Weight Gain Tips: The Fastest Way To Build Muscle
Do you have trouble gaining weight? Wondering how to bulk up? Are you ready to pack on some size? What’s the fastest way to build muscle?
Simply put, to build bigger muscle, you have to start eating like a champion. To get big, you have to eat big.
In order to add body weight to your frame, you must consume more calories than you burn on a daily basis. This is referred to as a bulking phase or bulking cycle.
Now, this does not mean that you should eat anything and everything in sight. You have to be smart about what and when you’re eating.
Choosing the right foods at the right times will minimize fat gain while maximizing muscle gain.
Weight Gain Tips: Nutrition
How often to eat:
Strive to eat a well-balanced meal or snack 5-6 times per day which will work out to eating about every 3 hours or so. This strategy can take a little getting used to if you’re currently only eating 2-3 times per day, but it is mandatory. Don’t worry, it gets easier.
What to eat:
Ideally, each feeding should include a complex carbohydrate and a lean protein source. Complex carbs provide long-lasting energy, while proteins are the building blocks of muscle. Consume no less than 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight per day while in a bulking phase. (If you weigh 150 pounds, you will need at least 150 grams of protein per day.) Keep saturated fats to a minimum.
How much to eat:
To add size and bulk up, you will need to be in a calorie surplus (eating more than you burn). To gain as much size as possible while keeping body fat to a minimum, strive to consume about 500 more calories than you burn. (Eating more than this will lead to more weight–the wrong kind of weight.)
This means that:
1. You will need to count the calories that you eat and document them.
2. You will need to determine how many calories you are burning.
There are a couple of different ways of determining your daily caloric expenditure.
1. Use this calorie calculator (an estimation based on weight, activity level, etc.).
2. Eat what you would normally eat for one week and document it, adding up the total calories eaten each day. Then determine your average daily calorie intake. You will then add an additional 500 calories per day to this figure.
Weight Gain Tips: Meal Replacements And Timing
Meal replacements:
Sometimes eating 5 or 6 times per day is just not convenient, and that’s where meal replacements come in. A meal replacement is a shake or bar that is used to replace one or two of your meals. They will include both proteins and carbohydrates (unlike a traditional protein shake, which has little or no carbs). Meal replacements should make up no more than 1/3 of your total nutrition-whole foods are best.
Meal timing:
When you eat is just as important as what you eat. Eat breakfast within 30 minutes of waking, if not sooner. Eat a whole food meal 1-2 hours before weight training. This will provide the energy to power your workout. Drink a meal replacement shake no longer than 30 minutes after your workout to quickly replenish nutrients. Eat another whole food meal 1-2 hours after your post-workout shake. Your final meal of the day should consist of mostly proteins and little or no carbs.
How long to bulk up:
Everybody is a little different when it comes to determining how long they should bulk up. Try a bulking cycle for 6-8 weeks then assess your body-fat level. It is only natural that you will tend to add a little body fat during this process, so if it’s getting to be more than you would like, stop the cycle.
Trainer’s Tip: Many men prefer to bulk up during the winter months, when you can hide behind coats and jackets, then lean out before summer, when it’s time to take your shirt off.
Weight Gain Tips: Cardio
Cardio:
Keep your cardio exercise to 20-30 minutes of light work 2-3 days per week, if at all. You want to keep your heart and lungs strong, but you don’t want to burn off a ton of calories doing it. Remember, you need to be in a calorie surplus to gain weight, so burning a substantial amount of calories performing cardio means you’ll just have to eat more.
Use these weight gain tips in conjunction with your weight-training program and pack on some serious size. Now go eat.