A Quick-Gain Method - Bob Samson (1975)

                                                            From the July '75 issue of IronMan. 

                                                                                      The Author

Do you want to gain weight? 

To develop larger muscle size and greater strength?

Then this article is just what you have been waiting to read! 

I know a lot of you Iron Man readers have the misfortune to belong to the hard gainer class, in which results are slow and hard in coming. 

Other are frustrated by being at a stalemate in progress. 

Beginning thin men struggling in the quest for physical perfection will find this weight gaining article ideal for their needs. 

It may pleasantly surprise you to learn how much weight and muscle you can gain, but up to a pound a day is possible. Some men have gained more than 50 lbs. of muscle in only a few months with great strength increases to match. 

One of the beauties of this method is that you can be your own trainer, to a large extent, and mold your physique to whatever weight you may need or desire. You can make dramatic gains of muscle size and power quickly. So let's get started NOW!

The Thin Man's Problems

For . . . 

. . . being skinny is no humorous affair. Being underweight often leads to poor health and a rundown physical condition; moreover, as one weakens, his resistance to all manner of illnesses steadily weakens. He finds himself easily tired, nervous and irritable. 

As a runt, Skinny is often bullied and pushed about by his more robust companions who delight in using him as a convenient scapegoat. Problems, unfortunately, have a habit of leading from one to another. Now we often find an inferiority complex and lack of confidence compounds the thin man's difficulties even further. This negative mental attitude and self image actually can ruin a person's life. One so afflicted cannot function properly in life. He becomes beset by fears and anxieties; even his career and social life are affected. He may even strike out in his love life, and fellows, that really smarts! 

[Yes. Closing time, it's Casey at the Bat again, and somewhere men are laughing, and somewhere children shout, but there is no joy in Mudville -- Mighty Casey has struck out . . . the Viator curse, my friends, the Viator curse. I blame Arthur Jones, world's worst wingman.]

Now, let's change that old negative picture 

and let the thin man build himself up, transforming his skinny physique into a strong, healthy, muscular one. 

As he gains weight his frame fills out, his shoulders broaden while his flat chest grows big and powerful. The toothpick arms now thicken with added muscle and strength. The skinny legs gain new inches of solid muscle and develop power. He becomes recharged with newfound health and strength. The thin man is now transformed . . . gray skies are gonna clear up . . . Stick out that noble chin! Slap on a happy grin!  Get clueless, stop thinking, transform, get passionate about it, kill the old you, beat your enemies to death with the cocoon and torch their corpses on main street . . . shortly after closing time. "Police are searching for a bizarro negative muscleman covered in the blood of others. Suspect is "armed" and dangerous . . . Do Not Engage." 

So, if you find yourself facing the thin man's dilemma, determine now to start training and change things in your life . . . by building yourself up.

What It Takes To Build Up

First, you must posses the correct mental attitude, drive, and determination. Picture in your mind's eye the mentally ever-present well-shaped breasts made of chocolate, er, I mean the goal you desire -- what the new you will look like, damnit.   

Then plan the method you will utilize which will be covered briefly in this article. Next, take action. Begin . . . to work out and follow the bulk up diet religiously, and your efforts will be crowned with success. [We need the 10 commandments of a bulking diet. So far I have 1 to 9 covered with Thou shalt boatload calories, repeating. Number 10's about regularity.] 

Rest is important to the building up process as is adequate relaxation. Arrange for about 8.5 to 9 hours sound sleep nightly. Don't squander calories by unnecessary activities like track, swimming, paying the rent or basketball for now; but save your precious energy for some heavy, man-sized workouts. 

Strive to remain tranquil with an easygoing disposition throughout the day. 

Far too many thin people are not only run down physically [traffic's a bitch], but are afflicted with an extremely jittery, nervous disposition as well. Worry, fear, hatred, jealousy, etc., are all negative emotions which only deplete the nervous system, and ruin one's health in the process, which may well be the initial cause of the sick condition in the first place. 

A Quick-Gain Bulk Up Diet

Many authorities feel diet ranges even above exercise in securing maximum gains. There is no denying your body requires a well balanced diet and many essential food elements for effective progress and health. Wholesome food, high protein, vitamins and minerals. enzymes, and sufficient calories must all be available in abundance, if you wish to make gains. 

This can best be provided for in the form of three well-balanced meals daily, supplemented with three or four high protein and vitamin snacks through the day. Thus the underweight trainee will be continuously supplying himself with the needed nutrition throughout the day. This method is sometimes referred to as forced feeding. It has been established that the system generally can digest several smaller meals at different times, more efficiently than one or two large meals. If you lack a man-sized appetite, just eat whatever you can, but endeavor to steadily increase your food intake daily, by degrees. You can cut back gradually after reaching your desired bodyweight. 

Bulk Up Routine 

For bulk and power building purposes, it has been well established that the selection of only a few key basic power exercises that work the large muscle groups is best for maximum gain. The trainee aspiring to gain weight and power should also confine himself to only two or three workouts a week, but these must consist of hard work and heavy weights. 

The multiple exercise systems of the Mr. Americas you read about in the magazines is excellent for advanced men striving to put the finishing touches on their development, but not for beginners or the underweight struggling to build themselves up. 

Indeed, in some cases, some men have made phenomenal gains on the single exercise system, such as the dead lift or squat for 20 reps. You can find some excellent programs along this line in Peary Rader's course on Master Body Building and Weight Gaining. 

Here:

https://ditillo2.blogspot.com/2008/02/reder-system-part-one.html  https://ditillo2.blogspot.com/2008/02/rader-system-part-two.html

The squat for about 15 to 20 reps when followed immediately by the two-arm pullover is the finest weight gaining and chest building combination known. The idea is to induce breathlessness, which full squats with 3-5 breaths in between reps will surely induce. This deep breathing will expand the chest, thicken and build the thighs, and accelerate the whole growth process. 

Another basic power movement is the bench press, which is the greatest upper body exercise for size and power, in my view, as witnessed by the amazing gains of Doug Hepburn, who build himself up from only 145 pounds to 290, the world's strongest man. 

Another great exercise is the bentover rowing motion, which will thicken the upper back, thus adding to the much-coveted V-shape so desired by all muscle men. This was a favorite movement of Davy Moyer, who built himself up from only 120 pounds into a 265-pound U.S. heavyweight lifting champ of the mid-thirties, with arms reputed to be the world's largest muscular ones of the day. 

Some form of heavy pressing should be included to build up the shoulders as well as a few good bicep and triceps exercises such as the barbell curl and lying triceps press. Arm movements will not alter a man's bodyweight much by themselves, but of course should be included, for nothing quite sets a man apart as being strong, like big muscular arms. 

In an article of this small size, it becomes difficult to cover the entire spectrum completely, such as nutrition, ideal muscular weight, the history of bulking up, and various special programs to meet individual needs. Therefore, I would refer those readers who are interested in obtaining further information to my new weight gaining course, which is advertised on another page of this issue. 

Enjoy Your Lifting!