Hard Gainers Need to Eat Loads of Food!

It’s the same story every day, you step on the scale and what does it say? Has anything changed? You go in the gym and you look in the mirror and it’s the same limp body looking back at you and it shows in the lightweights

you are using. Any sign of progress? No. It’s frustrating. Isn’t it time that your growth, and strength gains are a daily visual routine?

So, you’re sick and tired of seeing the same old measurements, your body composition staying the same, your body weight is the same and so are the poundage’s your lifting in the gym.  If you want to turn heads when you walk into the gym and become a muscle bound freak instead of blending in with the crowd, then this is a quick and easy guide to eating BIG. This is for individuals-male or female-who want to build bigger muscles but don’t know how. If you apply the ‘anti-conventional’ concepts I will discuss and outline here then as soon as one to two weeks you’ll see changes in the mirror.

By eating lots of quality foods, taking supplements, and working out on a regimented program, your muscles will grow to the point of bursting.  Let’s first address caloric intake. Some say to eat 15 Calories per pound of body weight. I would like to know where they came up with that number?  Must have been some simpleton who has a degree in nutrition.  Basic nutrition does not apply to bodybuilders, strength and sport athletes.  It just doesn’t.  But, let’s use that number. So, let’s create your ‘Hardcore Size Diet’.   Start by figuring out how many calories you should consume each day by using the above number multiplied by your bodyweight. Example: Begin with 15 Calories per pound of body weight and if I’m 150 pounds that translates into 2,250 calories per day. In actuality, that turns out to be NOT ENOUGH for me to build muscle. It maintains me. I pump iron 5 days a week, for about an hour or two at a time. And I do 30 minutes of cardio every morning, with Plyo’s, and some agility work.  The above amount of calories is way insufficient in the way of muscle and strength gains.  But, as a starting point I’ll let you use the 15 calories per pound of body weight. Then give yourself time and appropriately tweak your food intake upward by 50-100 calories a week.  And you will start to feel and see changes in your physique.

You’re reading this because you are one of many who are trying to get the answers. The answer to putting on weight: quality weight and size. Well, its right in front of you. EAT! I can’t tell you any simpler. You need to eat more quality foods and lots of protein. But, like most things in life, it takes hard work, dedication and intensity to eat amount of food you need to get lean, strong and add size. So if you’re looking for that quick fix answer, listen to some wannabe small personal trainer who thinks they know what it takes to get big. But, if you want to get past those tags of being a hard gainer and want the facts then keep reading.

If you want to gain weight, you have to eat with the same intensity as you train. Just how important are your meals to gain? Let me put it to you this way. If you don’t eat and pound down the protein you might as well forget about lifting all together. Eating is important to gain quality mass.  You have to grasp that body building nutrition has certain guidelines, but if you are a serious bodybuilder, you will apply them to your own needs.  Gaining weight is work, just like dieting is.  I’ve met many a bodybuilder’s that have a problem gaining weight and quality size in the off-season.  I was that way.  Why? Well, it’s hard. Just like competition dieting takes dedication and focus so does gaining off-season bulk. First, just like you should be planning your workouts and writing them down in your journal; so should you be planning out your meals.  So, sit down, grab a pad and pen, and write down a meal plan. You need to try and get at least six meals in, every single day.  Or, basically, to play it safe, you must eat every 3 hours.  Some say eat only during the time you are awake.  I say, why miss a window of opportunity to get BIG.  If you wake up in the middle of the night take a protein shake. Yes, rest is the next most important item in gaining size after training but common – how long does it really take to drink a shake especially if it is already pre-made.  Either do what I’m telling you or miss an opportunity for growth.  Stay on an eating schedule and try and never deviate from it.

Why so strict? Well, if you eat everyday at 6 a.m., then right after a.m. cardio and then you miss a meal, you’re body will start to cannibalize your hard-earned muscles. Your body needs a pool of nutrients to constantly pull from, so feed it if you want to grow and change.  Again, as stated about taking large amounts of protein and eating in the middle of the night some so-called experts will tell you not to do those things, and I say, yeah that’s why you’re small. During sleep, your body is essentially starving and cannibalizing muscle. So feed it.

Now that you grasped the importance of eating every 3 hours let’s talk about protein and calories. Now the BIG PROTEIN Question. Eat more than they say you ‘need’ (1.5 – 2.0 grams per pound of body weight).  I am always reading about some sort of documented evidence suggesting that those of us who lift weights can benefit by consuming only 1 gram or less of protein per pound of body weight per day. Then, in the same sentence they say more than that it is a ‘waste’. Even some bodybuilding nutritional articles print that LOW number. No wonder everyone is wondering why they are not growing.

First of all, who suggested that for an athlete?  Must have been a small pencil-necked geek, stringy marathon runner or someone who has never lifted a weight in their lives.  I read once that Dr. Squat started a seminar by saying “No pencil neck geek is going to tell me how to grow”.   How true Doc! So, your goal should be to eat a lot more protein for muscle building mass, size, and strength.  Take 1.2-2.0 grams per pound of bodyweight or anything in between will generate muscle growth and produce fat burning. This alone will keep your muscles bursting with size, strength and energy.

Follow “Eating for Size” guidelines and adhering to the above simple principles you’ll start seeing changes in the mirror quickly. Start on your Eating for Size quest today!

Let’s talk about protein, carbs and fat. Now, that’s where your supplements come in. Your bulking diet should be high protein, moderate carbs, and moderate fat. It is best if you can maintain close to 2g protein per pound of bodyweight. I am firm believer that high protein diets are best for growth. Protein is the most important element in muscle development and getting the right amount of amino acids in the lymph is important so be sure to take in protein with every meal. Have you heard this before? That if you are eating 200g a protein a day and then go to 400g how is your body going to be able to metabolize it?  You heard that before haven’t you?  Well, again, that’s why they’re small

Now, let’s look at calories again.  Gradually increase calories a week. It is hard to eat so much food so you better take your time, and eat in small increments. Build up gradually. Everyone asks; “what should I eat?  “What kinds” of food should I eat?”  Well, let’s see. How about Pizza, Ice Cream, cookies and cakes. That should do it. Common, use your common sense. People want results but don’t do what they really need to do. They ask you questions but brush your answers off because they are not what they want to hear.  I always get asked how did you eat to put that much size on so quickly, or what did you do to get so lean for that show?  What is that exercise you are doing and what is it for?  Or, my favorite; how do I get my bench bigger? Then I tell them, they don’t do it and I ask myself: “why did you ask me if you’re not going to do what I told you?”

Now back to our food. There are a lot of good choices. My preference for protein is lean steak, chicken and ground turkey. But I also eat a ton of eggs and fish. I also happen to depend on protein powders. Get most of your protein from whole foods first and use supplements for the rest, as it is hard to slam all that food down all the time. Be very careful not to depend too much on protein shakes though – they are not going to give you the results you will get from whole foods.  As for carbs, I stick with oatmeal, brown rice, yams or regular potatos and I also eat lots of dark green vegetables.  Don’t forget the fats, they are important also.  For fats I utilize certain nuts, olive oil, all natural peanut butter, whole eggs and the fats in my red meats & fish.

SIX BIG Nutritional Tips for Mass Building

Gaining size, quality size, for most is an up hill battle. It seems that it’s not competition dieting that offer the up and coming bodybuilder hard times but the off-season bulking up.  Is it really that hard to do? Most of us are looking for that special ingredient or the perfect bulking diet when it’s so simple to accomplish that anyone can do it. Yes, I said anyone, I don’t care how much of a “hard-gainer” you want to call yourself, anyone can gain quality size just by doing these simple six during your off-season bulking period.

1. Eat small meals frequently.

Lets look at your calories. Any Mass building diet should consist of high protein, moderate carbs, and moderate fat. Don’t argue with me, do the combinations I suggested. Gradually increase those calories weekly. It is hard to eat so much food so you better take your time, and eat in small increments. Build up gradually. For the best results in terms of muscle growth you should be eating six meals per day or about every 2 ½ to 3-hours. No time to eat six times a day? Then get yourself more organized prepare your food in advance.  Precook lots of different meats and brown rice, so all you have to do is pre-pack your meals for the day – no cooking involved. Use meal replacement shakes as well, but do not make these a habit for all your meals, use for one to two meals only.  A safe fall back is always carry a supply of protein powder and meal replacements everywhere you gym, just incase you run out of food or have none to be found. Keep a stash in your car, office, and gym bag. The longer you make your body wait between meals, the less efficient it becomes at burning fat and or gaining lean tissue. Long periods without eating will greatly increase your chance of overeating when you finally allow yourself to have a meal.  A really great option to have with you is Need To Build Muscle’s Better Protein Bars.  They come as a dry mix, it takes about 10-12 minutes to make a batch of them (no cooking involved) and what is great is there is no additives or preservatives in them, they really are all natural and an awesome meal replacement.  You can find them at http://www.needtobuildmuscle.net.

2. Consume ample amounts of protein.

We’ve addressed this question already. Now that you grasped the importance of eating every 3 hours let’s talk about protein.  I am firm believer that high protein diets are best for growth and so is the science that built large individuals. Always maintain 1.5 or 2g protein per pound of bodyweight.  Protein is the most important element in muscle development and getting the right amount of amino acids in the lymph is important so be sure to take in protein with every meal. Foods such as eggs, poultry, red meat, and fish are rich sources of protein.  Dairy products can also be a form of protein, but not my favorite the others are better.  If you find it difficult to eat adequate dietary protein, I recommend supplementing with a Whey protein shake and a tablespoon of all natural peanut butter.  If you are still having trouble add a ¼ cup of Heavy Cream and 1 cup of Milk to each 2-scoop shake.

3. Eat post training.

The post training meal should have a high quality carbohydrate preferably a waxy maze carb, protein, BCAA’s, and of course Glutamine. The lower the glycemic index of a given carbohydrate, the more gradually it will be digested into its component parts and absorbed from the GI tract into the bloodstream. Less insulin is released from the pancreas over a given time in response to foods with low glycemic indices. Consequently, the body has more time to utilize the components for fuel rather than storing them as fat. One major exception to this rule is fructose, the simple sugar found in fruit, which has a low glycemic index, but don’t be using fruit as your post workout carb.

4. Eat the right fats.

Fats are important energy sources for bodybuilders. Fats contain 9 calories per gram, more than twice the amount found in carbohydrates and proteins. The key with fats is that you need to get the right fats. The hard training bodybuilder needs Omega-3.  When selecting fats look for anything high in Omega3 fatty acids like salmon, aomega 3 eggs or use an essential fat supplement like fish oil.  I also use Heavy Cream for those really hard gainers, it has a combination of good and bad but in the off-season it’s not going to hurt you that much and it tastes great in the shakes. Utilized right these fats can make your body utilize these for energy instead of fat depositing carbs.

5. Be sure to consume adequate fiber.

The human GI tract cannot digest fiber thus it does not contribute calories and is passed as waste. It is vital to good health though. Inadequate dietary fiber leads to a sluggish GI tract, water retention, bloating, and the dreaded constipation. Fruits and leafy vegetables are excellent fiber sources in addition to being rich in vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants.  There are also dietary fiber products you can use instead of fruit when trying to limit your fruit intake.

6. Drink H2O!

Last but surly most important. I recommend a minimum of one gallon of water per day, especially if you are on a cycle of creatine. Water aids the liver and kidneys in the detoxification of poisons and the elimination of wastes from the body.  Without sufficient water, we become dehydrated. Our organs, including muscle, liver and kidney do not function optimally without enough water. Optimal kidney function leaves the liver free to perform fat burning. Fluid intake increases urination; it will also decrease overall water retention. Since we do not feel thirsty until we are already in a dehydrated state, it is best to drink water with sufficient frequency to prevent thirst. Gradually work up to a gallon a day, you will reap the benefits of your efforts almost immediately. In fact, drinking water below your body temperature can actually help you to lose weight. A hydrated individual will have greater endurance to complete those high intensity hardcore workouts.

Take these six big nutritional tips and your bodybuilding will take new directions in mass optimal growth.  Here is something no one tells you. It takes Bucks to get BIG! Have you ever noticed how expensive it is to eat “clean?” But if you want to eat junk, you’re food bill is allot lower. Go figure. I guess our government wants us to be lazy and fat.  In bodybuilding it takes time to be successful, to find out what works and what doesn’t. But, you have to push that time envelope into your timetable not the world’s timetable.  OK, a bodybuilder’s diet is expensive. Who cares! For hardcore freaky status we do what we have to do to achieve greatness.

When it comes to nutrition, most are uneducated.  It’s about training, how you train, and NUTRITION: how you are eating, and supplementation.  If you got the guts to make the journey into the fields of mass production then, in no time, you’ll no longer be a hard gainer.  So, if you’re looking to take your physique to the next level, this is what you do.   Analyze. And reanalyze.  But, if you want to be huge and strong then stop asking questions and take my advice. Hardcore training and eating with proper nutrition combined with good supplement regiment and you’re gains will come fast.  So eat and when you get into a good pattern with that then it is time to start adding in those supplements.  There are many products out there and this article is not about supplementation, however, I will say you want some very pure, potent and extremely high quality supplements that will help you achieve your goals once your nutrition plan is in place then go to Need To Build Muscle, Inc. www.needtobuildmuscle.net and give me one more rep!

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This entry was posted on Tuesday, May 4th, 2010 at 5:59 pm and is filed under Body building, Diet and nutrition. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.