Here's how to bulk up the healthy way

There is no healthy shortcut to beefing up. Here's how to gain weight and build up muscles the natural way.

Hitting the gym to bulk up? While building muscle mass is a good thing, many guys end up bulking up too quickly, which can harm your health.

Here's what you must keep in mind to gain muscle safely:

You can build up muscle by eating and working out right. The basics include lifting weights, building strength and following a nutrition plan. Also, don't skip on sleep. "You need at least 8 hours of sleep as your muscles grow and get repaired while your body rests," says Prachi Agarwal, fitness expert.

Get natural protein
To gain weight without any side effects, avoid artificial protein. "The supplements in the market can't be trusted to be authentic, so go natural. Get your protein sources from lentils, green vegetables, soy, chicken, fish and of course, eggs," says fitness trainer Prince Aadvanshi. Also, too much protein puts pressure on the digestive system, so let an expert monitor your intake.

Increase carbs
Carbohydrates are your best bet for the energy you need to workout. Go for clean sources of carbs such as cashewnuts, almonds and bananas. Make a banana shake, add dry fruits and have it an hour before working out. Also, never have junk to gain weight.

7-day Workout plan

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Gain weight with this diet: (For a healthy 75kg male) 2500 calories
* Pre-workout: 10 almonds, 1 banana

Breakfast
* 1 glass of cold coffee
* 3 egg whites boiled
* One paneer sandwich (use 100 gm paneer with 2 slices multigrain bread, lettuce, tomato, cucumber, onion)
* 1 medium apple

Mid Morning
* Peanut butter and jelly sandwich (2 pc toast with 3 tbsp peanut butter and 1 tbsp jelly spread)

Lunch
* 1.5 bowl carrot and tomato salad
* 2 rotis
* 1.5 cup pea and cabbage vegetable
* 1.5 cup Kidney bean dal
* 1 cup low fat curd

Evening
* 1.5 bowl paneer with tomato and onion (100 gm paneer)

Dinner
* 1.5 bowl cucumber and tomato salad
* 125gm grilled chicken breast
* 1.5 cup sautéed beans and cauliflower
* 2 rotis
* 1.5 cup low-fat curd