How to Gain Weight

From Scrawny to Brawny: Tips For Rapid, Quality Weight Gain

There are those of us that seem to gain weight just by smelling it. On the other side of the spectrum, there are those who are perpetually on the weight gain train and can't seem to build upon their high school frames, regardless of how many cheeseburgers they throw down. Do you fall into the latter category? If so, try some of these tips to help you go from scrawny to brawny:

-Drink more water. Water makes up the majority of our muscles, so why not give them what they need? Try to drink around a gallon per day.

-Increase your caloric intake. In it's simplest form, weight gain is nothing more that a function of the calories you consume minus the calories your body burns over a given time period. Get an estimate of what your typical daily caloric intake is now, and increase it by about 500 calories at first. If this is not enough, increase it by another 500 calories. Make sure they are quality calories; don't just throw another patty or two on your cheeseburger. Lower your cholesterol and saturated fat intake and up the protein. You should be consuming one ounce of protein for every pound that you weigh.

-Hit the weights. Aim to do moderately heavy strength training 3-4 times per week. Focus on compound lifts like bench presses, pull-ups, overhead presses and squats for best results. Don't linger around the gym for more than an hour, and always make sure to push your muscles as far beyond their failure points as possible. Try to do sets of 5-8 reps as heavy as you can go, but remember to practice perfect form. Don't cheat yourself!

-Supplement your diet, if necessary. Take a pure unflavored whey protein isolate shake within 30 minutes of finishing your workout. This will help to kick-start the muscle recovery process without all the added garbage that a lot of flavored proteins can contain.

-Allow for ample recovery time between workouts. Try not to use a particular muscle group more than twice a week (once a week is ideal). Anything more frequent can hinder the muscle recovery process. Remember, weightlifting breaks down the muscle, and the recovery period afterwards is where the muscle is built.

-As a last ditch effort, try taking creatine for a few weeks. Creatine supplements allow your muscles to retain water to a higher degree, so in addition to your initially rapid strength gains, you will definitely gain weight quickly during the first few weeks. Make sure you are using a pure creatine monohydrate isolate without all the fillers. 

EpicFit20.com is another Health Professional.

 Train with Wayne