Weight Gain Tips (4)

Cant say my story is all that much different from everyone else's.... been there done that with the supplements. I've finally found what works for me. I cant eat first thing in the morning, cause i feel sick,  so I start out with a protein shake, or calorie shake as I like to call it (1800cals). Then have my first meal at around 10am, lunch at 12, loaf of cheese bread at 2, supper at 5, and another calorie shake when i get into bed at 10. Im consuming about 4000 cals a day, and its working very well!! If you are like I was, you think nothing will work, you are simply such a hardgainer that it wont happen. Keep the hope, and eat every 2 - 5 hours. never be hungry!

Tips

It takes time. I know you want the mass overnight, but being patient is the key. Eat, and lift the most that you can as long as you are hitting 6 - 9 reps. I have put on 14lbs in 5 weeks.

Ed. Notes: That's it - if you can eat, you can gain and gain substantially. You just have to do it.

I'm 34 and have always been "skinny" 5'8 and 130lbs. I have tried on and off for many years to gain weight without much happening, I'm sure we have all been there, spent hundreds $ on weights and supplements! I had finally had enough of moaning about the way I looked and decided to go to work! I gave up drinking beer ( been 3 months now and still going!) changed my diet, joined a friendly gym and got myself some real weight gain drinks, but I have not made them the focus of my diet and started training in my lunch hour. After 2 months I have put on 14lbs! it may not seem a lot but boy am I happy!!! I look better and feel better already and the weight is still going on. I hope to get to about 160lbs - 165lbs over the next few months. I want to thank you guys for giving me the knowledge and inspiration to go for it!

Tips

Eat , eat and eat! I used to think I ate a lot but now i REALLY eat a lot. Make sure you have breakfast and make sure you have at least 4 real meals a day and then back that up with a good weight gainer ( n-large is good). Stick to the basics, compound excercise and take your shake before and after your work out.

When you train, train like you mean it, push that last rep, dig deep. Ignore everyone else in the gym, most of them are "pretending" to work out anyway. Rest well and lay off the booze, I feel great since gave it up! and when you have done all the above DO IT SOME MORE!!!

Ed. Notes: Pay particular attention to Aaron's advice on training "like you mean it." You have to convince the body it needs to increase muscle mass. N-large 2 at Affordable Supplements.

I wish i found this site a few years ago.  I was pretty average when I went to college but instead of gaining the freshman 15 ilost it.  Actually lost 22 pounds just because I hated the dorm food.  Maybe stress to.  Over the summer i got some back but not what I had hoped for.  Well, long story short I finally started lifting and forcing myself to eat better.  Funny thing is that before I knew better I used to go out jogging.  I thought that would help me gain weight but it was probably keeping me small.  Thanks for the site. I have taken a lot from it.I am now past where I was originally and I am still gaining.  A side note-- the more muscle i put on the more attention the girls pay to me!!! That keps me going.

Tips

The best thing I did was replace pepsi with milk.  I don't drink soda anymore.  Taking those empty calories out of your diet and putting in something good for the body really helps(milk does a body good!) I keep an approximate count of the calories i eat in a day in my head.  I workout 3x a week - sunday (chest, back, shoulders) - Tuesday (arms, abs) - Thursday (legs).  The Sunday workout is long but the other two are short which works with my busy schedule. That's It!

Ed. Notes: Great simple approach - all the college students who write complaining about "time" take note (college students complaining about a lack of time makes me laugh -Wait until you get into the real world).

I've was pretty skinny most of my life.  When i was younger, I tried to wear baggy clothes all the time just so people wouldn't notice that i was so skinny.  In the summer people would ask me why I was wearing jeans instead of shorts.  It was because I didn't want to hear people make comments about my toothpick legs.  At some point, I got past caring that much but it always pissed me off.

I tried many times to gain weight but didn't know what i was doing.  Mostly I would just make it a point to try and eat a lot.  A couple of times I started lifting but I was always pretty self-conscious.

I found this site last January because it was my new year resolutions  (for about the 15th straight year)to put on some weight.  I started at the end of Jan. and by the end of March I had put on 23 lbs - ALL of it muscle.  I lost some because i got sick and had to quit training for a while but I got it back recently and now have gained a total of 30 lbs. From 142 to 172.  My new goal is 190 and I think I can hit that in the next 4 months.

Tips

This site really helped me a lot as did my fiancee who read all the diet stuff and made sure i had all I needed. She made sure I ate and I made sure I worked out.  If you have someone to help you that can really make a big difference. 

I used N-large and Udos as far as supplements.  I almost tried creatine but decided that i was doing so well without it that I didn't need it. 

Also like I said I wasn't very good in the gym because I was always a little embarassed by how weak I was.  A big part of me sticking to it this time was that i bought my own equipment and workout in my basement.  I only paid $75 for a used bench and rack and some weights i found in the clssifieds.  That $75 was probably the best investment I ever made.

Ed. Notes: The classifieds are a great place to get equipment deals. Udo's Choice at Affordable Supplements and N-Large 2.

Since I was very young I always wanted to look like Arnold or Stallone.  I had weights and lots of ambition, but not a lot of knowledge.  I'm 30 now and just really starting to undertstand how it all works.  I've been on and off programs over the years, and each time made decent gains in strength and definition, but never in mass gain.

 
It wasn't until earlier this year that I started to really count calories, protein, carbs, and fat.  Over the last few months I've made a spreadsheet with every food I normally eat.  Up until a few weeks ago my main goal was to lose fat.  I was surprised that even to eat less than maintenance calories I was still eating a lot.  Likely the last 15 years I have stunted efforts at mass gain AND fat loss by eating entirely too little.  About 3 weeks ago I decided I'd switch to a mass building phase (despite worries of putting on fat) since the bathing suit season is over and I now know just how much food and training it takes to gain.  Basically: more food and less training.  I'm sure I've spent half my life overtrained from 5-6 workouts per week during some periods.  In 3 weeks I have gone from about 162lbs to 176lbs (I am 5'9")...and not gained any fat!  I don't expect this type of gaining to continue, but I think my body was very primed for a spurt after several months of calorie deficit and cardio training.

Tips

Success for me has come from learning as much as possible about how the body works and how bodybuilders succeeded.  I have read many books and e-articles in the last 4 years, but the most recent one that helped put it into perspective was Tom Venutos "burn the fat, feed the muscle".  It was aimed more at burning up fat, but most of the principles still apply.

Train hard, eat harder, and rest hardest.  Also, don't overlook the calories.  If you just try to eat a lot you probably won't eat enough.  5-6 small meals helps to get enough, and start early (5:00am for me).  I use a whey powder to help get in protein when it's otherwise inconvenient to eat a chicken breast (driving to work).  Pay attention to the details very closely even though it seems tedious....after a few weeks you can start to measure your food amounts with your eyes and put the scales away.

I have lots of tips, but I'll only bore you with one more that is a little different:  put a tv in the kitchen!  To eat healthy and properly you'll be spending a lot of time there.  Make it fun, try some new recipes, listen to music, watch a show.  I spend 3-4 hours every Sunday making meals ahead of time.  Easy way to stay interested is make sure you're hungry when you're cooking!

Ed. Notes: Great TV tip. Pay attention to the attention James paid to his diet and his hard-learned lessons on overtraining. Burn The Fat, Feed the Muscle is indeed an incredible read regardless of your goals - no one is better at putting things in perspective from the point of view of a bodybuilder than Venuto.

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Marc David tells his story, why he failed miserably at first and how he got himself turned around.