How To Gain Weight Fast

 

 

How To To Gain Weight Fast: The Ultimate Guide For Skinny Guys 

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Can't gain weight? This guide takes you step by step through the gaining process, helping you to set up a meal plan and providing you with a muscle building workout.

Table of Contents: 1. 

1. Introducti Introduction on

2. 

2. Skinny Guy Confessions

3. 

1. 

2.1. Cardio Overkill

2. 

2.2. Not Eating Enough

3. 

2.3. Remaining Weak

3. Next Steps: How To Gain Weight And Build Muscle 1. 

3.1. Step 1 - Analysis Of Your Existing Diet

2. 

3.2. Step 2 - Make Dietary Adjustments

3. 

3.3. Step 3 - Weight Gaining Goals

 

4.  4. 

4. Whole Foods That Can Help The Skinny Guy Gain Weight 1. 

5. 

6. 

3.4. A Note About Junk Food

4.1. Power Weight Gain Shake for Skinny Guys

5. Hit the Gym - A 3 Step Muscle Building Plan 1. 

5.1. Stage 1 - Priming

2. 

5.2. Stage 2 - Building

3. 

5.3. Stage 3 - Jacked

6. Supplements For The Skinny Guy

This Guide Teaches You:  

How to determine the amount of calories you are currently eating.

 

The best way to dial in your eating plan so that you can gain weight in a healthy manner.

 

Which foods are best for weight gain.

 

How to eat plenty of calories even when you feel full.

 

The best way to workout so that you build quality muscle mass.

 

How to supplement to maximize the weight gaining process.

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Introduction

I was once a skinny guy. A very very skinny  skinny guy.

 

 Not only that, but I was also also what you might call call "skinny fat." Despite the fact fact that I loved to exercise, exercise, I looked horrible. There was no way in the world you would catch me with my shirt off in public. I also had a very hard time gaining weight. At times it seemed like I was eating from sun up to sun down, but despite this, the scale stuck around 140-144 pounds until my senior year of high school. Two and a half years later, by the time I had reached the age of 20, my life had dramatically turned around. I was 190 pounds of solid muscle, stronger than I ever imagined I could be, and girls were talking to me. This probably sounds like hyperbole, or some sort of a sales pitch. I apologize if it does, but it's the God's honest truth. In this article I want to share a few things I learned during those years. I will be providing you with specific advice of training,  training, nutrition nutrition,, cardio cardio,, rest and even suppleme supplementation. ntation. If you have any questions, or if I can help in any way, please please your questions or comments below.

Skinny Guy Confessions: What I Was Doing Wrong Looking back upon those years, it's easy to see what I was doing wrong and why I wasn't  wasn't gaining weight( weight(and muscle). Here are the major reasons why I wasn't making progress: Cardio Overkill - I was exercising way too much. WAY too much. During the Summer months I was outside from sun up to sun down, running, playing baseball or basketball, or swimming. When I wasn't outside, I was indoors doing some form of cardio - step ups, jumping rope, or even aerobics (yes, it was the early 80s). It wasn't unusual for me to run 3 miles a day, do 45 minutes of step ups, and play  baseball for 4 hours. This was just another typical day for me. So here's the problem: while I was certainly fit and healthy from all that exercise, I was expending a crazy amount of calories. Am I telling you that I should have stopped exercising completely? Of course not. Cardio work is a great way to improve overall health. The problem with doing "too much" cardio (and general exercise) is that it conflicts with another one of your primary goals - gaining weight. Research backs up common sense on this subject. (1) A recent meta-analysis on the impact of cardiovascular exercise on resistance training determined: Our results indicate that interference effects of endurance training are a factor of the modality, frequency, and duration of the endurance training selected. The bottom line is that when you run a lot of cardio concurrently with with your  resistance training, training, it impacts results. The more cardiovascular work you do, the greater the tendency for it to impact your results. If your primary goal is to gain weight and  and  build build muscle muscle, then it would make sense to not push cardio too much. This is a competing goal; one that is in direct conflict with your weight gain goal. Because of this it makes sense to minimize the amount of cardio you do. If you are a skinny guy, keep cardio sessions to "about" 3-4 per week, for 20 to 30 minutes each. If you play sports, or have an active lifestyle and can't really reduce cardio, then it's time to improve your  diet diet.. 

 

  Not Eating Enough - Most skinny guys think they are eating enough, but are really only guessing about daily

food intake. Here's what I recommend: instead of guessing, spend a week logging everything you eat. Don't change your eating habits, meaning don't purposely eat more or less than normal. At the end of the week spend the time going through your food choices. Learn exactly how many calories you ate, on the average, during the course of the last 7 days. If you need help, there are numerous websites and  books that provide nutritional nutritional information information on every possible food item. item. How does this number look? Is it above 3,000 calories per day? I am guessing that your food intake is less than expected. Gaining weight and building muscle is like every other endeavor in life, meaning that it requires a certain minimal time investment investment to become proficient. If you want to make the basketball team, you'll need to put in some practice time. If you want to conquer the latest Xbox game, it will require a minimal time investment as well. If you want to gain weight, you'll need to invest some time in analyzing and planning your eating plan. Remaining Weak   - Progressive P rogressive overload is king. "Working out", while healthy, is not a magical method of

 building muscle mass. mass. If you are not pushing yourself in in the  the gym gym  to to  build  build strength, strength, you won't build muscle. Stay weak, stay small - this sums it up nicely.

 

When you push for strength you are forcing your body to respond. In response to this demand, you will build muscle - if, you aren't undereating. During my teen years I did a lot of   bodyweight  bodyweight work, along with bench presses and curls. Unfortunately, Unfortunately, I used us ed the same weight over and over again, week after week, year after year, and was unable to build any muscle.  No one ever told me that that the body adapts rather rather quickly to a certain certain weight, and that more more resistance would be required. I thought that I could magically "pump" my  my chest chest  and and  biceps   biceps into growth using 95 pound bench  presses and 25 pound curls.

Next Steps - Time to Gain Weight and Build Muscle So, we have determine determined d that skinny guys need to: 1.  Stop doing so much cardio. 2.  Eat more food. 3.  Get a lot stronger then they are now. Cardio is the easy part. We can control how much cardio we do each week. Let's move on to the next step of our journey, and learn "how" to gain weight properly, and in a healthy manner.

How to Gain Weight

 

This section will provide you with a step by step process on how to gain weight in a healthy manner. If you have any questions regarding diet and nutrition, please don't hesitate to leave them in the comments section below.

Step 1 - Analysis of Your Existing Diet This is an essential step of the process, so do not skip it, and guess at your average calorie intake. The truth is this...most skinny guys think  they  they are eating enough food, but when you ask them to tell you how many calories they are eating on a daily basis, they aren't certain. This uncertainty is a major part of the  problem. If you can't gain weight, something must be done. You are left with 2 choices: 1.  Keep doing what you're doing, in this case guessing how many calories you are eating on a daily basis, and hope you gain weight. 2.  Take control over the situation, learn what you are eating, make necessary changes, and set a minimum daily calorie goal. Obviously, the second option is our only option. So, with that said, let's get started. Grab a notebook, computer, an iPad, iPod or phone. You will need to write down everything you eat and drink this week - no exceptions. If you are not sure of the exact quantities, notate things in a manner that makes sense to you. For example:

 

 

A fist-side portion of potatoes.

 

1/2 box of macaroni and cheese.

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full, large-size glass of milk. milk.    Nearly a full,

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 Next, head over to  to Calorie King  King and calculate how many calories you've eaten this week. Some of this will be guess work, but that's part of the learning process. Don't fret if you feel like this may not yield 100% accuracy. That's not the point. The point is to start learning about foods, their calorie content, etc.  Now, calculate a daily daily average. How many calories are you eating eating per day? 2,200? 2,500? Is Is this number lower or higher than you expected?

Step 2 - Make Dietary Adjustments It's time to structure some form of eating plan, and add calories. Use this as a starting point:

 

Calories . Add 500 daily calories to the average you calculated above.

 

Protein. Make sure you are eating at least 180 grams of protein per day.

 

Fats. Make sure at least 20% of your daily calorie intake comes from  from healthy fats. fats. 

 

 protein and fats in place, fill in the rest of your daily calorie intake with quality carbs Carbs. With your  protein 

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fruits, veggies, grains, etc. It is certainly ok to eat more than 180 grams of protein per day. While studies indicate you may only need 150 grams per day for muscle growth, you have to consider the reality that you are currently underweight, and your  body may gain muscle muscle at a relatively rapid pace. Because of this, this, it's better to eat a little little more daily daily protein, rather than a little less. High protein intake is perfectly safe to those of you without pre-existing kidney issues. Eating more protein can also help to balance out your eating plan, so that you don't have to be so carb reliant. It can be hard to force feed yourself heavy carb meals when you aren't feeling overly hungry. The recommended 20% fat intake should also be considered a minimum. Fat is calorie dense, holding 9 calories per gram, compared to proteins and  and carbs carbs  which only have 4 calories per gram. What does this mean? It's easier to get in your daily calories if you increase your fat intake. You won't feel as full, because fats are more calorie dense. If you are having a hard time enough enough food, you may want to increase your fat intake as high as 40% daily. This will make reaching your daily calorie goals much easier.

 

 

Step 3 - Weight Gaining Goals Aim for about a 2 pounds per month. Some will consider this rate "slow", but it does add up to nearly a 25  pound bodyweight gain gain over the course of a year, year, and almost 50 pounds in 2 years. years. If you follow this approach, and work hard to get a lot stronger than you are now using us ing the workout plan  below, your weight gain gain will be a quality weight weight gain. You will build a lot lot of muscle mass, and look great great after 2 years. Some of you may prefer to gain weight more rapidly than this. While more rapid weight gain can work for some, usually it's a recipe for fat gain. The human body can only add so much muscle mass per day, week and month. The faster (more aggressive) you push your weight gain, the more likely you are to accrue a higher  body fat percentage. percentage. This isn't what you want.

 

The First 2 Weeks Ignore the weight you gain during the first 2 weeks of your bulk. During this time you are increasing your carb intake, most likely your sodium intake, and your digestive demands. Your body is holding a lot more water. This is not rapid fat gain, so don't panic! After 2 weeks, weight gain will normalize. Weeks 3-4 will tell the true story. Make these adjustments based on your weight gain during weeks 3-4:

 

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Losing Weight - Code red! Add A dd 750 calories to your daily intake. Ignore what the scale says for the next

two weeks, and make new adjustments based on what happens 3-4 weeks from now.

 

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Holding Steady - Add 500 calories per day. Re-assess your rate of weight gain during weeks 3 and 4,

and make any necessary adjustments so that you are gaining approximately 2 pounds of body weight per month.

 

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Slow Gain - Add 250 calories per day. Re-assess your rate of weight gain during weeks 3 and 4, and

make any necessary adjustments so that you are gaining approximately 2 pounds of body weight per month.

 

Optimal Gain - Stay the course and don't change a thing!

 

Rapid Gain - If you're gaining weight too quickly, drop your daily calories by 250 and re-assess your

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eating plan after another 3-4 weeks.

A Note About Junk Food - Dirty Food You're young, skinny and hormonally strong. While you don't want to eat a ton of junk food, taking in 10-25% of your daily calories from fast food, chips, energy drinks or cookies isn't going to hurt you. It may actually help you reach your calorie goals. Life is about balance. As long as you are eating mostly whole, nutritionally dense foods, it's ok to add some  junk in each day.

Whole Foods That Can Help The Skinny Guy Gain Weight The following choices are whole foods, and are general "unprocessed" or "lightly processed". They are full of good nutrition, cost-effective, calorie dense, and found at every grocery store. A little of each of these foods goes a long way. You can add small servings of these foods to shakes or meals, or use them as snacks in between meals. They add a ton of calories (and flavor) without leaving you feeling overly full.

Bulking Foods for Skinny Guys Protein Foods Food 

Serving 

Calories 

 

Ground Beef, Cooked, 70% Lean

4 oz

305

Bacon, Thick Cut

2 slices

122

Chicken Wing, with Skin

4 wings

394

Chicken Leg with Skin

1 leg

337

Pork Chop

2 chops, 8 oz

436

Eggs, Large

2 eggs

156

Steak, Ribeye

10 oz

544

Salmon

4 oz

233

Beef Brisket

4 oz

246

Pork Sausage

4 oz

384

Food 

Serving 

Calories 

Banana

1 large

121

Grapes

20

70

Avocado, sliced

1 cup

234

Pineapple

1 cup

83

Orange

1 large

86

Pear

1 large

133

Sweet Potato

1 large

159

Potato

7 oz

142

Food 

Serving 

Calories 

Peanut Butter

2 tbsp

188

Peanuts

2 oz

321

Almonds

2 oz

328

Fruits and Veggies

Nuts and Legumes

 

Pistachios

2 oz

316

Peas

1 cup

125

Black Beans

1 cup

220

Food 

Serving 

Calories 

Whole Milk

1 cup

146

Butter

2 pats

72

Heavy Whipping Cream

2 oz

205

Cream Cheese

1 oz

99

Cheddar Cheese

2 oz

228

String Cheese

1 piece

80

Cottage Cheese

1 cup

216

Food 

Serving 

Calories 

Brown Rice, cooked

1 cup

216

Quinoa, cooked

1 cup

222

White Rice, cooked

1 cup

242

Pasta, cooked

1 cup

182

Wheat Bread

1 slice

78

Food 

Serving 

Calories 

Olive Oil

1 tbsp

120

Coconut Oil

1 tbsp

117

Frozen Pizza

1 pie

1,267

McDouble

1 burger

400

Dairy

Carbs and Grains

Oils and Misc

 

Beef and Bean Burrito, frozen

1 burrito

290

Power Weight Gain Shake for Skinny Guys One of the easiest ways of adding calories is via a "weight gain shake" shake". The following shake can be consumed once per day, and contains 1,066 calories. Simply add the ingredients into a blender, blend until smooth, and enjoy.   16 ounces of whole milk - 292 2 92 calories 

 

2 scoops of chocolate  chocolate Premium Series Protein  Protein - 260 calories

 

2 ounces of heavy cream - 205 calories

 

1 large banana - 121 calories

 

2 tbsp peanut butter - 188 calories

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Hit the Gym - A 3 Step Muscle Building Plan

 Now that you have an eating eating plan, and know how to gain weight, it's time to maximize your training. Building muscle is rather simple. It requires:

 

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Consistency - Not missing workouts. Consistency plays a major role in making quality gains. Progressive Overload - You must get a lot stronger than you are now. No exceptions. There is no "easier" way to build muscle.

 

 

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possible exercises exercises,, when possible. The better your tools (exercises), the Good Tools - Using the best possible   better your results. results.

 

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Patience  - Gains take years, not weeks. Look 2 years down the road, not 2 weeks. You can make

amazing progress in 2 year's time, so dedicate yourself to sticking with a plan. The following 3 step plan is merely one possible way to build muscle. With that said, it's a very effective approach. Combine this plan with enough food, and you will see some very impressive results. Here is an overview of the program:

 

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Step 1 - Priming Stage. This is a one month introduction. You will begin with one set per exercise, and

after a couple weeks you will move on to 2 sets per exercise.

 

Step 2 - Building Phase. This is a five month phase that will help you maximize your beginner gains.

 

Step 3 - "Jacked" Phase. The last phase of the program, you will continue to use this phase as long as

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strength gains remain consistent.

Training Notes  

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Sets. Push each set for as many reps as possible, stopping a set when you feel like you might fail on the

next rep, or when your form starts to slip.

 

Weight. Use the same weight for each set of a given exercise.

 

Rep Minimums. Each exercise has a "rep minimum." When you are able to reach this minimum rep

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amount for each of the 3 sets, add weight the next time you perform that exercise. So when you see a "8 rep minimum" for an exercise, you will add weight when you re able to perform 8 or more reps for each of the sets.

Stage 1 - Priming During the first 2 weeks use only one set per exercise. During weeks 3-4, use 2 sets per exercise. Start with a very light weight for each exercise. Get a good feel for exercise form. Add weight when you are able to hit the "rep minimum" for a given exercise. Don't take big jumps in weight; instead take the smallest jump possible - generally 5 pounds per lift. Muscle  building is a marathon, marathon, not a sprint. These small small jumps will pay off very very quickly. You will be training 3 days per week:

 

Day 1 - Workout

 

Day 2 - Off

 

Day 3 - Workout

 

Day 4 - Off

 

Day 5 - Workout

 

Day 6 - Off

 

Day 7 - Off

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Stage 1 - Priming Workout Exercise 

Sets 

Rep Minimum 

Squat

1/2

10/10

1/2

10/10

1/2

10/10

1/2

10/10

1/2

10/10

Skullcrushers

1/2

10/10

Pull Ups Ups//Lat Pull Down Down  

1/2

10/10

Dumbbell Curl

1/2

10/10

1/2

10/10

Calf Raise

1/2

10/10

Sit Ups

1/2

10/10

 

Bench Press

 

Stiff Leg Deadlift

 

Seated Overhead Barbell Press Bent Over Row

Leg Curl

 

 

 

 

B uilding Stage 2 - Building Continue using the weights you left off with during the Priming stage. For any exercises you did not perform during the Priming stage, start with a light and conservative weight. You will be working out 3 days a week, using the same schedule as you did during your first 4 weeks of training:

 

Day 1 - Workout A

 

Day 2 - Off

 

Day 3 - Workout B

 

Day 4 - Off

 

Day 5 - Workout C

 

Day 6 - Off

 

Day 7 - Off

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Stage 2 - Building Workout A

 

Exercise 

Sets 

Rep Minimum 

Squat

3

8

3

8

3

8

3

8

3

10

3

8

3

8

3

10

3

15

Sets 

Rep Minimum 

3

8

3

10

3

10

3

8

3

10

3

8

3

8

3

10

3

15

Sets 

Rep Minimum 

3

15

 

Bench Press

 

Barbell Row Seated Overhead Dumbbell Press Leg Curl

 

 

Skullcushers

 

Dumbbell Curls

 

Standing Calf Raise

 

Weighted Sit Ups Stage 2 - Building Workout B Exercise 

Still Leg Deadlift Leg Curls

 

 

Incline Dumbbell Flye

 

Ups or  Lat Pull Down Pull Ups  Down   Bent Over Dumbbell Reverse Flyes Cable Tricep Extension

 

Dumbbell Hammer Curl Barbell Shrugs Side Bends

 

 

 

 

Stage 2 - Building Workout C Exercise 

Leg Press

 

 

Dumbbell Bench Press

3

8

3

8

3

8

3

10

Dips Dips  or  Two Arm Seated Dumbbell Extensions  Extensions 

3

8

EZ Bar Preacher Curl

3

8

3

10

3

15/60 sec

 

One Arm Dumbbell Row Seated Overhead Press Leg Curls

 

 

 

Seated Calf Raise

 

 

Crunches or  Planks  Cable Crunches  Planks 

Stage 3 - Jacked Stage 3 is a little more intense, and introduces the deadlift and 20 rep squat. For the 20 rep squats, stop at 20 reps; do not go higher.

 

Workouts are structured more in a heavy, light, medium manner with Monday being the heavy day. Wednesday is a lighter day, focusing on mostly isolation-style lifts, while Friday is the medium day.

 

Day 1 - Workout A - Heavy

 

Day 2 - Off

 

Day 3 - Workout B - Light

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Day 4 - Off Day 5 - Workout C - Medium

 

Day 6 - Off

 

Day 7 - Off

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Stage 3 - Jacked Workout A Exercise 

Sets 

Rep Minimum 

Squat

3

6

3

6

3

6

3

6

3

6

Dips or  Skullcrushers  Dips  Skullcrushers 

3

8

Barbell Curls

3

8

3

10

3

15

Exercise 

Sets 

Rep Minimum 

Deadlift

3

5

Flyes  or  Pec Dec Dec   Dumbbell Flyes

3

10

Leg Extensions

3

10

Ups  or  Lat Pull Down Down   Pull Ups

3

10

 

Bench Press

 

Barbell Rows Seated Overhead Press Stiff Leg Deadlift

 

 

 

Seated Calf Raise

 

Weighted Sit Ups Stage 3 - Jacked Workout B

 

 

Bent Over Reverse Dumbbell Flye

3

10

3

10

3

8

3

8

3

10

Exercise 

Sets 

Rep Minimum 

Squat

2

20

3

8

3

8

3

8

3

10

Seated Two Arm Dumbbell Extension

3

8

Seated Dumbbell Curl

3

8

3

10

3

15/60 sec

Cable Tricep Extensions Dumbbell Hammer Curl Barbell Shrugs

 

 

 

 

Dumbbell Side Bends

 

Stage 3 - Jacked Workout C

 

Incline Dumbbell Bench Press One Arm Dumbbell Row Seated Arnold Press Leg Curl

 

 

 

 

Standing Calf Raise

 

 

Crunches  or  Planks  Planks  Cable Crunches

Supplements for the Skinny Guy Supplementation, Supplementati on, like training, should be eased into. For the first phase of this program, you may want to consider fortifying your nutritional base with the following following  supplements supplements:: 

 

Multivitamin   Multivitamin

 

Fish Oil  Oil 

 

Whey Protein  Protein 

 

Weight Gainer  (optional)

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Weight gainers provide quite a few calories, and are convenient to have around for those busy times in life when cooking isn't an option, or for times when you miss meals. By the second phase of this program, you should have your diet pretty much dialed in. Your training will also  be on track and consistent. consistent. At this time, it would would be ok to start exploring other other popular supplements, supplements, such as:

 

 

Creatine   Creatine

 

BCAAs   BCAAs

 

Pre-workout  formulas Pre-workout

 

Post-workout  formulas Post-workout

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Other supplements that may be of benefit, based on your specific needs (age, stress, sleep, low testosterone,  poor recovery, etc) etc) include:

 

Antioxidants   Antioxidants

 

Joint health  health 

 

Recovery   Recovery

 

Sexual health  health 

 

Sleep enhancement  enhancement 

 

Stress reduction  reduction 

 

Testosterone boosters  boosters 

 

Protein bars  bars 

 

Meal replacements  replacements 

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References  

1. Concurrent training: a meta-anal meta-analysis ysis examining interference of aerobic and resistance exercises. Wilson JM, Marin PJ, Rhea MR, Wilson SM, Loenneke JP, Anderson JC.  JC. Link .