Trying to gain mass - What are some tips to get bigger

by John
(Pinson, AL)

I'm 5'10, 155 lbs and am trying to work my way up to 175. I am taking, jack3d, creatine, ON serious mass, and force factor; and I eat everything I can get my hands on. I weight train 5 days a week with heavy weight, and do very little cardio. Is there anything else I can do that will help me get bigger? I am definitely getting stronger, but I just can't gain weight.


Answer:

First of all, not sure how old you are, but it always seems harder for younger people to gain weight.

Regarding your supplements, the calories from ON Serious Mass is a good choice for gaining weight, and also the creatine. The other two are both pre workout supplements so you probably don't need to take them both at the same time.

Calories are going to be the most important thing for you right now. I know you're saying you eat a lot, but you might have to go even more extreme.

The Milk Diet might be a good challenge for you if you want to put on lots of weight. Try drinking a gallon of milk per day for a month. You'll probably gain some fat, but you will also pack on a few pounds over the month.

Regarding your training, I would try and switch it up. Aim for only 3 sessions per week, focusing on power-lifting exercises.

For the next month, or better two months, try this training program:

Day 1 just focus on squats. Do five sets of five reps. Take your time between sets and try and add weight every week. As soon as you can do 5 sets of 5 reps, add a little weight.

Day 2 is bench day. Same thing, 5 sets of 5 reps. Rest for a few minutes between sets. Once you're comfortable with 5 sets of 5 reps, add weight.


Day 3 is deadlifts. Same things apply as the other days.

So do maybe a Monday, Wednesday and Friday schedule.

This might not seem like a lot, but this change could help you pack on the weight. If you want you can do some abs during some of the training days, but your main focus should be on improving these three lifts. Your whole workout should be focused on squats, bench or deadlifts only. 5 heavy sets of 5 reps and each week increasing these amounts.

Combining this schedule with lots of calories is a good recipe for gaining weight.

It might seem like 3 days is not enough, if you really want you can repeat the cycle earlier, adding another day per week, but try just 3 sessions first.

So, focus on lots of calories. Try the milk diet and just eat more than you're currently doing. Research some big mass diets and follow them.

Reduce your training to 3 days per week, focusing on improving your squats, deadlifts and bench. Your workouts only need to be around 30 minutes.

This will improve your strength and let you rest and recover more, which will help you gain weight.

Try this training schedule for at least two months.


Comment by TJ:

Hello, these are great tips. I found myself through trial and error and by listening to my body that working out less is actually more. You can't burn too many calories when trying to gain, especially when skinny. I focused on the big 3 lifts as well.

I need to gain 15 pounds

by Theo
(McKinney, TX)

I am 60 years old and I had a stomach ulcer surgery two years ago. After the surgery I had recuperated well but struggling to gain weight. I have good appetite and intake of food is OK. I need to find a product which will help me gain about 15 pounds. I now weigh 145 lbs. I don't like the taste of any shakes; prefer pills.

Thanks


Answer:

There's no magic pill that's going to help you gain 15 pounds. There's no safe or natural way to do this with supplements.

Unfortunately supplements don't perform these weight gain or weight loss miracles. Supplements are just supposed to supplement your natural diet.

Gaining weight usually boils down to calories and exercise. If you don't have an excess of calories coming in, it's pretty hard to gain weight. If you don't like shakes it's going to be hard to find a supplement that supplies you with extra calories.

You need to increase the amount of food you eat, and start a weight training routine. Drinking more milk and eating pasta and other mass building foods is what you need. In terms of training, it doesn't have to be anything extremely intense, but improving your muscle mass will increase your weight.

I would suggest you look into some mass building diets and programs. One recommendation would be No Nonsense Muscle Building.

There are many men over the age of 60 who have gained weight with this program.

Supplements to Improve my Muscle Quality and Size

by Avishkar
(Mumbai INDIA)

I want to improve my muscle quality and size so my friend suggest me to take Jack3d with SSN anabolic muscle builder and CELLTECH Creatine, and another one suggest animal stak with whey protein n glutamine and celltech creatine. So I am really confused SO please help ME.


Answer:

As you can tell from the suggestions you got from your friends, there's a lot of options.

What I suggest is that you keep it simple in the beginning.

It's worth mentioning now that none of these supplements are as important as your daily diet, and exercise program. So make sure you are consistently eating right, and exercising regularly.

Adding supplements can definitely help, but a muscle building diet and exercise program need to be in place first.

If you don't know where to start with that, then visit Bodybuilding.com and search for muscle building diets and training programs.

Two muscle building supplements that are worth taking are whey protein, and creatine. For beginners I would start with a whey protein like Optimum 100% Whey, and for a creatine supplement I would suggest and micronized creatine monohydrate like CON-CRET Creatine.

I would start with these two basic supplements, then two or three months down the road you can consider trying a pre workout supplement like Jack3d.

Again, remember to be consistent with everything you do including your diet and exercise. Taking these muscle building supplements will not have any affect if you're not consistent with them.

Combining Supplements for Building Muscle

by Michael F
(Canada)

I've got SuperPump 250, Xtend, and EAS Protein.

I was wondering if taking these three products is a good idea.

Superpump pre-workout, Scivataion Xtend for during, and EAS Protein for post workout.

Will this provide me with the most beneficial results?

If you have any suggestions, it would be greatly appreciated. Or schedules you would suggest, even better.

Thanks,
Mike


Answer:

This is a great supplement stack for building muscle.

If you follow a good healthy diet and exercise routine, adding these 3 supplements is a great combination for muscle building.

This is an exact supplement combination that I recommend.

The SuperPump is great for boosting your energy levels and focus, and the Xtend and whey protein are great for recovery and muscle development.

Again, I can't stress enough that these supplements alone will do anything. Make sure you're training hard and consistently.

One thing worth mentioning is that you might not want to stay on SuperPump for long periods of time.

Some people build up a tolerance and it's not always good to maintain high levels of caffeine intake. Cycling this product is recommended.

Also, I wouldn't take SuperPump or Xtend on days you don't train. Just maintain your whey protein intake.

I would recommend you read the full reviews on both Gaspari SuperPump here, and also the Scivation Xtend review here.

These are more in depth guides for using these supplements.

Young Women Needs to Gain Weight

by Jane Doe

Im 20 years old and i use to weigh 145 lbs. but in the last 1 1/2 years i have lost a great amount of weight I now weigh 108 lbs., Will protein pills help me gain weight? I've tried all of the muscle milks and all those shakes and juices and still no weight gain?! What can I do to gain weight, and get my body back? I lost my boobs from a dd to a small c...i went from a 5/6 in jeans to a 0/1 and medium shirts to sm/xs.... I dont know what has made me just lose weight like this I eat all the time all day long...;) i love food!!!! what should I do? What vitamins can i take to help healthy hair, nails, and skin?? Any comments or suggestions??



Answer:

That seems like quite a bit of weight loss. This is usually the case when someone burns much more calories than they're taking in.

Excessive exercise with a low calorie diet may cause this, however you mention that you eat a lot so I'm not sure what the cause could be. If you have any other health concerns or complications you might want to see a doctor and perhaps run some tests.

Protein pills will probably not help you gain weight. You really need to up your calorie intake. So if you say you eat a lot, what kind of food is it? Not every calorie is equal.

I would suggest reviewing some of the best weight gainers and focusing on your natural diet.

A good simple recipe for gaining weight is to drink lots of milk, and eat pasta a few times a day. For two or three weeks eat pasta everyday for lunch and dinner and you should gain a few pounds. Add a weight gain shake as a snack and this should definitely help you put some meat on your bones.

As for a good multivitamin for women, I would suggest you review some products from Xtend Life. They have an all around health supplement for women called Total Balance Range, and they have a basic multivitamin called Multi Xtra. Both are highly recommended.