Being the skinny one in the gym is never easy.
You’re completely surrounded by individuals who have more muscle mass in their left quad than you have in your entire body.
You begin to look around astonished and motivated to someday look like those people. There’s just one problem that you’re continuing to run into… How do I get as big as these people?
Whether you’ve always fantasized about being able to wear a t-shirt that hugs your guns so hard it looks like you’re about to bust out of the sleeves or maybe you just have the motivation to create a better and bigger version of yourself, we help go over all of the essential tips and advice to gaining weight in the right way.
So, where does one person start?
Listed below are the main ways to help assist with weight gain and muscle growth.
#1 Proper Workout Form
The most critical and essential method to helping build muscle is, well, working out (but with proper form). Ask yourself, what good does it do when your form is completely jacked, and you find that you’re injuring yourself more often than not?
The answer is quite clear, having the knowledge and proper form when working out is hands-down the best way to build your foundation for success with all of your fitness goals and aspirations.
So, what do you do if you don’t have anyone to show you the ropes or teach you specific exercises and movements?
The best advice that can be given is to not be afraid to ask questions. If you see someone in the gym who clearly knows what they are doing, try asking for advice when they have a moment during their rest period.
Odds are, if you approach them in the right manner, they’re more than willing to help someone with limited knowledge to assist in proper form techniques and education to prevent you from injuring yourself.
Now, this doesn’t mean to bug people who are trying to have an effective workout session but rather seizing the moment you feel is suitable to ask for help.
If you work out at a time when not many people are at the gym, let YouTube be your best friend. There are endless tutorials for specific movements and exercises all over YouTube that go in-depth with how the set should be performed.
Create a playlist for each body part that you plan on incorporating into your split and study them like it’s your ACT to get into a good college.
Knowledge is everything when it comes down to sculpting your physique how you want it.
#2 Eat Like Your Life Depends on It
Do not confuse this tip with, “Oh I can go out and pound 5 Wendy’s Baconators and fries”.
Do not attempt to dirty bulk because it’s a ‘quick way’ to add size to your frame. This is not only terrible for your health, but it will not help you accomplish the goals you are aiming for.
A proper and well-balanced nutritional plan is vital in helping you not only gain weight but build muscle and increase mass.
Your body is your best friend, so you need to study and learn it well.
While one diet might work for one person, it may not work for you. The trial and error process is key as you really want to figure out whether a certain daily macronutrient intake is right for you in assisting with weight gain.
If you already have trouble gaining weight and consider yourself an ectomorph, start building your diet plan out evenly with your high carb meals being slotted in your pre-workout and post-workout meals to help with muscle recovery.
You can spread the rest of your carb intake out evenly through the rest of your meals and slowly increase your carbohydrates every other week.
Often times, you’re probably not eating enough, or you may just have two big meals per day. Adjusting your body to 5 or 6 well-portioned meals can help get your body on track and will allow yourself to adapt to a schedule.
#3 Time Your Cheat Meals
Cheat meals are essential to help you both mentally and physically when enduring a stricter diet. It can actually benefit you more if you’re still running into difficulty when trying to put on more weight as you can add in an additional cheat meal as a post workout goal. If you’re also lacking size with a specific body part, save one of your cheat meals for that specific day as your post workout meal to add in the additional caloric intake and nutrients your muscles need to repair and recover after breakdown. Go with something like a burrito with double meat from Chipotle and you’re good to go.
Timing your cheat meals for post-workout or even pre-workout is much better than an all-day binge-fest as it allows you to provide your workout with that extra energy you need and the additional nutrients post-workout to help push growth.
#4 Building Out a Schedule
Making sure you’re not skipping the gym and giving yourself proper rest periods is entirely necessary for muscle growth.
Figure out a routine that you can make sure that you stick to and are also creating rest periods in between. Try going 2-4 days on and 1 day off then repeat again but give yourself a total of 2 rest days per week.
If you know you have a rest day coming up, try to fit in a re-feed day around this time as well and kick the carbohydrates up a bit to ensure that your growth is still right on track.
#5 Training for Strength
Once your form is down proper and you’ve gotten to the advanced stages of lifting, try shooting for a consistent workout split that requires more strength training and heavy sets.
Training Hypertrophy is a great way to grab a skin splitting pump, but you should also be changing it up when you’re looking to add on the mass you need by going much heavier in weight and reducing the reps to a moderate amount.
Volume workouts are great but training for additional strength gains and going heavy while you’re cruising in a bulk is going to benefit you more in the long run.
Training heavy allows you to keep adding the additional mass you need on your frame and will be great for your mind as you continue to set new PR’s for yourself in the weight room.
#6 Protein and Slow Digesting Foods
Protein is such a standard when it comes to the proper protocol for muscle growth. A high protein diet or eating more protein-enriched foods help assist you in repairing torn down muscle tissue caused by workouts.
Related – Top 10 Protein Packed Foods
Slow digesting foods and Casein Protein are great to implement before bed as your body stays full while you sleep.
Your growth hormone levels are also elevated during the time that you’re sleeping and by implementing slower digesting, protein-packed foods, you can help muscle recovery and repair during this period.
Try some of the following slower digesting foods before you are ready to go to bed to help enhance muscle recovery: Casein Protein, Peanut Butter, Cottage Cheese, Whole Eggs, and Almonds.
#7 Supplements
A good supplement stack is always nice to help assist you with your fitness goals.
One example is having a quality Whey Protein or Whey Protein Isolate choice to help you get in the necessary protein intake for the day if you’re behind on meals or just can’t hit a specific amount with food.
Nutrex Research IsoFit is an excellent choice as you can enjoy the gourmet taste as well as come up with more creative recipes and protein-based desserts.
A multi-vitamin to help support your immune system and overall health is a great addition to your supplement intake for everyday use. Try using Nutrex Research Vitadapt as your multi of choice as it also contains the adaptogen, KSM-66® to help reduce anxiety and stress.
You can find all of these products in our Beginners Stack here.
Final Takeaway
The journey to add weight and muscle mass takes time but it can be well achieved through proper diet and workout splits.
Most importantly, by listening to your body and by studying it thoroughly, you can help hit your goals and improve your overall physique drastically.
