Diet tips for hard gainer

[Chickfight]

Here's the deal, I want to put on a good 20 lbs of muscle. The problem is me putting on weight. I'm 6ft2 153lbs. definitely slight of build, but luckily I have broad shoulders, and I actually get some compliments on my physique, but I want real STRENGTH and SIZE, so I'm starting a high intensity low rep workout program maybe 3-4 times a week. I know I'll be having to pack on the calories, I'm thinking maybe 3500-4000 a day? Does that sound right? This is hard for me as I really feel like I'm stuffing myself.

Anyone know any easy high calorie foods that I can consume without much hassle? Dont worry too much about healthiness. I can eat pretty much anything I want and not get fat. The most success I've had was a few years ago in highschool when every lunch for a few month's i stuffed myself with KFC and did pullups sets 4 times a week, ended up having a lot of people notice how buff I was getting. I also noticed small gains of only a few lbs are already very noticeable on me, I think because of my skinny frame. When I wrap my hand around my wrist, it overlaps past the nail of my middle finger.

 

[sportguy]

Here's the deal, I want to put on a good 20 lbs of muscle. The problem is me putting on weight. I'm 6ft2 153lbs. definitely slight of build, but luckily I have broad shoulders, and I actually get some compliments on my physique, but I want real STRENGTH and SIZE, so I'm starting a high intensity low rep workout program maybe 3-4 times a week. I know I'll be having to pack on the calories, I'm thinking maybe 3500-4000 a day? Does that sound right? This is hard for me as I really feel like I'm stuffing myself.

Anyone know any easy high calorie foods that I can consume without much hassle? Dont worry too much about healthiness. I can eat pretty much anything I want and not get fat. The most success I've had was a few years ago in highschool when every lunch for a few month's i stuffed myself with KFC and did pullups sets 4 times a week, ended up having a lot of people notice how buff I was getting. I also noticed small gains of only a few lbs are already very noticeable on me, I think because of my skinny frame. When I wrap my hand around my wrist, it overlaps past the nail of my middle finger.

I would suggest weight gainer protein shakes. Most of them contain over 1000 calories per serving. You can split the serving in half and have 2 servings a day. I also recommend a good creatine which help you put on mass. You will easily put on 10-15 pounds with the creatine in a month. For foods, you should google high caloric dense foods if you want foods with a lot of calories. I know pasta and nuts are some of the caloric dense foods. You can't go wrong with meat and eggs either. The most important thing for a hard gainer is eating more frequently - you need to be eating every 2-3 hours even if it is smaller meals.

The next most important is the work out. You should do squats, bench press and deadlifts. These are the main compound exercises that will target the most muscle groups. Make sure to do these exercises in good form and you will see major improvement with a proper diet and supplements.

Hope this helps!!

 

[Matthew Lyon]

Get on Rippetoes Starting Strength. Be sure to use great form over weight. I'm 6' 4" myself, so you'll need to start out at around 4,500-5,000 calories every day and 225g protein. Calories are important but protein is also very, very important. Also, be sure to drink lots of water and take multivitamins. And I don't mean those crap multivitamins that are in one pill. Those don't work. Real multivitamins come in several pills. Be sure to sleep at least 7-8 hours per night and drink lots of water. And remember, 90% of bodybuilding is proper nutrition and rest. Only 10% is actually working out. Be sure that at least 40% of your calories are from carbohydrates. And most of all, EAT HEALTHY! Don't eat crap.

 

[Alle_Gory]

When I wrap my hand around my wrist, it overlaps past the nail of my middle finger.

That's great but that's one of the dumbest measurements. I don't even know why people like to use it.

I have a mesomorph body (a little on the heavier side) and I can also wrap my hand and overlap past the nail of my middle finger.


The main characteristics you should be looking at are: hip to shoulder ratio (the bone structure not the muscles), the build of your hands (slender hands for a slender body, and mittens for the heavier guys), and of course the build of your feet. Same rules apply as for hands. Thick, wide feet for heavier mesomorphs and endomorphs. You can also look at the joints since they are critical load bearing structures in the body. If you were designed to lift heavier weights you would have thick and well built joints to handle that extra stress.


I would also reccomend weight gainer shakes. Make your own if you can cook or buy it in a package. I like muscle milk since it has a nicer flavor than most. You can also try the GOMAD diet (gallon of milk a day) but it tends to be hard on the digestion to drink so much lactose.

 

[Chickfight]

Thanks for the replies guys, I appreciate it. I'm not too big on the supplement stuff. What I mean is my main problem is just not eating enough. I might add supplements later as needed, but I dont want to go out and buy a bunch of stuff right now as I'm a poor college student.

And Alle Gory, I'd say slender just in general, it's pretty obvious by looking at me, except for my wide shoulders as I mentioned. I'd define myself as an ectomorph with some mesomorphic characteristics. It's not impossible for me to gain fat, but it's not super hard for me to gain muscle either (if I can bring myself to eat enough). I like the gallon of milk a day idea. Sounds cheap and effective. I just hope it doesn't break me out.

Here's a pic to illustrate what I mean by slender, but wide shouldered. This was taken almost 4 years ago when I was the same height, but probably only about 135 lbs.



Uploaded with ImageShack.us

 

[Apolonia]

Hi,..One of the most simple yet effective steps you can take is to simply double everything you eat. For example you have one handful of nuts for a snack, have two.
thanks,..

 

[Aberly]

Hi there,
This is the good one posting and have the best one knowledge inside the text you have share here..... Thanks allot......

 

[Alle_Gory]

Here's a pic to illustrate what I mean by slender, but wide shouldered. This was taken almost 4 years ago when I was the same height, but probably only about 135 lbs.

Definitely ectomorph. Holy crap 135lbs. Lightest I've ever been was 145lbs (5'11") and I felt horrible.

Your frame was built to be thin, but fear not there is much you can do with knowledge and willpower and plenty of money for food. Learn how to cook because you will be eating tons of food and it goes down easier if it's delicious.

Spices are your friend and add lots of flavor.

 

[ProDJ26]

GOMAD "gallon of milk a day"
Eggs
Beef (I like steak)
Chicken
Tuna (cheap like milk)
Oatmeal / Brown Rice
Pasta / Potatoes
Olive Oil / Multivitamins
Gallon of water

Fvck the weight gainers as soon as you stop you'll lose it all stick to the basics: REAL FOOD SLEEP & CONSISTENCY

 

[Fuglydude]

Lotsa good stuff here... Based on your pics you're quite ectomorphic. However, the wide shoulders mean you have the potential to put on a lot of mass. If you put on some serious mass and then cut you'll have a physique that girls will drool over. I think the hand-wrapping-around-wrist has some merit, but you gotta consider other factors as well. Check out this site:

http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/becker3.htm

I'm personally an ecto-mesomorph... I'm hardwired for power and speed. I've been lifting for over a decade and am typically am among the strongest pound-for-pound guys in any commercial gym. However, I have to eat a SHIITLOAD of food to gain weight. I'm talking >4000 cals and probably around >250 g protein/day.

In your case I think you're gonna have to consume tons of carbs and meat.

Here's a sample diet:

Meal 1: 1.5 cups oatmeal + 2 whole eggs + 40 g whey isolate
Meal 2: 1 yam or 1-2 cups brown rice + veges/fruit + 6-8 oz red meat
Meal 3: 2 cups whole milk + 1 serving mass gainer
Meal 4: Same as meal 2.
Meal 5: 1 cup cottage cheese + 1 oz almonds OR another mass gainer shake
Meal 6: 2 oz almonds/cashews + 2 eggs + 1 can tuna OR 1 cup cottage cheese

Consume a whey isolate shake before as well as after your workouts w/ some simple carbs mixed in... I often recommend putting a weight gain shake post-WO. Personally, I'm not a huge fan of gainer shakes either, but when you're busy they're a simple and easy way of getting much needed carbs/proteins and calories into your body.

As a hardgainer you're gonna need to consume LARGE amounts of food to see significant weight gain. Don't be afraid to go Wendy's and down a baconator once in a while. Remember to focus on the big compound movements and don't train w/ weights more than 3x/week.

Hope this helps.

 

[escobar04]

Here's a sample diet:

Meal 1: 1.5 cups oatmeal + 2 whole eggs + 40 g whey isolate
Meal 2: 1 yam or 1-2 cups brown rice + veges/fruit + 6-8 oz red meat
Meal 3: 2 cups whole milk + 1 serving mass gainer
Meal 4: Same as meal 2.
Meal 5: 1 cup cottage cheese + 1 oz almonds OR another mass gainer shake
Meal 6: 2 oz almonds/cashews + 2 eggs + 1 can tuna OR 1 cup cottage cheese

Hope this helps.

you just posted a good cutting diet albeit the mass gainer!

A guy his size looking to add 20 pounds of (weight) needs to get on some burritos, peanut butter sandwiches, loads of milk, KFC and protein pancakes

eating 4 eggs and tuna is not going to add anything for someone in his position

 

[gregsashinsky]

Hardgainer Diet Tips
1. Consume 18-24 times the amount of your body weight in calories. Example: 20 x 155 lbs = 3,100 calories per day.
2. Once you have a daily caloric intake amount, break it down into 45 percent carbohydrates, 40 percent protein, and 15 percent fat.
3. Split your calories into 5-7 meals per day.
4. Take 3-4 days OFF from the gym weekly. (Preferably 24 hours of rest between each gym session)
5. Make compound exercises the focal point of each workout routine.
6. Follow a clean diet by taking in only complex carbohydrates, high quality protein, and natural fats.
7. Keep your body in an anabolic state following your workout by adding simple sugars (banana, honey, etc) to your post workout shake/meal.
8. Make sure to get 7-9 hours of sleep every night in order to recover and allow your muscles time to rebuild.
These very simple but effective points will make a huge difference in the results you are seeing currently. Expect to gain anywhere from 2-5 pounds per week while following these hardgainer diet tips. These are the same tips I followed when going from 115lbs to 160 in less than 6 months.

 

[EFFORT]

Anyone know any easy high calorie foods that I can consume without much hassle?

1 Gallon Whole Milk = 2,342 calories, 126g fat, 176g carbs, 125g protein

add a serving of serious mass to that and your at

3592calories, 130g fat, 430g carbs, 175g protein.

Assuming you can digest it (I'd recommend NOW super enzymes to help), that would be a simple way to get in 3600 calories. Also have 15g of creatine a day.

Then add 16oz of beef ,a dozen eggs, a buffet, a full rotisserie chicken or a triple whooper value meal on top of the milk and weight gainer.

Add the super squats lifting routine and your in business.

Do this for 8weeks then post up your results.

(this is advice specially for the op and his goal)

 

[Kerpal]

^ +1 to this but I'd go with Starting Strength instead of the super squats program.

 

[EFFORT]

Yeah do starting strength instead of Super Squats. SS will be a lot safer and teach you proper form on the main lifts. Find the book and read it as well, you'll learn a lot.

 

[Chickfight]

Very good advice guys. I appreciate it.
Unfortunately though, I'm traveling for the summer and I really don't have any money to spare, so I won't have access to a gym. So I'm going to have to go with body weight exercises, but maybe buy some freeweight later on. Here is my plan:

When I wake up in the monring I'll load up a backpack with water bottles for extra resistance and my training regimen will consist of squats, sprints, pushups, pullups, chin ups, dips and various ab exercises. I'll hit different muscle groups on different days, with one day a week off

I won't be able to eat a million times a day cause I'll be pretty busy, but I'll try to get 3 solid balanced meals in a day for a total of about 2500 cal. Add the gallon of milk a day and I'll be over 4.5k cals a day. So I expect to be consuming 1.5-2k of excess calories a day. Hopefully most of that will go to muscle, but I'm guessing it's normal to gain some fat as well? We'll see, if that does happen, I'll probably keep pushing through it and I can drop the fat later. I'll be doing all of this without supplements besides some multivitamins, but I may add creatine etc later if I'm not getting the desired results.

Anybody have any critique on my training regimen?

I plan to start next week friday once I've left the US and I'll set up a journal here for it. Thanks again.

 

[WalkingStick]

I've had trouble gaining weight in the past and my best advice to you is to eat A LOT, drink lots of water, and get sleep. I was surprised at how much food I had to eat before I started gaining.

4.5k calories a day is good. You should start gaining weight. You might be surprised at how little fat you gain, but it depends on your body type.

Can't help you much with a bodyweight exercise regimen. Pullups are good.

 

[WalkingStick]

double post

 

[Kerpal]

When I wake up in the monring I'll load up a backpack with water bottles for extra resistance and my training regimen will consist of squats, sprints, pushups, pullups, chin ups, dips and various ab exercises. I'll hit different muscle groups on different days, with one day a week off

That's not going to do anything. You're going to have to figure out a way to get access to a barbell and squat rack if you want to make any real progress.

 

[EFFORT]

Hopefully most of that will go to muscle, but I'm guessing it's normal to gain some fat as well?

Anybody have any critique on my training regimen?

Like Kerpal said that's not going to do anything.

Your body naturally wants to be 6'2 @ 153lbs. To change that you have to do something extremely "unnatural" in the eyes of your body. Doing squats with water bottles, some body weight dips, sprints, pull ups, chin ups and push ups isn't going to be enough stimulus to add 20lbs of muscle to your frame.

You'll most likely just end up a little heavier with a belly and very little muscle gain from that plan. If I was you I'd just enjoy my trip and not bother trying to pursue this goal until I have the proper equipment, time, mental focus and budget. You can still participate in fitness, I'd do fun stuff like play sports, sprint, hike, rock climb etc.

Don't mean to sound negative here, just seen a lot of guys waste time spinning there wheels and missing out on fun things in life for a goal that was doomed from the start. Your trip sounds really fun, make the most of that experience, don't ruin it chugging down milk and food.