How To Put On Size

“If you want to be strong, you’ve got to stop acting weak!”

Putting on size and weight is many times just as hard or harder than trying to lose weight. The principles however, are very much the same with a bit of a twist. When I made my transformation, I worked incredibly hard day in and day out to add some serious muscle and size all while keeping off the unwanted fat.

It is easy to think that you can just go out and eat whatever you want to try and put on weight. But if you eat garbage, you are going to look and feel like garbage. That is why it is important to be feeding yourself the right foods when trying to put on size and weight.

Today I will be covering four different aspects that will help you gain tons of strength, and allow you to put on size and weight very quickly. Especially if you are just starting out, putting on good weight could come at a very rapid pace (up to 10+ pounds a month in some cases).

For others who have already put on weight and may have hit a plateau, the steps in this article will still help and you can expect to see gradual weight increases of about 2-4 pounds of muscle per month.

Take a look below at the steps to help you put on some serious size, all while keeping off unwanted fat!

Use Big Compound Movements

If you want to start adding size, you have to start lifting the right way. You need to be lifting with a challenging resistance and need to focus on key compound movements. Some examples would be:

• Deadlifts
• Squats
• Bench Press
• Overhead Press
• Bent Over Row
• Pull-Ups/Chin-Ups
• Dips

These are just a few of the many compound movements that you should start to partake in on a weekly basis! You should focus on doing anywhere from 4-10 reps per exercise for 3-5 sets each. Using a challenging resistance and keeping the repetition range lower, will ensure that you are growing and getting stronger.

You should not be focusing on isolated movements (bicep curls, tricep extrentions, etc.) and you should not train solely for “the pump.” You need to focus on getting stronger each and every workout.

Progressive overloading is the best way to ensure that you are continually adding strength and size. This means that you should focus on either increasing the weight or the number of reps (even if it is a very small amount) every single workout in order to further muscle growth.

This gradual increase of stress placed on the body forces you to adapt and grow each time you hit the weight room.

Your Nutrition Must Be On Point

Nutrition is number one in everything that you do, whether you are trying to gain weight or lose weight. It all starts with nutrition.

When trying to gain size and strength, you really need to focus on upping the calories and adding in more carbohydrates to your diet. But again, this does not mean you can just go out and eat fast food all the time. If you want to eat garbage, you will look and feel that way too.

You must put the right foods into your body and lots of them!

Carbohydrate Intake

Depending on your bodyweight, body fat percentage, age, and activity level will determine the amount of carbohydrates you will be able to tolerate in order to help gain size while keeping off unwanted fat.

For someone who is young with a lightening fast metabolism, they will be able to handle more carbohydrates per day than someone who is older with a slower metabolism.

You must find what works best for you and stick with it. If all the carbs you are eating are causing you to gain fat, this is not good and you need to cut them down to the appropriate amount. A good rule for gaining size is to stay between 1-3 grams of carbs per pound of bodyweight per day.

For those with a fast metabolism, you will be closer to three grams of carbohydrates per pound of bodyweight while others with a slower metabolism will be closer to one gram per pound of bodyweight.

Remember, although you are trying to put on size you do not want to put on fat! So it is important you do not go overboard and think that you can eat any and all the carbohydrates that you want. Sure you will need to be eating more, but unless you want to gain fat you have to determine the correct amount of carbs for you to put on some serious muscle!

The best time to incorporate the most carbohydrates is right after a workout and around workout times (before and after). Next, earlier in the day will work best for helping to keep off the fat rather than having tons of carbs right before bed.

If you focus on eating the majority of your carbs early in the day and around workout times, you will be setting yourself up for success. Just be sure you are getting enough to allow your body to put on size!

Protein Intake

Many people think that just downing all the protein they can handle will make them huge and put on serious size. And although protein is very important, it is not necessary that you go overboard on it (although you will be eating of it more when trying to add size).

A good rule to go by is to try and eat at least one gram of protein per pound of bodyweight. Don’t worry if you do go over this, as protein will greatly help with building lean muscle and will help you recover. But I would never advise someone to down 500 grams of protein in a day for muscle gaining purposes.

If you focus on getting protein with every single meal, and have a protein shake after workouts you will easily meet the appropriate amount that you should be eating in a day.

Eat Often

When trying to gain size and muscle mass, you must eat often. This means eating every 2-3 hours so you are constantly fueling your muscles and your body. You should incorporate protein and healthy fats into every meal then incorporate the appropriate amount of carbohydrates. Then as usual you should eat as many vegetables as you want.

It takes great focus and dedication to put on size but if done correctly, it will come at a rapid pace!

Sprints

Ahh sprints. Yes here they are again. Are you starting to see how important these are?

Sprints will help with not only building lean muscle but will greatly help with keeping off unwanted fat. Incorporating some serious sprinting sessions 2-3 times per week will greatly benefit you with gaining tons of size and strength all while eliminating fat.

Moving Slowly

The final step to adding size is simply moving. All this means is going for long walks whenever possible. Doing slow moving activities puts very little stress on the body and will allow your body to burn fat.

Now I am not advising you to go out for a 5-mile jog. I am simply talking about walking. Moving very slowly. The more movement you can get into your day the better.

Conclusion

If you want to put on some serious size and strength, you must dedicate yourself to doing it. Just as someone who is trying to lose weight, it takes hard work and perseverance. It is not easy to put on size but with the right guidelines, you can easily start to do it.

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