I re-connected with one of my long time friends and he was telling me how he wanted to gain 15 pounds because it would help him become a better player. It made me think about all the people who ask me about gaining weight so I said hey why not drop an article on it. Now this is meant to be a quick thing to look back on and assist you and is not a complete program for gaining weight.
The Quick Guide
Sport Specific Tips
- Never forget to continue sport specific movements at least 2 times a week
- This helps you body become accustomed to the new found mass you have
- Failure to do this could mess up your technique specific to your sport
Lifting
- Lift Heavy
- Do not go to the weight room and play around
- The weights need to be tough for you to lift
- Should not be ridiculously heavy either, you need to find that good mix
- If you are having a day when you are feeling it, really go after it in the weight room
Rep it Out
- Go for about 6-8 reps
- 3- 5 sets
- You do not have to go to failure every time you pick up a weight either
Nutrition
- Eat Like Never Before
- If you are hungry then you waited too long to eat
- You should constantly have food in your mouth
- Protein shakes count as meals but should be limited to 2 or 3 shakes a day
- Aim for 5-8 Meals a day
- Eat smaller meals constantly throughout the day instead of 3 large meals
- Eat as much veggies as you can
- Prepare meals in advance
Get Rid of…
- Sodas and Juice
- High Processed Meat
- Ice Cream and Desserts
- White Flour
- Junk Food
Add These…
- Water
- Low Fat Cheeses
- Dried Fruit
- Eggs
- Extra Lean Beef
- CHICKEN
- Fresh Fruit
- Fish
Recovery
- Sleep Like Never Before
- Aim for 8-9 hours of sleep
- Remember that sleep is when you really get bigger
- You tear your muscles down in the weight room so they can grow when you sleep
- 20 min power naps can count as 2 hour sleeps!
Manage the Stress
Stress can and will only slow you down so you have to find ways to contain the stress from these different areas as much as you can.
- Relationships
- Money
- School
- Jobs
- Social Environment
So What…
To gain weight it takes a serious commitment. In most cases the dedication really does pay off though. It is not just about lifting weights, sleeping or eating a lot of food. It is about doing all 3 of these things at the same time. Train hard and get your weight up my Cover Grounders.
(Original image by James Horan Shoots People)
