As bodybuilding goals go, weight gain leads the pack as the top objective of most teenage and collegiate lifters. At a time in which abdominal six-packs and beach bodies are marketed as the ideal, the fitness and bodybuilding magazines seem to be forgetting that, before we can whittle away bodyfat, we need to fill out our skeletons with a certain level of muscle mass. Otherwise, you'll walk around looking as if your shirt is still on the hanger. The need to "take up as much space as possible" is a natural masculine aspiration. This article will help you pack on those much-needed pounds.
Weight gain is a subject that I have studied with great personal interest for the past two decades. I graduated from high school weighing a scrawny 126 pounds at a height of 5'10." I recall one of my early goals was to make my arm at least as big as my elbow joint - the bony edges of which jutted out tauntingly, highlighting the emaciated biceps and triceps that hid above it.
Back when I started training, two-time Mr. Olympia, Franco Columbu was still a popular figure in the magazines. He was known for his thick chest that distinguished itself by the deep groove of separation between his upper and lower pectorals. I remember feeling a bit of pride because I had a similar groove of delineation in my chest. Looking back, I now realize that it was not separation of various muscle groups but rather simply my RIBS showing through!
From my initial 126 pounds, I gradually built myself up to a top weight (so far) of 204 pounds. Every ounce of weight I've gained has been a slow, uphill, tooth-and-nail battle. There were times in my teens in which I was convinced that there was something different, some inherent genetic flaw, which made it impossible for me to grow muscle, no matter how hard I tried. I may have quit lifting at this point, (and I'm sure this happens with a lot of rookie lifters that are dissatisfied with their early progress). In my case, I had already fallen in love with hardcore training. I loved the daily challenges of the gym; squaring off with a weight you've never been able to press before or repping out in squats until you're on the floor in a gelatinous heap.
As the months went by, my 135-pound squat gave way to a 185-pound squat, which gave way to a 225-pound squat, and before I realized it I had a 405-pound squat and a larger-sized wardrobe. Its the gradual accumulation of these small increments in training poundage and bodyweight that, even if not noticeable at the time, eventually leads to impressive improvements.
This article is compiled from my own experience, feedback from people I have instructed, insights gained from research articles and practical strategies picked up from hundreds of athlete interviews I have done over the years. For those with whom weight gain is a problem, the guidelines in this article can help you initiate an unprecedented surge of growth. If you patiently and consistently follow my training and nutrition recommendations, I guarantee you can pack on enough powerful muscle size to scare small children and make jealous gym trainees accuse you of being a "juicer."
For those with a turbo-charged metabolism, adding even a pound of weight is a struggle. There were times were I felt my stomach was a bottomless pit and my metabolism just burnt off food before so much as an ounce reached my muscle tissue. My early college years were the late eighties (an era marked by bad music and even worse nutritional supplements). Weight gain products of this time were sugar-packed, low-quality, foul-tasting sludge with small quantities of low-quality protein added in almost as an after-thought. When my budget allowed me to afford one of these it became a test of wills to get through it - my burning desire to get big versus my gurgling digestive track that seemed unable to hold in the nasty shakes.
My eventual solution was the "classic approach" to weight gain - MILK! Gallons and gallons of cow juice! For a period of three years, I consumed at least a gallon of whole milk a day in addition to at least four to five meals. These were big meals. It was not unusual for me to eat a half a pan of lasagna or a pound and a half of hamburger at a sitting. I often would top this off with six yogurts or a quart of kefir (a yogurt-like beverage with active cultures that assist in health of the digestive tract). So fast was my metabolism that I finally noticed a positive boost in bodyweight by wrapping up my day with a half-gallon of chocolate ice cream before bed. Needless to say, consuming all that sugar and lactose gave me world-class flatulence. Thank God the nickname "Stinky Steve" didn't stick with me!
My approach was one path for weight gain but certainly not the best. Thanks to improvements in food and supplementation, it's a hell of a lot easier today.
Nowadays, when I advise young lifters how to pack on muscle, it seems that many of them think they are eating like a bodybuilder but, when I analyze their diet, I find it to be lacking in calories, protein and nutrients.
Let's start by addressing calories. When someone talks about daily calorie intake, basically they are referring to the amount of energy they are taking in from protein, carbohydrates and fat sources. These calories provide the basic energy to "run" our bodies. Basal metabolic rate (BMR) is an approximate measure of the calories needed to keep our basic machinery running.
After this, additional calories are needed for walking, talking and the activities that are a part of your daily work, school or recreational life. It should go without saying that someone putting in long hard days as a lumberjack would burn more calories than someone with a part-time office job. Likewise, going out clubbing two or three nights a week uses up calories that could have been directed towards growth. Emotionally stressful situations, such as a divorce, legal hassles, financial problems or a new job further bumps up your calorie expenditure.
"Don't run when you can walk; don't stand when you can sit; and don't sit when you can lie down."
- Harry Paschall (weight training pioneer)
Unfortunately for bodybuilders, all of these needs MUST be met before the body will allocate the calories necessary for optimal muscle growth. This means that successful weight gain cannot be viewed as a "hit and miss" proposition. It requires a determined and consistent strategy.
So where do we start? Traditional thinking recommends spending a five to seven day period recording your normal calorie intake. As long as your bodyweight remained constant during this period, this can be considered your "daily maintenance level" of calories. This is one way to go, but I certainly don't have the patience for it. That's a week that could have been spent growing. Instead, I recommend just beginning at the level I will be suggesting below and making adjustments as one goes along.
A proven starting point is 20 calories per pound of bodyweight. For example, a 150-pound male would start out eating 3000 calories a day. To save you the annoying yet simple math, the chart below will help you determine your starting daily calorie level.
100 x 20 = 2000 calories a day
110 x 20 = 2200
120 x 20 = 2400
130 x 20 = 2600
140 x 20 = 2800
150 x 20 = 3000
160 x 20 = 3200
170 x 20 = 3400
180 x 20 = 3600
Because you plan to eat big, you need to break the daily intake up into 5-8 meals. Eating 3,000 calories broken into only three daily meals would leave you stuffed and bloated after each meal. In addition, you would not be able to utilize the nutrients nearly as well as if you ate smaller, more frequent meals.
After a week on this new caloric level, get on the scale and check to see if your weight has changed. (Always weigh yourself in the morning before a meal). If you have gained one to three pounds, continue at that level for another week and continue monitoring your progress. If you gained five or more pounds, then you can draw one of two conclusions; you were severely depleted and you really needed the higher calories to fill out your existing muscle, or the calorie level caused you to retain water or add a large amount of bodyfat. Its up to you to determine if this is a good thing or not.
If you have followed the starting calorie intake listed on the chart and have not seen an increase in your bodyweight in the first two weeks, jump up your daily calorie count by 200 grams. If, after a week's time, this does not cause an increase, add another 200 grams. Get ready to throw away your baggy size-medium "Hard gainer" T-shirt.
Because of the basic laws of biology and math, you can be assured that eventually the scale will show improvements. Once you find this caloric level, continue to monitor your weight and bodyfat level. Keep in mind that the calories required to cause growth in a 150-pound body are probably not adequate to stimulate growth once you have reached 160-pounds. If you wish to continue your climb up the ladder of mass, you will once again need to increase your food intake.
"There is no overtraining; only undereating, undersleeping and lack of will"
-Barbarian Brothers
Typically diets are designed by listing a precise ratio of protein, carbs and fat. On this eating program, since consuming a particular amount of protein at each meal is the primary concern, we will be dealing with serving sizes. Also, later in the article I will be detailing how to calculate your protein needs and distribute them across your day's meals. This will be done under the umbrella of daily calorie intake. This will ensure you have the energy necessary for optimal growth.
Hopefully with the overwhelming amount of research and anecdotal evidence, as well as hundreds of protein articles, I shouldn't have to convince you about the importance of protein for bodybuilding purposes. Show me a champion bodybuilder that got huge on a low protein intake, and I'll show you a champion bodybuilder that could have been considerably bigger. Every meal you eat should be rich in protein. For a weight gain diet, I recommend a minimum of two grams of protein per pound of bodyweight, with two-and-a-half grams per pound being the upper end of the scale. This should equal out to somewhere between 30-50% of your daily calorie intake. This can be acquired from eggs, beef, chicken, turkey and fish (as well as any meat you are able to catch and wrestle to the ground), and quality protein powders.
Fat intake should also be relatively high (at least 20-30% of caloric intake), as lipids promote general health and immune function as well as providing many of the necessary components for testosterone production.
Fats are a great, highly concentrated source of calories. As such, they are indispensable in a weight gain diet. Good sources of fat include olive and canola oils, nuts, flaxseed oil or special blended oils, peanut butter. As you will be eating a great deal of meat on this program you will also be taking in the naturally-occurring fat found in these products.
Of the three macronutrients carbohydrates are generally the most inexpensive and, therefore also the most abundant in our food supply. They provide quick and easy energy. The downside of this is that, depending on your sensitivity to carbs, too many carbs can lead to quick gains in bodyfat. Adjust your carbohydrate intake to allow for steady gains with acceptable increases in bodyfat.
Fiber is not normally mentioned in weight gain diets. High levels of fiber are generally a staple of fat loss programs, since fiber tends to be very filling without adding significant calories. A moderate amount of fiber is also essential for a weight gain program however. This is not JUST for general health. Fiber helps optimize the proper function of the digestive tract. As you will be processing grocery carts full of food, as well as bucket-loads of shakes, This will keep digestion at a high level. A serving of whole oats (not the over-processed packeted kind) with breakfast, a small salad at the end of one of your mid-day meals and a can of green beans or a large serving of steamed fibrous veggies with dinner should provide all you need. High intake of water is also important. A gallon a day (not counting what you use in your shakes) should keep you (and you toilet) well-flushed.
Second only to overall calorie intake, protein consumption should rank as a principal nutritional priority. To pack on muscle, you should eat a minimal of two grams of protein per pound of bodyweight. Its even better to try to get in 2 1/2 grams per pound of bodyweight. Since some of you may have cheated your way through your math requirements, I will (once again), help you out with a chart.
Body weight 2 gr./pound 2 1/2 gr./pound
80 160 200
90 180 225
100 200 250
110 220 275
120 240 300
130 260 325
140 280 350
150 300 375
160 320 400
170 340 425
180 360 450
Let's take our 150-pounder again. First, we multiply his 150-pound bodyweight by 20 (calories per pound of bodyweight) to get a daily calorie count of 3000 calories a day. As far as protein intake goes, our weight gain test pilot will be taking in 300 grams a day (2 grams per pound of bodyweight). This provides 1200 calories a day from protein alone.
While your top priorities are consuming enough calories to allow for growth and huge quantities of protein to provide muscle building raw materials, timing is also important. The following two charts list the protein breakdown of the seven meals you will be eating daily. That's right! - seven meals. While this certainly won't be easy, it is also not quite as hard as one might guess. Of the seven meals, two or three can be shakes and two can just be high-protein snacks. Make no doubt though that this program will involve (almost constant) regular feedings. The will be times that you dread the next meal. If this is something you cannot handle, maybe table tennis will be more your speed?
Because protein intake needs to be heavy around your workout, I have listed to separate schedule (one for those that train in the morning and one for those that train in the evening) as well as a schedule for non-training days. Adjust the times as necessary based on your school and work schedule.
Percentages refer to the amount of your daily protein taken in at the particular meal listed. A little later I will explain the rationale for these numbers.
Figure out your daily protein intake (see the chart above). Divide this into tenths. In our ongoing example of the 150-pounder, this gives us a 375-gram daily protein intake. Obviously this guy is anxious to be big since he decided to start at the higher of the two suggested protein levels.
From here, we divide this by ten and get 37.5 grams per serving, which we round up to an even 40 grams. (Always err on the side of extra protein.) For each of his meals listed at 10%, he consumes a 40-gram serving of protein. We double this to 80 grams for his breakfast, since it is listed as 20% of his daily intake. The post-workout shake (listed as a 25%) gets a whopping 100-gram serving.
This is an extremely comprehensive program. For most athletes it will be a sure-fire guarantee of growth IF stuck to consistently. There are always exceptions though. Either those whose metabolisms are so fast that they require even more than this or those that are so hungry to become big that they are anxious to take things to the next level. If you are among either of these groups you may want to add in an additional shake in the middle of the night. This of course, will require setting an alarm clock for the middle of the night, rolling over and chugging a pre-made shake, and then drifting by to dreamland. Hopefully you will be dreaming of pulling a monstrous deadlift.
During the workout, you will see an asterix listed in your protein percentage column. As another option, you may want to consider taking 15-25 grams of branched-chain amino acids capsules during your workout. This seems to improve energy levels and discourages the breakdown of muscle tissue during training. We won't even bother to include this in your daily protein intake. Consider it just a useful extra if your finances allow.
Times are listed in military time. For example: three in the afternoon is listed as 15.00 (or 12 noon +3). Adjust these as needed to fit your lifestyle but try to keep them a stable as possible.
For those that train in the morning:
6:00 Breakfast/ Pre-training meal 20%
7:00 TRAINING *
8:30 Post-training shake 25%
9:30 Post-post-training meal 15%
12:30 Lunch 10%
3:00 Mid-day snack 10%
6:00 Dinner 10%
9:30 Before bed snack/shake 10%
(2:00 Mid-sleep shake - optional) -
For those that train in the afternoon:
6:00 Breakfast 20%
9:30 Mid-morning snack 10%
13:00 Lunch 10%
16:00 Pre-training meal 10%
17:00 TRAINING *
19:00 Post-training shake 25%
19:30 Post-post-training meal 15%
21:30 Before bed snack/shake 10%
(2:00 mid-sleep shake - optional)
Non-training days:
6:00 Breakfast 20%
8:30 Mid-morning snack 10%
11:00 Lunch 10%
14:00 Mid-afternoon snack 10%
17:00 Dinner 15%
19:30 Evening snack 10%
22:00 Before bed shake 15%
(2:00 mid-sleep shake - optional) -
Those that are college students, can easily arrange to eat between classes. If you are working, you can take "just add water and shake" containers of protein powder or Tupperware containers of prepared food to work for your snack-breaks. Once you are living in a third-world country making clothes at one of Kathy Lee Gifford's sweatshops, you should get a minimum of a fifteen-minute break for every two hours worked. If you have pre-prepared you meals, this should give you plenty of time to eat optimally.
"Weight-gainers can keep that 28-inch waist and still gain up to sixty pounds by eating small quantities of food five to six times daily, rather than stuffing themselves at one sitting."
- Vince Gironda, Blueprint for the Bodybuilder
Breakfast. Make it a point to eat immediately upon awakening. Your body has gone 7-10 hours without nutrients. Get used to preparing your food with blurry eyes and with a severe case of bed-head. Getting big isn't always pretty. A good breakfast might be a protein shake (I recommend a mixture of casein and whey so that you get an immediate influx of amino acids as well as some sustained slow proteins), a serving of oatmeal (carbs and fiber), and eggs (more protein and fat).
Mid-morning and lunch time
Breakfast just helped to make up for what was lost in night-time muscle construction. Don't blow-off this meal since it will help kick off today's growth. You should be of the mindset that feeling hungry means you are losing muscle.
Pre-workout. Training has a profound effect on how our body makes use of calories. The physical demands of an intense workout allow your muscles to soak up nutrients like hungry sponges. This is an ideal time to dose up on protein. I recommend a big protein meal (50-60 grams) right before training. This can be a protein shake, an egg omelet or a big hunk of meat.
Post-workout. Post-workout is the most important time to make sure you get in your protein. I highly recommend you give yourself a huge, more than double-dose (60-85 grams) of protein, consisting mostly of fast proteins, such as whey. THIS IS THE SINGLE MOST IMPORTANT SIMPLE THING YOU CAN DO TO ENSURE MAXIMAL MUSCLE GROWTH! Don't waste your time with those ready-to drink protein shakes. At the best you will get 35-40 grams of protein per bottle. You would need to drink two of those for serious growth - and that will set you back about eight dollars. For a fraction of that, place two scoops of a meal replacement or protein blend into a Tupperware shaker cup with two scoops of a quality whey protein blend. Alternately, you can make a four-scoop shake with one or two of the scoops being a low-sugar weight gainer and the remainder being a quality whey protein. Glutamine makes a nice addition here. It is important that you drink your shake IMMEDIATELY at the end of your workout. Waiting twenty minutes until you get home would be wasting a growth opportunity.
Post-post-workout. After my post-workout protein shake, I generally drive home, shower and then immediately prepare a whole-food protein meal. For me, this is roughly an hour after my post-workout protein shake. This should provide you with a second surge of slow protein. Favorite choices of mine include steak and eggs, cottage cheese (a great source of casein), or some lean grilled hamburger.
Before Bed. Before going to bed at night is another crucial time to pound the protein. Obviously, since it will be a number of hours until you are able to feed your muscles, you want to give yourself a slow protein, either in the form of an egg white or milk protein/casein shake or whole foods. Adding some fats into your shake (in the form of added flax oil or half-and-half cream) will give you concentrated calories for growth.
Middle of the Night.
If you choose to try a middle of the night feeding, why mess around? Go for a big double-dose of protein with some fats (once again, flax oil or cream) added. Only those with extreme metabolisms need to add carbs at this meal as they may make it harder for you to get back to sleep. If you try a middle of the night shake and find that you are often unable to roll back into a restful snooze, abort your twilight shakes and just add in higher daily calorie and protein intake into your waking hours.
"I always fed on high-protein liquid foods during a workout, and large quantities of protein food immediately afterwards in an attempt to match the food intake to the peak demand periods of the body."
-Michael J. Salvati, The Production of Muscular Bulk
Protein was mentioned above since it forms the foundation of a bodybuilding diet. At least 85% of your supplement expense should be proteins. Most of this should be protein blends for shakes with possibly some for liver and amino sources. The balance should just be spent on items to reinforce general health, such as vitamins, minerals, or flax oil.
Avoid meal-replacement products like Met-Rx and EAS's Myoplex. These MRPs contain fillers and thickening agents, which are very filling. These products are designed for the fat-loss market. Those trying to knock back big calories and huge doses of protein would be wise to steer clear of them. While whey protein is an excellent choice pre- and post-workout (since it gets into the system quickly), it tends to make one feel full. While this is great when trying to stay lean, those trying to pack muscle onto a turbo-charged metabolism would be better suited with a casein-based protein. Ideally, choose a quality casein powder and a whey or whey/casein blend so that you can design shakes that fit your needs for the particular time of the day.
Avoid fad products. In particular, avoid wasting your money on products like pro-hormones, GH secretagogues, myostatin inhibitors, and the like. Even if the companies selling these products show convincing research or list impressive increases in hormone levels from studies done on their products, this DOES NOT necessarily directly relate to an increase in muscle size. As a teenager, your metabolism is hormonally-stoked for growth. The addition of a dozen Andro-Maxx 3000 caps a day will only be the equivalent of spitting into the ocean. Your money is better spent on boosting your daily gram intake of protein.
As I mentioned earlier, the ready-to-drink shakes are a waste of money. Ditto for protein bars. These are strictly for the tourists. Hardcore lifters know that they can not only get more bang for their buck with
protein powders, but they can "custom mix" them to fit their individual needs.
So what supplements should make up a young lifter's weight-gain arsenal? I've summarized the top six below:
One of my favorite analogies for weight gain comes from a close friend of mine, who is a professor of exercise physiology. As he stole the analogy from someone else, I will, in turn, continue the cycle of larceny and use it for my own purposes.
(In my best Forrest Gump impression:) "Getting' big is like a leaky bucket." Protein, carbohydrates and fat provide calories, represented in this example as the water, which we need to dump into the top of the bucket in order to fill it up. The caloric needs of our metabolism (BMR), represents a dozen or so small pen-sized holes along the bottom half of the bucket. Energy expended at work and play adds three to eight more holes. Our level of emotional stress can add three to six more leaky holes. The quality of your night's sleep can either add or plug two or three more of the holes.
In order to best fill the bucket (get big), there are two approaches. We can dump in more water (take in more food) or we can plug more holes (by getting more sleep, relaxing more and controlling stress). The slow gains or losses in water level depend on your ability to either increase input or control leakage.
Successful bodybuilders realize that to gain the maximum amount of muscle, one must both increase incoming flow (nutrients) while decreasing loss. This 24-hour struggle epitomizes the bodybuilding lifestyle. For this reason unfailing dedication and consistency pay off in big gains. Be conscious of the concepts of energy dynamics and you will be upgrading to a larger bucket
25 grams
T-bone, sirloin or porterhouse steak, 3 oz.
Egg whites, 7 large
Eggs, 2 whole large eggs plus 4 whites
Egg Beaters, 1 cup
chicken breast, skinless, boneless
Tuna, canned, 4 oz.
Shake: roughly 1 scoop protein powder
30 grams
T-bone, sirloin or porterhouse steak, 4 oz.
Ground beef, 6 oz.
Egg whites, 9 large
Eggs, 2 whole large eggs plus 5 whites
Tuna or salmon (canned), 1/2 cup, drained
Bass, carp, cod or roughie filet, 6 oz.
Crabmeat, 1-1/2 cup
Cashews, 6 oz.
Cottage cheese, 1 cup
Ground turkey breast, 4 oz.
35 grams
Ground beef, 7 oz.
Ground turkey breast, 5 oz.
Eggs, 2 whole large eggs plus 6 whites
Eggs, 3 whole large eggs plus 4 whites
Peanuts 5 oz.
40 grams
Ground beef, 8 oz.
Ground turkey breast, 6 oz.
Eggs, 2 whole large eggs plus 7 whites
Eggs, 3 whole large eggs plus 6 whites
Chicken or turkey, 1 cup diced
Ground chicken, 8 oz.
Tuna, canned, 6 oz.
Bass, carp, cod or roughie filet, 8 oz.
45 grams
T-bone, sirloin or porterhouse steak, 6 oz.
Ground beef, 9 oz.
Eggs, 3 whole large eggs plus 7 whites
Eggs, 4 whole large eggs plus 6 whites
Bass, carp, cod or roughie filet, 8 oz.
Protein shake, roughly 2 scoops of protein powder
50 grams
T-bone, sirloin or porterhouse steak, 5 oz.
Ground beef, 10 oz.
Ground turkey breast, 7 oz.
Eggs, 3 whole large eggs plus 9 whites
Eggs, 4 whole large eggs plus 7 whites
Eggs, 5 whole large eggs plus 5 whites
Tuna, canned, 8 oz.
55 grams
Ground beef, 11 oz.
Eggs, 3 whole large eggs plus 10 whites
Eggs, 4 whole large eggs plus 9 whites
Eggs, 5 whole large eggs plus 7 whites
Ground turkey breast, 8 oz.
Protein shake, roughly 2 scoops protein powder, mixed in nonfat milk
60 grams
T-bone, sirloin or porterhouse steak, 8 oz.
Ground beef, 12 oz.
Eggs, 4 whole large eggs plus 10 whites
Eggs, 5 whole large eggs plus 8 whites
Eggs, 6 whole large eggs plus 6 whites
Bass, carp, cod or roughie filet, 12 oz.
65 grams
T-bone, sirloin or porterhouse steak, 8 oz.
Ground turkey breast, 9 oz.
Protein shake, roughly 3 scoops of protein powder
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