Gaining weight is a process that requires the combination of proper diet and exercise. Depending on your body type you will have a harder or easier time putting on weight than others. Some people naturally have very fast metabolic rates which makes putting on weight very difficult for them.

I am one of those people that has trouble putting on weight. In the past before I started working out I was close to 6 feet tall and weighed less than a 130 pounds. It felt like it took forever to put on weight, but after I learned the proper techniques for weight gain I was able to put on quite a bit of muscle. Now I have settled in at a healthy 185 pounds. Gaining weight is not that hard if proper methods are followed.

Gaining weight is more about your diet than working out. You can workout forever and still not gain a pound without the proper diet. The simple equation for gaining weight is to consume more calories than you burn. With that being said you can’t just eat junk food as they contain a lot of bad calories that you don’t want to put into your body. Your ultimate goal when gaining weight is to put on muscle and not fat so you will have to consume a lot of protein rich foods. Tuna, chicken, fish, turkey meat, eggs, low fat milk, etc. are all good sources of protein that you should look to add to your diet. For more information on the proper foods to eat check out my weight gain diet.

Step By Step Process

To get started on your weight gain routine, you first need to calculate your daily caloric needs. This is the amount of calories you need to consume in order to maintain your current weight. You can use an online calorie calculator to figure out your daily caloric needs.

To gain weight you have to consume more calories than the amount you need to maintain your weight. You should consume at least 500 extra calories a day with more being better. Also you need to be eating constantly so it is important to break your meals up into several meals spread out throughout the day. This maximizes nutrient absorption by your body which is important for muscle repairs and growth.

Next you will need a workout routine. For a good weight gain workout routine check out my muscle building workout routine. Your workout routine should consist of doing heavy lifting in order to maximize muscle growth. Some say you need to focus more on free weight exercises such as bench presses, squats, dead lifts, etc. as they are the best exercise for building muscle.

Eventually during your weight gaining process you will reach a point where you will stop gaining weight. This is because your body has gotten used to your routine. So in order to get back on track you will need to switch your workout routine up and eat even more than you already do. This will jump start your body into gain weight again.

Additional Points

- Weigh yourself at the start and end of the week rather than everyday as your weight tends to fluctuate on a daily bases. Using a healthy weight gaining program you should expect to gain 1-2 pounds a week.

- Make sure to rest up and get at least 8 hours of sleep a night. Your muscles grow while you rest which is why proper sleep is necessary. Also when you are rested up you will have more energy to perform high intensity workouts.

- You should consume 1 to 1.5 grams of protein for every pound you weigh. So if you weigh 150 pounds you should consume 150-225 grams of protein. If you are having trouble filling your protein quota, look to adding protein supplements to your diet. Protein shakes are good popular source for your protein needs.

- When lifting weights go up in weight every week to keep pushing your body and muscles to grow.

- You will inevitably gain some fat while gaining weight. Don’t worry as you can loose the fat during the cut down phase. For more information check out my get ripped workout. There are usually two phases to body-building, mass-gain stage which is what we discussed in this article and the cut-down phase which is usually done after the mass-gain stage.