The Urban Trainer Blog - UK

If your goal is to gain healthy, lean body weight you will need a few basics:

• Intense weight training
• A focus on the major, compound exercises such as weighted dips, squats, deadlifts, weighted chin-ups, and military presses
• Increased calories done with reason and discipline. You simply cannot eat everything that is not nailed down!
• At least 5 quality meals per day
• Adequate amounts of water
• Recovery methods such as adequate sleep, massage, and rehabilitating any pre-existing injuries

Today’s lesson will focus on the increased calories. Many people who wish to gain weight can change their lifestyles to include 2 snacks in addition to the “regular three meals a day.” They have problems, however, when it comes to increasing their overall calories to the point that their bodies are fueling growth. In addition, many people do not know which supplements to buy in order to gain muscle weight due to the sheer amount of confusion and constant bombardment of advertising. If this describes you then you now can take it easy! Here are some ideas for a healthy, easy-to-make weight gain shake which does not require a lot of time to prepare. You can make your weight gain shake into two halves and drink each half as one of your “snacks” between your main meals.

** NOTE: These are just recommendations and you MUST talk with your doctor BEFORE making any changes to your diet and nutrition. Definitely talk with your doctor BEFORE trying out a supplement as some people have adverse reactions directly with the supplement or with the “recommended dosage” that the company states on the label.

Remember to keep everything balanced. If you require 3000 calories a day to gain weight (without putting on too much fat) and, realistically, you can eat 5 times a day then consider making each of your meals/snacks as close to 600 calories as possible. If you can’t tolerate lots of food at night, you can “front-load” your calories; this means that you eat more of your calories earlier in the day and then eat fewer as the evening approaches. Adjust your weight gain shake’s calories accordingly.

Your weight gain shake should have some basic components to it:

• A healthy protein source
• A healthy carbohydrate source
• A healthy fat source if you want to increase your calories further

Note that the carbohydrate source can be a “simple carbohydrate” like fruit, especially if you consume one your weight gain shakes right after a workout. Of course, be careful with too many simple carbohydrates as many people are very sensitive to carbohydrates even after a workout. If you notice that you are adding too much body fat relative to the amount of muscle you are gaining, lower the amount of simple carbohydrates (or eliminate them) and increase your cardio and conditioning training.

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