How To Gain Weight: 5 Simple Steps

[Krueg]

Gaining weight is often a misunderstood concept in bodybuilding circles, with the majority of newcomers assuming ‘weight gain’ simply means adding pounds onto the scale. The truth is, gaining high-quality weight means adding lean muscle tissue with as little fat as possible, a feat that is often easier said than done. Many assume that in order to add pounds of muscle you have to add pounds of fat as well, but with careful attention to your diet and workouts designed to add muscle, it can be accomplished.

Gaining weight comes down to one simple principle: Calories in must be greater than calories out.

This takes into account everything you’ve eaten throughout the day and every ounce of energy you’ve expended, including your workouts. If you have a surplus of calories on a consistent basis, you will gain weight. The trick to gaining muscle without fat is keeping your caloric surplus at no more than five-hundred calories per day, which will give you the energy needed to build muscle without an excess of calories that are stored as fat.

Let’s take a look at five simple steps you can take to maximize lean muscle growth while limiting excess body fat accumulation.

5 Steps: How to Gain Weight

Weight-Gaining Step #1 – Keep your workouts intense

Those extra calories need a job to perform or they will simply go towards fatty accumulation. Lean muscle tissue can only be built if there is adequate stimulation inside the gym. This means following a bodybuilding-friendly lifting regimen that will help you grow. Six to ten repetitions per set, fighting hard to finish each set, will ensure you are lifting hard enough to build muscle.

Weight-Gaining Step #2 – Limit the amount of cardio performed

Cardiovascular exercise is important in maintaining a lean physique and a healthy heart. However, if adding slabs of lean beef to your body is your goal, keep your cardiovascular exercise to a maximum of two to three sessions per week, lasting no more than fifteen minutes per session. This strategy will give you the benefits without burning too much energy.

Weight-Gaining Step #3 – Complex carbohydrates are your friend

One of the most important steps in eating to gain quality weight is to eat high-quality carbohydrates. These types of carbs help provide the fuel your body needs to power-through tough workouts, the fuel your body needs to repair and rebuild your muscle tissue, and the lasting fuel you will need to stave off junk-food cravings. When you stick to high quality sources of carbohydrates such as oatmeal, yams, sweet potatoes, and other whole-grain sources, your body keeps it’s anabolic hormones in check and it’s fat-storing hormones at bay. Those who attempt to gain weight by eating anything and everything they want often end up gaining more fat than muscle, a direct result of the low-quality sources of carbohydrates that alter the optimal anabolic environment.

Weight-Gaining Step #4 – Supplement with a quality protein product

Most of us don’t realize just how much food it takes to achieve a daily caloric surplus; it is often more than the average person can consume. For this reason, it is important to consume two to three high-quality protein shakes everyday in-between meals, which supplies you with the quality protein and calories you need to grow. Some people naturally have a very high metabolism; if you are already very lean and struggling to gain weight then you’re probably in this category. This is the right time to take your supplementation a step further and consume a weight-gaining shake. These shakes are loaded with high-quality carbohydrates, proteins, and fats, important for the hard-gainer who is struggling to gain weight on diet and protein supplementation alone.

Not all protein and weight-gaining supplements are created equal, so be sure to do your homework and get some product reviews before finding the right one for you.

Weight-Gaining Step #5 – Lean cuts of red meat provide quality calories

Red meat is a great weight-gaining tool because it is loaded with protein, contains more fat than chicken and turkey, and is rick in vitamins like zinc and iron, which help give you the power and strength needed to lift your hardest in the gym. Stick to lean cuts of beef such as Eye of Round and Flank steaks, which provide you with the benefits of red meat without the excess of fat found in the majority of cuts. On top of choosing lean cuts, be sure to remove any visible fat before cooking, as this will limit the amount of artery-clogging fat you consume.

Red meat doesn’t need to be consumed on a daily basis, but it does have its place within a solid weight-gaining strategy.

These five steps will give you a huge advantage on your journey to gaining weight.

There is no single ‘Super-food’, no ‘super supplement’, and no ‘magic bullet’ to gaining solid muscular weight. The biggest secret is perhaps knowing what it takes to achieve the goal; consistency. It takes a smart bodybuilding routine combined with a solid weight-gaining eating plan, executed regularly and consistently over a period of weeks, months, and years. As with anything else in life, putting the plan into action and sticking to it over the long haul will help you achieve the results you are looking for.

http://muscleandbrawn.com/how-to-gain-weight-5-simple-steps/

 

[MetalFortress]

All of those sound good to me, although I'd also add, since we've got a lot of snackers in here including myself, to replace chips and stuff like that with almonds, sunflower seeds or peanuts or something else with a high protein and high healthy fat count.

 

[Krueg]

All of those sound good to me, although I'd also add, since we've got a lot of snackers in here including myself, to replace chips and stuff like that with almonds, sunflower seeds or peanuts or something else with a high protein and high healthy fat count.

Good point.

 

[Eph]

The best way to gain weight (in addition to eating more) is to just wake up earlier (which might also mean going to sleep earlier to get that 8 hours). Its a lot easier to eat 6 meals every 2-3 hours if you wake up at 6 then it is if you wake up at 10.
And Krueg what are you thoughts on eating/drinking right before bed. In the average person's (who doesn't work out) body this would normally just turn into mostly fat but in say an athlete's body would you say this goes towards rebuilding muscle?

 

[MikeBrown30]

The best way to gain weight (in addition to eating more) is to just wake up earlier (which might also mean going to sleep earlier to get that 8 hours). Its a lot easier to eat 6 meals every 2-3 hours if you wake up at 6 then it is if you wake up at 10.
And Krueg what are you thoughts on eating/drinking right before bed. In the average person's (who doesn't work out) body this would normally just turn into mostly fat but in say an athlete's body would you say this goes towards rebuilding muscle?

The 6-8 meals a day is not necessary to gain muscle or lose fat, eating/drinking calories before bed does not make you gain fat. Excess calories create new body tissue. Depending on your genetics, training and how much of a caloric surplus you are in, will determine whether this goes towards building muscle tissue or adipose (fat) tissue.

Taken from: http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/muscle-gain/general-philosophies-of-muscle-mass-gain.html

On average, a natural male doing everything right will be doing very well to gain 1/2 of pound muscle per week.

Let me reiterate: the average male trainee is doing well to gain about 1/2 pound muscle per week, 2 pounds per month or about 24-26 pounds per year. I’d note that that will generally only happen in the first year of training and things slow down after that. A female may be gaining about half that much, 1 pound per month of actual muscle tissue or 10-12 pounds per year. I know it sucks but that’s reality.

 

[Eph]

The 6-8 meals a day is not necessary to gain muscle or lose fat, eating/drinking calories before bed does not make you gain fat. Excess calories create new body tissue. Depending on your genetics, training and how much of a caloric surplus you are in, will determine whether this goes towards building muscle tissue or adipose (fat) tissue.

Taken from: http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/muscle-gain/general-philosophies-of-muscle-mass-gain.html

I know 6-8 isnt necessary. Thought it was a good example. But thanks for the rest. Was curious considering your metabolism slows during sleep.

 

[switch]

2 noob questions
what about non-fat milk? there is a lot of hype around drinking milk for gaining mass, is it true?
and also i don't take whey protein, is that going to affect my weight gain?(i eat 1kg chicken breasts and 400g tuna + 1liters of milk per day)

thanks!

 

[MikeBrown30]

2 noob questions
what about non-fat milk? there is a lot of hype around drinking milk for gaining mass, is it true?
and also i don't take whey protein, is that going to affect my weight gain?(i eat 1kg chicken breasts and 400g tuna + 1liters of milk per day)

thanks!

1. Milk is good for underweight teenagers because it's cheap (cost wise, not quality wise) protein and calories, and easy to consume.

2. No, you will still gain weight even without using whey protein. At the end of the day, excess calories is what determines whether you gain weight or not, it does not matter if it is from whole foods or from supplements. It is better to eat whole foods and teach yourself good dietary habits instead of relying on powders, but they are there if you need them.

I can give you a rough estimation of your needs if you like? What are your body stats?

 

[switch]

1. Milk is good for underweight teenagers because it's cheap (cost wise, not quality wise) protein and calories, and easy to consume.

2. No, you will still gain weight even without using whey protein. At the end of the day, excess calories is what determines whether you gain weight or not, it does not matter if it is from whole foods or from supplements. It is better to eat whole foods and teach yourself good dietary habits instead of relying on powders, but they are there if you need them.

I can give you a rough estimation of your needs if you like? What are your body stats?

5'8" 182lbs %bf is around 18-19 i think.... im on a olympic style power routine

 

[MikeBrown30]

5'8" 182lbs %bf is around 18-19 i think.... im on a olympic style power routine

Ok, at your current weight, you would roughly need between 2548(Sedentary)-2912(Active) calories per day just to maintain. I can also give you a macronutrient breakdown IF you tell me what your goals are? It would also be helpful if you could post your actual training routine.

 

[ProDJ26]

Forgot to mention the importance of water & sleep both of which are highly underrated

 

[switch]

Ok, at your current weight, you would roughly need between 2548(Sedentary)-2912(Active) calories per day just to maintain. I can also give you a macronutrient breakdown IF you tell me what your goals are? It would also be helpful if you could post your actual training routine.

my goals are to get stronger and lose fat...the routine is a typical stronglifts routine,
A day:squats 5X5
rows 5X5
military press 5X5
100m dash 6 sets
B day: Squats 5X5
bench press 5X5
rows 5X5
HIIT 6 sets

im also doing calisthenics on rest days,
pullups 20X3
pushups 10X5
bridge and planks +5 mins each

i go to swimming on tuesdays and thursdays

thanks a lot!

 

[MikeBrown30]

my goals are to get stronger and lose fat...the routine is a typical stronglifts routine,
A day:squats 5X5
rows 5X5
military press 5X5
100m dash 6 sets
B day: Squats 5X5
bench press 5X5
rows 5X5
HIIT 6 sets

im also doing calisthenics on rest days,
pullups 20X3
pushups 10X5
bridge and planks +5 mins each

i go to swimming on tuesdays and thursdays

thanks a lot!

Do you play any sports? What are your reasons for doing 100m dash, HIIT and swimming? I would say to focus on one goal, instead of wanting to lose fat and gain strength at the same time. While it is possible to do both, it will be difficult because you will need to lower calories to lose fat. When dieting you will either:

- Lose a little bit of strength
- Maintain your strength
- Increase strength a little

The other option is to eat at maintenance calories, and keep training while your body recomps. This will take longer, but you will gain muscle and lose fat IF you are making progress in your training.

Personally I think it is better to focus on one thing at a time, much easier to track progress. So which is it?

 

[switch]

Do you play any sports? What are your reasons for doing 100m dash, HIIT and swimming? I would say to focus on one goal, instead of wanting to lose fat and gain strength at the same time. While it is possible to do both, it will be difficult because you will need to lower calories to lose fat. When dieting you will either:

- Lose a little bit of strength
- Maintain your strength
- Increase strength a little

The other option is to eat at maintenance calories, and keep training while your body recomps. This will take longer, but you will gain muscle and lose fat IF you are making progress in your training.

Personally I think it is better to focus on one thing at a time, much easier to track progress. So which is it?

you have a good point...i think i'll go with strength since im pretty weak
also swimming is mostly for my lower back, i got a spinal injury..for some reason my back gets better after swimming

 

[Trailboss]

You could do it the way I did it, as a skinny teenager. I followed the Old Timers ways and they worked just fine: 1)Workout. Really, really hard. 2)Eat every single fvcking thing you can afford/get your hands on!. 3)Grow!

Try to eat "good" but if there is nothing better, eat bad. Eat something ever 3 hours. If not...the body will start to feed on itself...that would be bad.

 

[Krueg]

You could do it the way I did it, as a skinny teenager. I followed the Old Timers ways and they worked just fine: 1)Workout. Really, really hard. 2)Eat every single fvcking thing you can afford/get your hands on!. 3)Grow!

Try to eat "good" but if there is nothing better, eat bad. Eat something ever 3 hours. If not...the body will start to feed on itself...that would be bad.

Agree, there has been more 1,000lb squats at the bottom of a McDonalds bag than following some strict-starvation diet.

 

[user43770]

I want to gain weight, but my face is already big/fat. My body is thin, except for my face. I want to be more curvy, but lose weight in the face or at least not gain more weight in my face.

How to healthily gain weight without gaining more face fat?

It's impossible to spot reduce weight. That is, you can't lose weight in just one area of your body -- you have to lose it all over. It sounds like you have what most people would refer to as a "baby face." I don't think that there is much you can do about that.

If you want to gain weight, I say go for it. Just use patience. Don't start eating anything and everything you feel like, without regard for going overboard.

Calculate your BMR (google it) -- which is the amount of calories you need to eat to maintain your current weight -- and try to eat 300-500 calories more than that a day. Listen to your body; if you're putting on too much fat, cut back on your calories.

Gaining and losing weight is a learning process; you figure it out as you go along. It took me a couple of weeks to figure out exactly what I needed to be eating to achieve my goals. If you don't like the results you're getting, you can always stop and change things. This sh1t isn't permanent.

 

[TheStig]

Thanks for the tips. Gaining weight is easier, I'm really having a hard time loosing weight. I eat more fatty foods, can't even control myself. Can someone give me an advice?

Eat at a caloric deficit. There's no way around it, you need self control.

 

[Choleslo]

These tips are good but proper diet is necessary for gaining weight without any disadvantage.