What to eat and how to exercise to gain muscle according to your body type

Every body is a world unto itself, which is why nutrition and sports experts insist on the importance of adapting diet and routines to personal needs and characteristics.

"What may be a panacea for one person is poison for another," says dietician Carla Zaplana. In any case, there are a series of physical abilities that are essential to improve the quality of life of any person regardless of their age and condition. Many experts argue that one of the most important in this regard is strength, "above endurance, speed and flexibility. However, we pay little attention to it", suggests Sara Tabares, director of the Performa personal training centre in Valencia and author of the book Ellas entrenan +40 (women over 40 train).

Strength is as basic as it is essential to be able to carry out any physical activity in our daily life: from getting up from a chair to carrying a backpack or lugging shopping bags. Our muscles are our main tool to generate the strength we need every day. Hence the importance of exercising and feeding them correctly. Dietician Carla Zaplana, author of the book Cultiva tu fuerza (grow your own strength) has created a small guide to learn how to gain muscle mass based on our body type.

"Having good muscle tone goes far beyond showing off in a bikini or having a six-pack showing through our shirt. It is quality of life."

"People who have difficulty gaining weight often have a fast metabolism and a tendency to suffer from anaemia and nervous system disorders. Physically, they often have broad foreheads, prominent bones and dry skin," Zaplana explains. In these cases, "it is very important that the diet for gaining muscle mass includes good amounts of carbohydrates.

In this way, the body 'uses' them as energy and does not waste proteins or fat. A very good option is whole grains (quinoa, oats, rice...) or tubers and root veg such as potatoes, sweet potatoes, yucca, beets, carrots and pumpkin."

Fats are also ideal for this type of person, as well as nuts, seeds and foods such as avocado, olives or extra virgin olive oil.

"In these cases it is also very important to maintain a regular eating routine and not go more than four hours without eating anything," she adds.

As for exercise routines, it is best for people who have trouble gaining weight to focus on "light strength and stability exercises combined with moderate resistance training. Very intense sessions should be avoided."

In this case, you should follow a diet "with a wide variety of fresh ingredients such as fruits and vegetables and avoid the consumption of acidic foods (pickles, yoghurts or cheese), pickled foods, as well as fried, processed foods, alcohol and coffee, since they can easily irritate and inflame the body.

Pulses, buckwheat, oats, fish and seeds are a good source of protein for people who build muscle easily," is the expert advice from Zaplana.

As for exercise, "you can combine exercises that stimulate the cardiovascular system, such as interval training or aerobic activities (running, swimming and so on) with moderate to intense strength routines, but always avoid overtraining so as not to exhaust the body".

According to Carla Zaplana, these types of people usually have a solid build with good muscles but they find it difficult to keep them toned because their bodies tend to accumulate fat. They should pay special attention to their diet to avoid eating for the sake of eating.

"It is advisable not to overindulge in oils, nuts and seeds and to opt for pulses as a source of protein. It is also important to include fruits and vegetables, especially if they are cooked, as well as spices such as ginger, turmeric, pepper, mustard and cinnamon to help improve digestion."

In this case, it is important that physical exercises are high intensity in nature to speed up their metabolism: interval training, weightlifting and resistance exercises are some examples.

There are several factors that will trigger muscle tone loss, as listed by Quirónsalud: "From a lack of physical activity to age-related changes in the functioning of the endocrine system.

Sarcopenia can also be caused by chronic diseases that affect the heart, lungs, kidneys or liver, lower insulin production, a poor diet with insufficient protein, calories and nutrients in general, pre-existing conditions such as coeliac disease or simply an insufficient amount of vitamins."