Feeling like you can’t gain size no matter what you try?
I know how you feel… When I first started training over 10 years ago I was a 6 foot tall, skinny fat 70kg guy and no matter how hard I tried I couldn’t pack on size.
I tried all the mass gain supplements, tried heavy weights, lighter weights for higher reps, body part splits and full body workouts…
By the end of all this trial and error I worked out a few things that work really well for the skinny guy trying to get jacked. As of now, I walk around leaner than when I first started training at 90-95kg depending on how far away from competition I am.
So if you want to learn some simple, non supplement endorsed tips for getting bigger and stronger then read on to find out more of what I’ve found works both on myself and the many clients I’ve worked with in the past 7 years of training.
You Need To Eat More
Everybody has heard this one but honestly, if you’re trying to get bigger and stronger and it’s not happening for you right now then you need to hear it again…
I used to think I ate heaps… Then one day I tracked my food in myfitnesspal (if you don’t use this app then get it and start!) and found I was only eating about 2000 Calories a day. I thought I was eating close to 4000. This seems to be a recurring theme amongst most of the guys I’ve found that can’t put on weight.
You don’t need to eat every 3 hours like everyone reads in men’s health but you need to get in the calories somehow and if you’re not getting in enough then you may need to eat more frequently.
If you want to know how much you should be eating then simply start by taking your bodyweight in pounds (just times kg by 2.2) then multiply it by 16. That should be a good starting point for someone who trains hard and has a moderately active job.
If your job has you very active you may want to jump up to bodyweight x 18-20 straight away.
So for a quick example an 80kg guy it would work out as it follows:
80 x 2.2 = 176
176 x 16 = 2816 Calories per day.
More Carbs Over More Protein
There’s no doubt that protein is useful in gaining size but somewhere along the lines people forgot about the importance of the other macronutrients for gaining size.
I’ve seen people tell me they can’t gain size and their eating so much protein to notice that they are having 200-300 grams of protein and then barely any other food. Protein isn’t any special steroid like food that if you just stock up on it you’re muscles pump up like Bugs Bunny in Space Jam. Even if that’s what they may try to convince you at your local supplement shop.
When you have more protein than your body can utilise for rebuilding muscle from training then the rest get converted to carbohydrate or fat to be stored in your body… And worse if you don’t have enough carbs to fuel energy levels, then your protein may not even get used to help rebuild your muscles and we can’t have any of that.
Get your protein to a reasonable amount and then focus on getting more carbs in to make up the rest of your calories…
It will hugely benefit your gains, gut as well as your wallet. Protein foods makes your grocery bill damn expensive if your trying to get well over 200g of protein per day. On the other hand I bought a 5kg bag of rice for $6 the other day. I know which one I’d rather go with to get my calories from.
Don’t Be Scared Of Fats
Bodybuilding diets have always traditionally been set up using the leanest cuts of meat, telling us that chicken and turkey are far superior to red meats and egg whites are better for you than whole eggs. Now, you’re already struggling on tip #1 then you definitely need to give up on this bullshit idea.
Red meats, whole eggs and the like contain more calories from the added fats which help drive your calories up high enough to be in a larger surplus to help put on size… adding another point red meat and eggs also have micronutrients that will help build size and strength as well as maintaining normal body function.
To top this off fat intake helps support hormone function and production of testosterone… You wouldn’t intentionally try to lower your testosterone while trying to get big would you?
So go eat steak, eggs and dairy to get in more calories that contain high quality fats.
Learn How To Cook
Now this should really precede all of the tips about nutrition. Here’s the reality, unless you’re completely ok with eating boring, bland microwaved chicken, rice and veggies you better get good at finding ways to get in bulk calories that still tastes good and won’t leave you looking like the michelin man.
You don’t need to be an expert chef but you need to have some simple and effective go to’s. Things like Slow Cooker Mexican Shredded Chicken, made by simply putting chicken thighs in the slow cooker with salsa and seasonings take minimal time to prepare and can give you a much better tasting meal while still maintaining a balanced macro profile when you add some rice.
Low calorie sauces and seasonings are your best friend… remember you’re going to be eating a tonne and you need to make it easier to stomach. Even as simple as reheating a meal with a little chicken stock or water to avoid drying the food out can be a game changer.
Get Stronger To Get Bigger
Now these two go hand in hand but most guys seem to think they can just get away with chasing the pump to get bigger.
They forget that the old school great bodybuilders were absolute beasts in the gym… yes they chased the pump but guys like Arnold and Franco Columbo were squatting over 200kg for reps and deadlifting over 300kg.
When you have that sort of foundation, pump work like most guys focus on in the gym has a tremendous value. When you’re only benching 60kg and your worrying about what chest superset to do, get back on the bench and just lift more weight!
Here’s a little guideline for when you should start thinking about prioritising pump work:
Squat – 2x BW
Bench Press – 1.5x BW
Deadlift 2.5x BW
Bent Over Row (Strict from floor) – 1.25x BW
If you’re not there yet then let’s worry about getting strong first and I guarantee you will get bigger in the process.
Have A Plan For Your Training
There’s this idea that ‘random’ training works well through muscle confusion or whatever rubbish people are trying to give out right now.
Now here’s the truth… Nobody that’s getting exceptional results naturally is training randomly.
Yes there may be a high degree of variation. But what you will find is they are able to still apply progressive overload through variation of the exercises when selecting the exercises correctly.
You don’t need to go in and do the exact same thing every time but following some form of simple progression like our FREE program MELP will make it significantly easier to get the results you’re after.
Don’t Be Scared Of Conditioning
Most people you ask about gaining size will tell you doing conditioning will kill your gains.
Guess what?
They’re right, if we are talking about long distance cardio and F45 style hiit classes (that basically end up being the same thing as jogging but that’s for another article).
But, there’s one uncommonly spoken about purpose for doing some conditioning while trying to gain size…
Conditioning makes you HUNGRY!
If you’re finding it hard to eat enough, small intense conditioning bouts of 10-20 minutes can be extremely helpful to spike appetite without adding a need for too much extra calories to be added on top of your diet.
Quick tip before you try this… Don’t go picking the most hardcore conditioning workout like a 20min AMRAP. Something simple like 10 minutes of a 30m sled push on the minute will be enough to get a positive stimulation of appetite without stimulating metabolic rate too much.
A safe rule of thumb would be for the work period to be shorter than or equal to the rest period for these.
Bonus Tip: Add Some Strongman Training To Your Routine
Strongman requires heavy loads for high time under tension, two of the essentials for building muscle…
Not to mention its fun as hell to be lifting stones, flipping tyres or doing farmers carries.
Try out timed farmers carries if your gym has a trap bar or farmers handles.
Start with 3-4 sets of 30s on with around 90s rest between. A good weight would be to use 40% of your best deadlift each hand.
Building Size Made Easy
Follow these tips and you will be well on your way to putting on some quality size.
Just be aware that it’s not going to happen overnight. Putting on muscle mass naturally takes time, particularly if you don’t want to end up looking like Pumba while you do it.
