most credible exercises in helping you ensure your weight gain is distributed evenly among every part of your body. The squat is the only other type of exercise with this reputation of unchallenged effectiveness.

To do a deadlift correctly, you are going to need a barbell with the appropriate weight.

  • Stand straight with both feet shoulder-width apart.
  • Bend over to grip the barbell, with your knees parallel to the ground.
  • Stand up with your back straight and lift the weight to your thighs and then your hips.
  • Bend down slowly again and drop the weight.
  • Repeat as many times as necessary to get the desired result.

Conclusion

The combination of the right female fitness weight gain exercise, the right diet, and the right amount of sleep will make your time worth it. Most of these exercises can work for weight loss and fat loss too, but the right combination of diet and exercise will determine how well it works for you. You shouldn’t cut down on calories if you are underweight, and you should aim at a good 7 hours of sleep every night. Also, work hard so that your body can reach hypertrophy and create more muscle cells faster.