Bulking up and gaining muscle can be very challenging. It takes the right combination of diet and training to see fast results. Unfortunately, most people never get it right and stay underweight or skinny-fat forever.
To gain weight, a simple fact is that; you need to eat more calories than your body burns. It doesn't matter if you think you eat a lot. If your average calorie intake is lesser than your calorie expenditure throughout the day, you won't gain weight. To get bigger and stronger, you must create a caloric surplus. You have to eat more food than you do now to put on weight and stop being skinny.
Treat this article as a definitive guide to gaining weight naturally if you are a skinny, hard gainer or an ectomorph. But before that, let's discuss the reasons behind why you cannot gain weight as effectively as others in the first place.
Why Can't You Gain Weight?
Skinny or underweight guys are usually under the impression that they eat a lot, but they don't seem to gain weight because of their high metabolism. Some also think they can't gain weight because they don't digest the food they eat, are stressed out, or "have worms". Well here's the truth: you are not gaining weight because you don't eat a lot. We know you think you do, but you don't – otherwise, you wouldn't be skinny. Yes! really.
Track your daily caloric intake for proof. Spend the next week logging everything you eat in an app like MyFitnessPal or HealthifyMe. You'll see you're not eating that many calories. This is the main reason why you're not gaining weight. Skinny men always overestimate how much they eat.
This doesn't mean a high metabolism doesn't exist. Some people have a more challenging time gaining weight because they're more active (hard gainers tend to fidget more). Others are naturally skinny because they have small frames and thus aren't born to be big and strong (ectomorphs).
But every skinny guy, hard gainer and ectomorph who eats more calories than he burns, gains weight. It doesn't matter if you have high metabolism, skinny build, or bad genetics. The only difference is that you'll need to eat more food than the average person to put on weight and get bigger.
Stop believing you can't change your body because of your metabolism. Stop thinking you'll always be skinny because everyone in your family is. Start understanding this is mostly a matter of nutrition. Eat more calories than you burn – consistently – and you'll gain weight. It's that simple.
5 Ways to Bulk Up Fast
Now that we have made you understand the importance of eating more calories than you burn to gain weight, you need to take a few more factors into account to gain the right kind of weight and gain it as fast as possible.
#1. Maximize Your Protein Intake
You need to add plenty of good protein to your diet. This is one of the essential building blocks of building serious muscle mass. Get into the habit of consuming it in various forms, including protein bars, supplements, shakes, and high-protein foods such as eggs, meat, nuts, and peanut butter. You can also get large amounts of plant proteins and bulk up on a vegan diet if you are a vegan.
Your body loves protein, and this is the key to achieving the kind of body you've always dreamed of having. But again, keep in mind that you're going to need to feed your body throughout the day so that you're adding mass rather than burning those extra calories. Then hit the gym so that your body can convert the protein into muscle.
To help you achieve your daily protein intake for a successful bulk, we suggest getting 60–70% of your protein requirements from whole food sources and the rest from protein powder (like whey, casein, etc.)
#2. Fall in Love with Carbs
Carbohydrates play a significant role if you want to build lean muscle mass, leading to bulking up. The key is to eat the right kind of carbs. Because if you skimp on carbs, you'll run out of energy during workouts. The best strategy is to eat a simple carb meal an hour or two after a workout. This will help drive the nutrients your muscles need into your bloodstream while also stimulating the release of insulin, which is also vital for post-workout muscle repair. Good carbs for building mass include rice, potatoes, bread, pasta, and oats. Just keep in mind that you'll need to incorporate large portions of these foods into your meals to bulk up quickly.
#3. Eat High Fat and Calorie-Dense Foods
At nine calories per gram, fat is by far the most calorie-dense of all the macronutrients. By including ample amounts of healthy fats and calorie-dense foods in your diet, you stand a far greater chance of hitting your daily calorie requirements easily.
Top calorie-dense foods:
#4. Liquid Calories are King
If you have a hard time eating 1500 calories in a single sitting, then the best way to intake your daily calories is to increase the portion of liquid calories throughout the day. Throw everything in a blender and slug it down! You can try this super smoothie recipe below:
Nutritional content: 1500 calories, 160g carbs, 60g protein, 60g fat
#5. Add Creatine and Multivitamins
Creatine is one of the most well-researched supplements in the world, and it is legitimately one of the best supplements if you want to get big and gain muscles. It increases strength and hypertrophy during workouts and can be quickly metabolized by your body. Therefore, make sure to add good creatine in your supplement stack to get the best results for your bulk.
Also, taking care of your micronutrient intake becomes essential to get the best results and gain weight naturally. So, add a good multivitamin like Maximult from Epicvita to ensure you intake all the essential vitamins and minerals to get big in no time.
The Bottom Line
To end the article, we want to say that there is no such thing as progress, growth, or change without consistency. Results don't happen overnight.
Staying consistent is probably the most important and yet the most challenging part of sticking to any nutrition plan. No surprise that research continues to suggest that consistency is one of the most critical factors for success. That's why it is critical to choose a diet that you know you can stick to!
Build your foundation, keep training regularly, focus on getting your diet right most of the time. Then try to be patient; your results will come!
References
Helms, E. R., Aragon, A. A., & Fitschen, P. J. (2014). Evidence-based recommendations for natural bodybuilding contest preparation: nutrition and supplementation. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, 11(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/1550-2783-11-20
Dorrell, H. F., Gee, T. I., & Middleton, G. (2016). An Update on Effects of Creatine Supplementation on Performance: A Review. Sports Nutrition and Therapy, 1(1). https://doi.org/10.4172/2473-6449.1000107
