Over the last several decades that I have been writing training material I have recieved letters from readers requesting answers to their bodybuilding problems. Of all the letters, easily 75% are from those who want to get bigger and more powerful as fast as possible. It seems that gaining muscle weight is still the foremost concern of the average bodybuilder.
A majority of you began training because you were below that certain muscular bodyweight that you consider ideal. My observations lead me to the conclusion that bodybuilders are perpetually on a ceaseless search for greater size and want to "be big" no matter what their body type dictates. Most lifters also reach a point when they feel their power would go up in a big way if they could just add a few pounds of muscular bodyweight.
Gaining this weight should be a relatively simple process, yet, it has always been given the status of a major problem. The simple concepts of gaining body weight have suddenliy been dignified with a lot of technical jargon. It has now become a deep science complicated with sophisticated ads and articles about metabolic programming.
If you are an average lifter who is underweight or who simple wants more mass, don't be frightened by these seeming difficulties. Like the vastly inflated "science of bodybuilding" most of this concern is totally unnecessary, unless, of course, you're an advanced bodybuilder lying awake at night worrying about a "blurred cut" in that left pec.
Note: Everyone's a wannabe champeen now, ain't they just! The reason you might notice that there's several articles on gaining weight and some strength simply here is . . . it's all such an obsessive-compulsive pain in the ass the way so many just plain hobbyists go about it, and many types who are older and beginning but not any wiser that I really overestimate over and over again. Just lift hard quite simply, eat more good food, rest, keep a positive attitude about gaining and call it a damned night already. If there's one thing I hate in a person it's nitpicking, sitting around wringing hands about something as stupid as just lifting some weights and putting on a little tissue for fun. You are not special, asshole. Now, stop it! We at TTSDB headquarters are offering a combo deal on pairs of soap boxes that double as lifting boxes. Be the first kid on your block to come home to a box! Or Two!
What I propose to do in this article is present a four step plan that will result in added bodyweight and strength. You will have to eat above your maintenance level and keep pushing your poundages up, it's that simple.
1) Power Training
The exercise plan [and this is only one approach] will have you working the three majore and four minor muscle groups on non-consecutive days, thrice per week [unless that proves too much for you to recoup from]. You could also use a split training schedule utilizing the Push/Pull system, where you train pushing muscles one day and pulling muscle the other. You could also split your upper and lower body into separate days. [There's plenty of various ideas on this blog.]
Basically, YOUR TRAINING SCHEDULE SHOULD BE KEPT SIMPLE AND UNCLUTTERED.
2) Rest
If you don't rest adequately, you won't recuperate in time for your next workout. It's that simple. You won't make the gains you are striving for as rapidly, if at all.
Take a good hour or so nap every day when possible. Get a good solid 8-10 hours of sleep each night it's possible. Never go to bed on an empty stomach. Eat a little something-something and perhaps a small glass of your favorite blender drink. Don't eat foods which might cause you an upset stomach and cause you to awaken in the middle of the night.) Your bedroom should be well ventilated, clean, pitchblack and as noise-proof as possible.
3) Nutrition
The usuals here with no white sugar, and substituting honey or raw sugar instead. No white bread, etc. No fancy desserts, etc. The usual "No, No, No" of a different sort.
Drink 3-4 quarts of milk a day. A rather unique weight gaining tip from Vince Gironda: mix equal parts of half and half cream with ginger ale three times per day.
Natural peanut butter in sandwiches and blender drinks. Consume plenty of the following as snackes during the day: cheese, olives, nuts, dried and fresh fruits and vegetables.
Six 1,000 calorie meals are easier to digest and assimilate than three 2,000 calorie meals, and keep the stomach from stretching or distending.
It is important to never skip a meal when attempting to gain additional weight. Instead of coffee at work drink a pint or two of milk. Better yet, you might have a pre-mixed blender drink. A couple of these drinks which come to my mind are as follows:
Drink #1
4 raw eggs (boil for 15-20 seconds.
1/2 pint heavy dairy cream
1/2 cup honey
1 cup powdered milk
1 cup protein powder
1.5 quarts whole milk
Note: You can buy waxy maize and maltodextrin in bulk cheaply and add it to your blender drinks.
Drink #2
1 cup whole milk
1/2 cup heavy dairy cream
2 tablespoons brewer's yeast
1 tablespoon flax seed oil
1/2 banana
2 eggs
1 tablespoon peanut butter
1 scoop ice cream
I will be the first to admit that the eating regime I have talked about here is unbalanced for long term normal living. This is a temporary bulking diet, it is NOT recommended for use throughout the year. The bodybuilder who desperately wants to gain bodyweight is not interested in technicalities.
4) Positive Mental Attitude
You should think positively about all your daily activities, physical, mental and moral. It will aid you in your training in the gym as well as your personal life. Develop a positive self image of yourself, set some specific goals both short and long term, and you should be able to gain weight with very little problem once you get used to eating more.
Enjoy Your Lifting!
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