Posts Tagged ‘weight gain’

Tips That WillgetyouBIG…Pt. 2…

Posted: December 5, 2012 by williampower in Exercise
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Despite the ubiquitous pitch to trim down by most people who seek my services, I often get questions about how to successfully gain weight. Contrary to popular belief, gaining quality weight (without a subsequent increase in significant body fat) can require as much dedication as trying to reduce body fat while maintaining muscle mass. A big part of this conundrum circles around each individual’s somatotype (refer to “What’s your body type…or should I say Somatotype?”). It also comes down to having the right information. I gave 8 major weight gain tips in “quick tips to gain weight the right way”. The following tips compliment the 1st 8 and further assist anyone trying to gain quality weight:

1. Create a calorie surplus – gaining weight and losing weight honestly boil down to simply mathematics. To gain weight, eat more calories than you burn. To lose weight do the opposite. Without question though, you must eat big to get big. Since muscles are metabolically active they require a certain amount of cals to grow, more than that of non-metabolically active tissue. There are several recommendations of how many calories one should intake to gain weight, some based off fat free mass, some off entire body weight, some based in kg, others in lbs., etc. Generally, when counting cals, around 15-20 cals/lb. of bodyweight has worked well for me and people I’ve worked with. The exact number will of course vary by individual. Some hard gainers may need up to 25 cals/lb. of bodyweight to see any real weight gain. For others, its imperative that you keep an eye on your overall physique to make sure flab isn’t on the come up. If that happens trail back the cals/lb. of bodyweight. Also keep in mind the amount of cals you burn throughout the day will impact your recommended calorie intake as well.

2. To eat more, eat less – intuitively you may think hoarding cals into 3 huge meals will be the best way to ensure increased calorie intake. However, it’s actually easier on your metabolism, digestive system, and muscle growth to divide your daily calories into 5 to 7 meals a day. Eating big meals trigger extreme insulin responses by the body guaranteeing excess fat storage, lethargy and increased time between meals. Keeping consistent intervallic calorie intake allows for constant nutrient delivery to muscles and facilitates anabolism. Rule of thumb is to eat every 2-3 hours; time between meals and snacks shouldn’t exceed this.

3. Shake shit up – no matter how big you are, how ravenous your appetite, there’s only so much food you can eat in a day. Liquid cals are great for this purpose because they give you complete control over what you intake (homemade shakes), they are portable and easily accessible, and they digest quickly. One to two shakes a day can add a surplus of over 500 – 600 cals a day.

4. Quality over quantity (keep it healthy!!!) – “getting big” or “bulking” is not an excuse to devour gratuitous calories from junk foods. Poor diet choices destroy physiques; one or two cheat meals a week to keep you from losing your mind is fine, but make healthy foods the foundation of your diet. Beware the cheat day! One cheat day can cancel out a whole week of hard work.

5. Low carb, no carb, no way! – Carbohydrates fuel exercise and will give you the energy to lift big. Complex, low glycemic, slow digesting carbs are best (quinoa, rolled oats, whole grain cereals). The exception to the rule is post workout where your meal should be filled with high glycemic, simple, fast digesting carbs to replenish energy lost during exhaustive exercise (juice, white potatoes, dextrose).

6. Get enough protein – protein/amino acids are the foundation for muscle growth. 1 – 1.5g/lb. of body weight for mass gain (up from the normal .8 recommendation for the average person). Aim for high quality high bioavailable proteins from varying sources to ensure adequate amino consumption.

7. Get enough fat – fat provides more cals than protein or carbs making it an easy way to increase calorie intake. It also helps keep testosterone elevated for muscle growth. Aim for polyunsaturated fats (flax seed, salmon, walnuts) and small amounts of sat fat (beef and dairy). Avoid trans fats (processed, baked and fried foods).

8. Post workout – eating the proper meal in a proper window (2 hours or less) after exhaustive exercise maximizes recovery and anabolism at a time when your body is most primed for nutrient uptake: Ingest high glycemic carbs with high quality protein (refer to “A Summary of Macronutrients”)

9. Preplan for success – maximize efficiency and reduce missed opportunities by using downtime to prepare meals in advance. This reduces the likelihood of ingesting unhealthy non-progressive food due to lack of time or lack of options.

Quick Tips To Gain Weight The Right Way

Posted: September 27, 2011 by williampower in Behavior Modification, Exercise, Myth Busting
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1. Weight train only 4 to 5 days a week. If growing is your primary concern then rest is paramount. Schedule breaks between intense sessions. For some, you may only need to workout 4 days and on your off days do absolutely nothing (no cardio or resistance training). Even if the gains don’t come right away this is not an indication that you need to workout more days a week. Be patient, stick to the formula and the gains will come.

2. Cut back on all the reps and sets. As a hard gainer, doing too many reps and too many sets is a recipe for overtraining. Heuristically, it seems better to train bigger body parts (legs, chest, back) with a 3 – 4 exercise per session rate and the smaller muscles (biceps, triceps, shoulders, etc.) 2 – 3 exercises per session.

3. Emphasize compound exercise where more than one muscle group is used at one time i.e. squat and military press.

4. Reduce cardio. Cardio done too often can burn too many calories over time. Use cardio sparingly to control fat stores but keep pace with your calorie intake to insure proper growth.

5. Keep it short and sweet. Hard gainer workouts shouldn’t last more than about an hour. Beyond that, excess cortisol (a catabolic hormone) can be released inhibiting growth of the muscles.

6. Consume more complex carbs to energize your intense workouts. Carbs are important because they provide energy and they control insulin, an anabolic hormone that forces energy into the muscle stimulating growth. Once again complex carbs should be your primary target in carbo-loading. For more info see “Summary of Macronutrients”.

7. Eat adequate high quality proteins. These are the building blocks to your muscles. For a breakdown of quality protein see “Summary of Macronutrients).

8. Use things like Echinacea and Ginger Root to increase appetite. An increased appetite will lead to the consumption of more calories which in the long and short term help you reach your goal.

5 Biggest Mistakes When Trying To Gain Weight

Posted: September 24, 2011 by williampower in Behavior Modification, Exercise, Myth Busting
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1. Eating two or three huge meals with several hours in between. Yes, you hard gainers (those who have trouble gaining quality muscle) are less inclined to turn these meals into fat due to your fast metabolisms, however, this method will also force your body to feed off stored energy (often muscle mass over body fat) in between meals. This makes it more than difficult for your body to retain muscle mass. The best solution for this is to eat 5 to 6 meals each day.

2. Consuming excess amounts of calorie-laden junk foods. Eating can be like a job for hard gainers. In an attempt to pack on some quick calories, hard gainers often turn to fast food like burgers or pizza. However, these foods contain entirely too much sugar, fat, and refined flour. They are better at adding inches to your waistline than adding inches to your biceps. In the fitness game, always emphasize quality over quantity. Eat quality whole foods and consume quality liquid calories when whole foods aren’t available. For some, weight-gaining products taken correctly can be a great way to gain mass.

3. Using too many energy drinks, which inhibit appetite. Caffeinated energy drinks play an important role in mustering energy and supporting mass gains. The problem is, they reduce appetite making it less likely for hard gainers to consume the quality calories necessary for mass gains. No one is saying to eliminate caffeine from your diet, just remember to consume it in moderation so that it doesn’t impact to intake of necessary quality calories.

4. Eating inconsistently. Most hard gainers have a tendency to eat well for two or three days then fall off the chuck wagon for lack of a better term. You have to eat consistently to grow. You should be hitting our target amount of calories each day.

5. Overtraining. More than a few hard gainers are under the assumption that more training means more muscle growth. Well that’s not entirely accurate. Muscles grow after you train, while you’re resting. Training too long or too often can be counterproductive.