Are You Sick and Tired Of People Telling You How To Gain Weight?
It probably sounds like this:
�All you have to do is eat, eat, and eat some more to gain weight...�
�Weight gain is just a matter of eating...�
�You just gotta overload your metabolism to gain weight fast...�
�You can't build a house without the bricks and mortar for gaining weight...�
Don't throw me to the wolves quite yet. There is certainly truth to these statements and some of these analogies can prove quite powerful. I think I'm even guilty of preaching a few! But the problem with this advice is that it's usually followed up with the same old regurgitated blah, blah, blah advice that only tells you what to do and does not reveal real-world, practical how-to action-steps.
If you are someone who has struggled their entire life, trying to pack on extra muscle mass and still consider yourself underweight, then you are not alone. I was once skinny and underweight myself...
People, predispositioned to skinniness, are commonly referred to as �hard gainers.� This is the cool way to label your scrawny frame despite the fact that your body turns into a Number 2 pencil when you wear yellow!
It's Not Totally Your Fault You�re Skinny
In the skinny guy�s defense, the reality is that you have been cursed with traits like Lamborghini-type metabolism, giraffe like limbs, and the strength of a senior citizen. You have to fight with every bone in your body to do something about your small frame and to keep up to your male buddies who seem to grow muscle just by sneezing � those muscle freaks piss me off just as much you!
Even though you might think your genetic deficiencies have sentenced you to a life of frailty and surprised looks when you tell others you lift weights, I am living proof that hard gainers with very �muscle-unfriendly genes� can fight back against their genetics and gain muscle weight. I defeated my skinny genetics just after college and I am about to show you four tips that helped me climb from a 149 pound weakling to a rock hard 190 pounds in six months.
Trust me, no body has worse genetics for building muscle and gaining weight than an ex-long distance runner who abused his body with 60-80 miles of running a week (for over 10 years).
Skinny Guys Must Play By A Different Set Of Rules
If you are underweight, than your first step to gaining weight is to understand that you must play by a different set up rules. I have said this before and will say it again,
�Taking advice from someone who can gain muscle weight easilyis like taking money advice from someone who inherited a fortune or is making money illegally.�
You must think outside the box and give up the excuse of being a �hard gainer.� It is time to stop listening to all the naysayers who have told you that is impossible to gain weight because of your genetics. Regardless of what you have been led to believe, you do have the potential to build an impressive physique that turns heads and even intimidates!
If you have read this far, I am guessing you are ready to longer resemble a microphone stand! You are prepared to overload your metabolism for muscle growth, to ensure you are never referred to as 'underweight' or 'skinny' ever again. Start following these simple steps and don't be surprised if you gain an extra ten pounds of muscle weight in the next four weeks.
Simple How To Gain Weight Action Steps To Start Growing Like A Skyscraper!
1. Double It Up
One of the most practical steps you can take is to double whatever you are currently eating in the kitchen right now. If you are eating one chicken breast per meal, then cook up two. If you are only eating two slices of bread, then make it four. If you are eating one handful of nuts, then make it two. If you are using only two scoops of protein powder, then make it four.
Most likely you are only a few dozen meals short of filling out your underdeveloped body parts and attracting the attention of that sexy girl at your gym. I assume you are already in the kitchen and have the food out. So would you agree, you really have no good excuse not to shovel down a greater percentage of calories by doubling it up?
2. Live Your Life Around Food
Sure, you know that you must eat every 2-3 hours, but how well do you execute? Set your clock on a countdown timer to go off every 2 and � hours so that you reinforce the habit of eating literally not a second late for each meal! Don't turn off the damn beeper until you start chowing down.
Ensure you are eating your first meal within 15-30 minutes of waking up - absolutely no later. This first meal of the day should always consist of REAL food to flood your body with quality nutrients. I question anybody�s commitment to gaining weight if they are too lazy to wake up 15 minutes earlier to eat a real meal.
Lastly, don�t be surprised if you are not gaining weight if you do not find yourself spending more time preparing food, more time eating food and more time cleaning your kitchen. You should notice you are spending more time in the grocery store and you should also notice a larger grocery bill each week!
3. Use BIG Eating Equipment
If you want to bulk, then you have to eat like Hulk. Do you think Hulk eats out of a small plate, or a small bowel, or a small cup? If you are aiming to get big and huge, you are going to require large amounts of food, most likely close to double of what you are currently eating.
So get BIG eating equipment! Get a BIG cup, get a BIG bowel, and get a BIG plate. Surround yourself with BIG. Most of the time hard gainers are nothing more than �under eaters.� If you struggle to complete a meal, then a bigger serving on a bigger plate will look small!
4. Never Train Hungry
How many times have you woken up, whipped up a protein shake and than headed off to the gym? Or maybe you had a long afternoon and missed a few meals and then attempted a weight training workout after work?
I thought this was common sense to avoid, until a few of my skinny clients confessed that they were showing up for their workouts having only eaten a piece of fruit and some crackers within the entire day!
After dropping the 45-pound plate on my foot out of shock, they reassured me: they were not hungry. I sometimes screamed back, �Yeah, that�s because your metabolism is in starvation mode and shut right down, you skinny pencil neck!�
I understand that training in the morning is the only time for some, however, I recommend to aim for a minimum of at least three solid meals in your system prior to training. Or eat the biggest meal of your day immediately after your AM workout. Would you take your car out on a long trip with a half empty fuel tank? Not unless you wanted the car to die and you push it the rest of the way. So why would you take your body through a grueling training session on an empty stomach?
5. Eat Nutrient Dense Foods
Focus on caloric-rich foods that are loaded with nutrients. Avoid foods with empty calories, which means there is little or no nutrient value in the calories you are eating. Why would you consume a 500-calorie plus meal that is loaded with fat and sugar which does nothing but make you feel sluggish and soft? Instead, eat a high caloric meal loaded with slow releasing carbohydrates, proteins, fats, vitamins, minerals and fiber. Here are some of the best choices:
Carbohydrates � Oatmeal, rice, breads, yams beans, potatoes, fruits and veggies.
Proteins � Steak, chicken, lean beef, cottage cheese, whole milk, eggs and salmon.
Fats � Olive oil, flax oil, avocados, nuts and peanut butter.
Extras (high calorie cheat food) � Ice cream, raisins, dried fruit and trail mix.
6. Drink A Carb And Protein Drink While You Workout
How hard is to sip on a calorie-rich drink during your weight training sessions? Simply mix up a 2:1 ratio of carbohydrate to protein with one liter of water and you instantly have a few extra hundred calories per day. Now have an extra workout drink before your workout and extra workout drink after your workout and that's easily an extra one pound per week. Only use this technique if you are weight training at a very high intensity.
7. Live the motto, �Never Stop Eating�
Did I hear you say, �But I'll throw up if I eat all day?� Maybe... Is it necessary? Of course not. But this is a part of pushing your body�s threshold. Don't worry, you will get used to it and your body will require more food as you gain more muscle on your body and your metabolism increases. Just think that if you are not eating, then you are not growing, and if you are not growing then you are staying the same. Is that what you want?
Conclusion
There you have it and as I promised, learning how to gain weight fast is quite simple. Executing is a whole different story. It will really come down to how truly committed you are to defeating your skinny genetics and gaining the muscular body you deserve!
Here is my promise to you. You have the ability to gain at least another ten pounds of solid weight in the next four weeks by simply applying the advice above. If you are truly committed to your goals of gaining muscle weight and no longer being known as underweight, then I believe you will rise to the challenge and take action! Are you with me?
About the Author
Vince DelMonte is the author of No Nonsense Muscle Building: Skinny Guy Secrets To Insane Muscle Gain found at www.VinceDelMonteFitness.com.He specializes in teaching skinny guys how to build muscle and gain weight quickly without drugs & supplements and training less than before.
