For skinny men, the road to that dream body starts with the weight. Because in order to gain muscles, skinny men must gain weight.

But gaining weight isn’t just about eating your heart out on the table, it’s about having the right strategy that will keep you healthy as you bulk.

Here are ten tips on how to gain weight fast:

 

Eat and then eat more

It’s no rocket science: Eat big and get big. No matter how great your program is, you will never gain weight and develop muscles if your body doesn’t consume enough calories.

You need to eat at least every three hours. Focus on getting one gram of lean protein daily per pound of body weight. You should also get an enough amount of healthy fat. If you’re skinny and have a fast metabolism, try eating more rice, pasta and potatoes.

 

Using big equipment

Since we’ve decided to eat big, then we must also use big equipment. Get a bigger plate, bigger bowl and bigger glass. Most of those who struggle to gain weight are under eaters. Going big  with your eating equipment can solve this because sometimes it’s all in the mind. If you are struggling to finish a big meal, then having a bigger serving on a bigger plate disguises it and make it look small.

 

Always plan ahead

Food at school or office are expensive. Those at food joints are not healthy.  If  you don’t have enough time to cook during the day or you don’t know what to cook at all, then make a plan.

Planning ahead prevents skipped meals. Do your grocery and buy what you need for a week.  Have a meal plan ready and prepare your food once a day by cooking in advance. Remember that if you fail to plan, you are planning to fail.

 

Choosing foods

Protein, Omega 3, dairy, grains, vegetables and fruits should be part of your diet. Buy them fresh and avoid processed foods. Stick with lean meats like chicken, tuna and beef.  When you eat these healthy food, you will notice that you are fuller after meals as compared to padding your calories with those junk foods and processed foods.

 

Count those calories

The golden rule  for minimum weight is 1kg for each cm above 1 meter of your height. Anything less will make you look skinny.  Now once you’ve figured where your weight is at, it’s time to know how far you want to go by counting your calories . Read food labels, employ a food scale and track them using an online diet journal or food diary.

Keep in mind that daily calorie consumption  should be at least your weight in lbs x 20Kcal per day. Increase this by 200-500  calories per day until you reach your desired calorie goals.

 

Protein supplement

In you want to gain weight, the only supplement worth taking is protein powder. Look for the ones that have the nearest to zero fat and have low calorie content. Their main ingredients should be whey protein isolate or whey concentrate.

Why protein powder? It is composed of amino acids which are the building block of solid muscles. They also help your muscles recover quickly from a workout.  More importantly, they are a convenient source of protein.

 

Get Stronger

As you progress, you want to transform from fluff to buff and not skinny to chubby. So you’ve got to do exercises that build muscles and pack mass.

There are exercises that effect on two muscle groups at once. These include squats, bench presses, chin ups an dips. While doing these mass building exercises, focus on the correct form and let the muscles go through their full range of motion so you will get the best benefits.

 

Stop at 45

Studies have shown that a person’s testosterone level increases dramatically during a 45 minute weight training exercise. After 45 minutes, the body’s cortisol level shoots up while the testosterone level starts to drop. Cortisol then eats up the muscles and increases the storage of body fat. Now this is not what we want to achieve here. So hit the gym hard then stop and get out in “45”.

 

Law of progressive overload

If you want to get bigger, follow the Law of progressive overload. This law is simple: Increase and improve your previous performance each time you hit the gym. This can be achieved by doing more repetitions of the same exercise, doing more sets, lifting heavier weights or doing the same work in less time.

The objective here is to give your body a reason to grow because repeating your exercises won’t grow your muscles.

 

What you control

Like in life, there are things that you can and cannot control. You cannot control the number of pounds that you will gain and the time when you will gain them. But you can control what you eat, how much you eat and how often you exercise.

If you target X pounds by eating Y calories, just ensure that you hit your Y calorie goals.  The weight gain will follow. Check the scale weekly and adjust if you don’t get your desired weight gain.

Skinny men need not sulk, for they too can become a hulk. So gain the weight, that herculean vision doesn’t have to wait.