To gain weight, athletes need to consume more calories than they expend. This weight gain will include fat, muscle, and water. To limit the amount of fat gain and increase muscle gains, athletes need to follow a good training program supported by a sound nutrition program. Supplements, like Weight Gainer 2000, are marketed to athletes that want to gain weight, claiming they will aid in the gain of muscle mass. Although these supplements may help increase daily caloric intake, they have no benefits over good food choices. One common misconception among athletes is that the best way to build muscle or "bulk up" is to eat a high-protein diet. Adequate protein intake is essential for muscle growth; however, most of the calories needed to fuel muscle growth come from carbohydrates and fat.

Follow these tips for a healthy weight gain:

1. It takes time to increase muscle weight.

Most athletes can successfully gain ½ to 1 pound per week if they eat enough food to meet their calorie needs and train properly. Increasing calorie intake by 500 to 1000 calories per day can help supply the extra calories needed to gain lean weight.

2. Choose higher calorie foods from all the groups in the Food Guide Pyramid.

For example, choose a multigrain bread over white bread, or juices and milk over water.

3. Eat larger food portions.

Increasing the amount of food that you eat at one time will supply the calories needed to gain muscle weight.

4. Eat five or more meals a day.

Eat plenty of high calorie snacks throughout the day.

5. Drink plenty of fluids that supply calories like juice, milk, milkshakes, and sports beverages.

For example, drinking 1 ½ quarts of grape or cranberry juice supplies 1000 calories. 1 ½ quarts of 2% milk supplies 720 calories.

6. Set realistic goals.

Hereditary factors can play a large role in physique. You are not going to look like Arnold if your parents look like Pee Wee Herman.

The following are some examples of high calorie snacks:

• A soft pretzel with cream cheese or peanut butter
• Milkshakes made with whole milk and ice cream plus powdered milk
• Dried fruit
• Bean and cheese burritos
• Bagel and cream cheese or peanut butter
• Baked potatoes with sour cream, cheese, or chili
• Granola and yogurt
• Muffins
• Peanut butter and jelly sandwich
• Cheese and crackers
• Blender drinks with fruit, milk, ice cream, or protein powders or powdered milk
• High calorie granola bars or energy bars

WEIGHT GAIN TIPS

To gain weight, athletes need to consume more calories than they expend. This weight gain will include fat, muscle, and water. To limit the amount of fat gain and increase muscle gains, athletes need to follow a good training program supported by a sound nutrition program. Supplements, like Weight Gainer 2000, are marketed to athletes that want to gain weight, claiming they will aid in the gain of muscle mass. Although these supplements may help increase daily caloric intake, they have no benefits over good food choices. One common misconception among athletes is that the best way to build muscle or "bulk up" is to eat a high-protein diet. Adequate protein intake is essential for muscle growth; however, most of the calories needed to fuel muscle growth come from carbohydrates and fat.

Follow these tips for a healthy weight gain:

1. It takes time to increase muscle weight.

Most athletes can successfully gain ½ to 1 pound per week if they eat enough food to meet their calorie needs and train properly. Increasing calorie intake by 500 to 1000 calories per day can help supply the extra calories needed to gain lean weight.

2. Choose higher calorie foods from all the groups in the Food Guide Pyramid.

For example, choose a multigrain bread over white bread, or juices and milk over water.

3. Eat larger food portions.

Increasing the amount of food that you eat at one time will supply the calories needed to gain muscle weight.

4. Eat five or more meals a day.

Eat plenty of high calorie snacks throughout the day.

5. Drink plenty of fluids that supply calories like juice, milk, milkshakes, and sports beverages.

For example, drinking 1 ½ quarts of grape or cranberry juice supplies 1000 calories. 1 ½ quarts of 2% milk supplies 720 calories.

6. Set realistic goals.

Hereditary factors can play a large role in physique. You are not going to look like Arnold if your parents look like Pee Wee Herman.

The following are some examples of high calorie snacks:

• A soft pretzel with cream cheese or peanut butter
• Milkshakes made with whole milk and ice cream plus powdered milk
• Dried fruit
• Bean and cheese burritos
• Bagel and cream cheese or peanut butter
• Baked potatoes with sour cream, cheese, or chili
• Granola and yogurt
• Muffins
• Peanut butter and jelly sandwich
• Cheese and crackers
• Blender drinks with fruit, milk, ice cream, or protein powders or powdered milk
• High calorie granola bars or energy bars

UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA; HEPTATHLETE DEVELOPMENT PROJECT

If you are thin and want to get bigger and gain weight, here's some "how to gain weight" information that I think you may be able to use.

There are several reasons why most people fail in their programs and don't gain weight:

1. Improper diet.
   Most people are not eating enough protein and eating too many simple carbs and not eating a weight gain diet.
   
   
2. They are not stressing their muscles during each workout.
   You don't have to kill yourself, but you must subject your body to out-of-the-ordinary stress each workout to grow muscle and to gain weight.
   
   
3. They lack consistency.
   They do not stay focused throughout the entire 12-week period. If they don't see results immediately, they get discouraged and quit. You have got to stick with your plan to gain weight. No program will work for you if you are not consistent.

To gain weight and bulk up, you have to be willing to do whatever it takes, and work as hard as necessary and you have to be consistent. Your body responds to consistency. Sometimes it may get to the point of obsession, but it has to be that way for you to reach your goal.

Here's some basic how to gain weight information and things you should be doing to help you bulk up:

• To gain weight you must eat more calories than your body burns off, so EAT MORE! The most important thing that I cannot over stress is that you need to eat to gain weight. You need to eat like you've never eaten before. (but not junk food like donuts and chips or candy). In other words, you need a weight gain diet.
  
  
• Start eating six meals per day (space them out to about once every three hours). This is a weight gain diet used by those who know what they're doing.
  
  
• Increase your protein intake and reduce your simple carbohydrate intake. Without protein your body cannot build new muscle.
  
  
• Keep your workouts under one hour. Short and intense!
  
  
• Concentrate on free weight exercises that work the large muscle groups. The best weight training exercises for building mass are the simple ones. For mass, stick with compound free weight exercises like squats, deadlifts, bench presses, barbell rows, pull ups and bar dips.
  
  
• Use heavy weights and low reps, rest 3 minutes between each set.
  
  
• Do only 2-3 exercises per body part.
  
  
• Split your workout. Since you have a very high metabolism like me, you need to train with more intensity, but less frequently.
  
  Day 1: Chest, shoulders and triceps
  Day 2: Rest
  Day 3: Back, and Bicep
  Day 4: Rest
  Day 5: Legs and abs
  Day 6: Rest
  Day 7: Rest
  
  
• Increase you water intake. A good formula for this is to multiply your bodyweight by .66 to get the required number of ounces per day.
  
  
• Use nutritional supplements. If you can't afford too many products, just stick with the basics; like whey protein. If you can't afford whey protein the next best thing is egg whites.
  

To gain weight, athletes need to consume more calories than they expend. This weight gain will include fat, muscle, and water. To limit the amount of fat gain and increase muscle gains, athletes need to follow a good training program supported by a sound nutrition program. Supplements, like Weight Gainer 2000, are marketed to athletes that want to gain weight, claiming they will aid in the gain of muscle mass. Although these supplements may help increase daily caloric intake, they have no benefits over good food choices. One common misconception among athletes is that the best way to build muscle or "bulk up" is to eat a high-protein diet. Adequate protein intake is essential for muscle growth; however, most of the calories needed to fuel muscle growth come from carbohydrates and fat.

Follow these tips for a healthy weight gain:

1. It takes time to increase muscle weight.

Most athletes can successfully gain ½ to 1 pound per week if they eat enough food to meet their calorie needs and train properly. Increasing calorie intake by 500 to 1000 calories per day can help supply the extra calories needed to gain lean weight.

2. Choose higher calorie foods from all the groups in the Food Guide Pyramid.

For example, choose a multigrain bread over white bread, or juices and milk over water.

3. Eat larger food portions.

Increasing the amount of food that you eat at one time will supply the calories needed to gain muscle weight.

4. Eat five or more meals a day.

Eat plenty of high calorie snacks throughout the day.

5. Drink plenty of fluids that supply calories like juice, milk, milkshakes, and sports beverages.

For example, drinking 1 ½ quarts of grape or cranberry juice supplies 1000 calories. 1 ½ quarts of 2% milk supplies 720 calories.

6. Set realistic goals.

Hereditary factors can play a large role in physique. You are not going to look like Arnold if your parents look like Pee Wee Herman.

The following are some examples of high calorie snacks:

• A soft pretzel with cream cheese or peanut butter
• Milkshakes made with whole milk and ice cream plus powdered milk
• Dried fruit
• Bean and cheese burritos
• Bagel and cream cheese or peanut butter
• Baked potatoes with sour cream, cheese, or chili
• Granola and yogurt
• Muffins
• Peanut butter and jelly sandwich
• Cheese and crackers
• Blender drinks with fruit, milk, ice cream, or protein powders or powdered milk
• High calorie granola bars or energy bars