Today I want to share with you some quality tips on how to gain weight. Now I warn you, this is for the really skinny guy who is looking to really pack on the pounds because they barely have any meat on their bones. I know what it’s like when you feel like you eat all the time and have nothing to show for it. I have been there. I also understand the feelings you get when people start to resent you because you can eat whatever you want and never gain a pound. They don’t realize that for the skinny this is more of a curse than a blessing at times.
However, I also despise people who say that “they’ve tried everything but nothing works”. This is the biggest lie you need to stop telling yourself. You may have tried a couple of things, but trust me, you haven’t tried the right things yet. Here are 9 tips that will help you start gaining weight in no time. These are tips that I have personally used and I guarantee they will work for you.
Here are my top 9 tips for gaining weight:
#1 Train in less than an hour
You should keep any program you are doing to no more than 1 hour in length. Be sure to focus on keeping the intensity high rather than making the workout drag on. Countless studies have been done on how nasty things happen to your hormonal state after training hard for over an hour. Also, when we try to gain weight, we want to work harder instead of longer.
#2 Make eating a habit
Listen, I know I understood your problem at the beginning of this post, but I’m also here to say, Suck It UP. I can tell you that in order to gain weight, you need to focus on making your meals a habit instead of an afterthought. Your body is pre-programmed with your genetic disposition. And in your case, you have a very fast metabolism that quickly digests and burns calories.
So even though you can eat 3 meals a day, and they may be high calorie foods, your body will burn them very quickly. Instead, focus on having 5-6 meals a day spaced 2-3 hours apart so your body is constantly getting something to metabolize and build muscle with.
#3 Stop depending on supplements
I have been in their shoes and I cannot count how many times I have been a victim of the supplement industry. You have to understand, a supplement is exactly as its name implies…A SUPPLEMENT. It won’t make or break your gains in the gym. Most supplements that are marketed to people looking to gain weight focus on increasing water weight rather than muscle, which after stopping the supplement, your weight will come back down. The only supplements I recommend are protein powder and maybe some Gatorade after workouts.
#4 Take it easy
As naturally skinny guys, you have to stop moving around so much. It’s just a part of who you are, but you may be restless or on the move a lot during the day. Learn to relax a bit more and try to limit activity outside of the gym as much as possible when you are out of the gym so that your energy is put to good use.
#5 Understand the caloric surplus
This is another thing that I am very tired of hearing. ‘No matter what I do or what I eat, I can’t gain weight.’ I have heard this countless times and I am here to tell you that you are dead wrong. It’s okay, because I actually said the same thing until I realized the truth.
Most people think they are eating too much and you may be. But no matter what you’re eating, if you’re not gaining weight, you’re not eating enough. More often than not, you also need to reevaluate your diet and focus on more calorie-dense foods. But you need to eat more if you are not gaining weight.
Also, by changing your body composition, you will need to ‘push’ things a bit. Your body doesn’t want to change and doesn’t mind gaining weight. You need to ‘coax’ him and yes, he can be a bit awkward at times.
#6 Focus on progress
As mentioned above, your workouts should really last less than an hour, if that happens at all. But the main take home principle is to make sure you’re making progress in a workout. It’s so simple but a lot of people mess it up. They put on more and more volume until their workouts are about 2 hours long.
Now some things work for a while and you may see some results. But if you want to gain weight, you’re better off concentrating on increasing the number of reps or increasing the weight lifted within your main program. Just like overeating, this too will be difficult and will require you to PUSH to the limit.
#7 Change your rep range every 3-4 weeks
Unless you are making big gains and progressing like no one else, I would suggest changing your rep range every 3-4 weeks to avoid plateauing. Changing the rep range will make your body adapt to the new stress, which will cause you to gain weight in the form of muscle. This is a much better tactic than adding more sets and more work into your routine.
#8 Go to the buffet
Remember, this is for the skinny extreme… But I want you to start going to a buffet once a week. Try and position this eating frenzy after a hard workout so that most of the calories are transferred to your muscles, which will really help you pack on those pounds and gain weight in all the right places. Don’t overdo it, but this will train his body to ‘accept’ more food and increase his appetite for days to come. Take advantage of this strategy.
#9 Consider a mass gainer
I know i criticized the supplement industry, but the truth is, if you really can’t eat more whole foods (which is the best option), you might consider a weight gainer. A mass gainer is basically calories in the form of a shake. So instead of having rice vegetables and chicken, you can replace it with a smoothie.
These are another option for between hours. But make sure you have three meals of real food and no more than three of these winning shakes. Better yet, make your own smoothies with fruit and protein powder. Much better option. Well, start putting these tips into action and you should be sure to start gaining weight in no time.
Good luck with your muscle gain goals!