Often surrounded by myths and misunderstandings, weight gain for women represents a relevant method for those wishing to increase their muscle mass and improve their physique.
Depending on the type of mass gain practiced, fat gain is not necessarily present. Generally speaking, the aim is to build muscle, by adapting diet, training and rest.
Our team aims to demystify this process and provide practical, scientifically-based advice to help women achieve their fitness goals.
What is mass gain for women?
Weight gain in women is a process designed to increase muscle mass and improve body composition.
Contrary to popular belief, it's not simply a question of gaining weight, but rather of increasing the amount of muscle in the body while maintaining or reducing body fat. This requires a targeted approach, combining diet, mainly strengthtraining, and adequate rest.
Differences between male and female weight gain
A notable difference in mass gain between men and women lies in testosterone levels, which are significantly higher in men.
This hormone plays a crucial role in muscle development and strength, which means that men generally have a higher capacity to increase their muscle mass rapidly.
For women, the objective remains similar, but results may appear over a longer period, often requiring special attention to diet and the type of exercise practised.
Balancing muscle and fat mass
Many women seek to increase their muscle mass without gaining too much fat, partly because today's beauty standards often value a toned body without excess fat. However, it's important to recognize that every woman has her own fitness goals and preferences.
Some may wish to develop more pronounced muscles, while others may aim for a softer silhouette.
The key is to find a diet and training program that respects these personal goals while promoting health and well-being.
In short, there are no rules: each exerciser will adapt her weight gain to her personal desires and aesthetic aspirations. It's important to understand that weight gain is a slow, gradual process, and that adjustments can and must be made according to results and your particular expectations.
The importance of diet and training
Diet plays a key role in successful weight gain.
Adequate protein intake is essential for muscle development, while carbohydrates and lipids provide the energy and structural support needed for workouts and recovery.
Women need to ensure that they consume an adequate amount of calories to support their physical activity while promoting muscle growth. This may involve a caloric surplus, but it's crucial to manage it carefully to promote muscle rather than fat gain.
Although it's complicated to give a caloric target for mass gain in women, we can put forward a base of 40 kcal/kg bodyweight/day, combined with 1.6 - 2 g/kg/day protein, to be adapted according to short/medium-term results.
Weighttraining is just as important, with a focus on exercises that stimulate multiple muscle groups for harmonious development.
The frequency, intensity and volume of training should be adjusted according to each person's abilities and objectives, with sufficient rest time to allow for muscle recovery and growth.
These two essential points are the subject of separate sections in this article, which will enable you to explore the subject in greater detail.
In short, weight gain for women is an attainable goal that requires commitment, patience and a personalized approach.
By understanding biological differences and adapting diet and training accordingly, women can develop their muscles effectively while respecting their health and aesthetic goals.
How to adapt your diet for effective weight gain?
For successful weight gain, the right diet is crucial. It must be rich in essential nutrients, enabling the body to build muscle.
However, it must be finely dosed to promote muscle growth without excessive accumulation of body fat.
The importance of excess calories
A caloric surplus is essential for mass gain, as it provides the extra energy needed to build muscle.
Although it's possible to calculate the precise caloric requirements of each individual for mass gain, it's generally recommended to start by increasing daily caloric intake by 300 - 500 kcal above basal metabolic rate.
Alternatively, as mentioned above, you can take as a base 40 kcal/kg bodyweight/day, combined with 1.6 - 2 g/kg/day protein, to be adapted according to short/medium-term results.
This figure may vary according to training intensity, daily activity level and individual body response. The aim is to gradually increase weight while minimizing fat gain, although the latter remains more or less inevitable in the muscle-building process. It will disappear in a second phase, by slightly reducing calorie intake and maintaining protein and training (the "dry" principle).
In any case, the information we've given you should serve as a guide. It's up to you to adapt it according to the effects on your body, your feelings and your personal goals.
The importance of proteins
Protein plays a central role in muscle repair and growth. So it's important to take the right amount each day.
For a woman in the weight gain phase, the recommended intake is around 1.6 to 2 grams of protein per kilo of body weight per day.
This quantity ensures a sufficient supply of amino acids, essential for muscle protein synthesis and post-workout recovery. High-quality protein sources include meat, fish, eggs, dairy products and legumes. Also, certain supplements such as whey (naturally rich in BCAAs), for optimizing protein absorption after exercise and for those who have difficulty reaching their protein quota through diet alone, are among these sources of very high biological quality protein.
If you find it difficult to reach your daily protein quota in your daily diet, the next section may shed some light on the benefits of supplementation.
The other challenges of diet for weight gain
Beyond protein and calorie balance, diet plays other fundamental roles in mass gain and sport in general.
Balanced, diversified nutrition providesthe vitamins, minerals and other essential nutrients that support not only muscle growth but also the athlete's overall health.
An athlete's meals should include a variety of nutrient-rich foods to meet their specific needs.
Healthy fats (rich in omega 3, EPA and DHA), such as olive oil, rapeseed oil, avocado or fatty fish like salmon, are crucial for proper hormone function and absorption of fat-soluble vitamins.
They also play a role in reducing inflammation, which is essential for recovery after workouts.
Carbohydrates (better known as carbohydrates) are another important component of sports nutrition. So it's fair to ask whether it's important to increase carbohydrate intake when building mass.
In fact, carbohydrates provide the energy needed for intense workouts and aid muscle recovery. Sources of complex carbohydrates, such as wholegrain cereals, oatmeal and sweet potatoes, are preferred for a stable, long-lasting energy supply.
This means you need to dose your carbohydrates carefully: don't take too much to avoid the risk of superfluous fat gain, but take enough to sustain regular, intense effort. Favour lower glycemic indexes, via complex carbohydrates and/or gentle cooking (al dente).
Water is an often underestimated but vital element. Adequate hydration is essential for maintaining performance, regulating body temperature and transporting nutrients throughout the body. Sportsmen and women need to make sure they drink enough throughout the day, and particularly around their training sessions.
Fruits and vegetables, rich in vitamins, minerals and fiber, contribute to a balanced diet and support essential bodily functions, including those related to physical effort and recovery. Examples such as oranges, rich in vitamin C, or spinach, are particularly beneficial to athletes.
In short, if you want to build mass, it's important to focus on getting enough calories and protein, but you also need to ensure a balanced, healthy diet, with foods suited to muscle growth, to maintain good health and optimize your sporting performance.
The benefits of whey protein for weight gain in women
There are many dietary supplements to promote mass gain, but whey is surely the most widely cited.
The latter is a dietary supplement prized in the world of sports for its high quality and effectiveness in supporting muscle building.
Its role goes far beyond simply providing protein, offering several advantages, particularly for women seeking to optimize their mass gain while limiting fat accumulation.
Although it's not compulsory, we've outlined its many advantages below.
Why is whey protein relevant?
Whey protein is the ideal complement to a conventional diet, especially for sportswomen, providing a concentrated source of high-quality protein. It makes up for any protein deficiencies in a traditional diet, providing the essential amino acids needed for muscle repair and growth.
For athletes with increased protein requirements, whey makes it easier to achieve these nutritional goals without overloading the body with extra calories.
Its ease of assimilation makes it an optimal choice for supporting muscle recovery and optimizing performance.
Whey for lean mass gain
Whey protein is particularly suitable for those aiming to build lean mass, i.e. increase muscle mass without adding superfluous fat.
It provides high-quality protein with a minimum of calories, sugars and fat. This enables high protein requirements to be met without exceeding the recommended daily calorie intake, making it easier to manage the muscle/fat ratio.
How to incorporate whey into your diet
Integrating whey into the daily diet is simple and convenient. It can be consumed as a protein shake by mixing the powder with water or milk (vegetable or animal), which is particularly convenient for post-workout meals or between-meal snacks.
You can also enrich your recipes with whey to make them more protein-rich.
However, it's important to know the criteria for choosing the best whey for women. As such, it's preferable that it be additive-free, locally produced and with ideal filtration, cold-processed and made from quality milk.
Basic training principles for mass gain
For women aiming to build muscle mass, understanding and applying the fundamentals of training is crucial. This involves not only choosing the right exercises, but also structuring sessions to maximize muscle growth while minimizing fat gain and the risk of injury.
Structuring training sessions
Resistance training is the cornerstone of effective weight gain. It's best to concentrate on compound exercises that call on several muscle groups simultaneously, such as deadlifts, squats, lunges...
These movements work a large part of the body and stimulate the release of hormones that promote muscle growth.
The frequency of sessions must be adapted to ensure optimum recovery. It's important to leave enough rest time for muscle recovery, which is essential for growth.
Once again, it's up to you to adapt, depending on your personal recovery.
Training volume and intensity
Training volume, i.e. the total number of repetitions multiplied by the number of sets and the weight used, is a determining factor in mass gain.
Too low a volume won't stimulate muscles sufficiently to induce growth, while too high a volume can lead to overload and overtraining. Finding the right balance is therefore crucial.
Intensity should be high enough to challenge the muscles without compromising form and technique. Using a weight that allows 6 to 12 repetitions per set is generally considered optimal for muscular hypertrophy. That said, we now know that it's important to vary the intensity of exercises in order to stimulate the muscle in different ways between two workouts of the same group.
The importance of recovery
Recovery is just as important as the training itself. Without adequate rest, muscles cannot repair or strengthen.
It is therefore important to pay particular attention to maximizing recovery.
Incorporating full rest days and ensuring quality sleep are fundamental to supporting muscle growth and overall good health.
