How To Gain Muscular Weight? It’s not necessarily hard, but requires discipline and commitment. Let me be clear, this will not be one of those “eat big and lift big to get big” articles. That’s a popular mantra that leaves more questions than anything else. In this article, we will break it down in more detail than that and tell you everything you need to know. Ready? Let’s get going!
Eat Big, Lift Big?
My biggest complaint about the “eat big, lift big” mantra is that it doesn’t really tell you anything. What exactly does “eat big” even mean? Does it mean you raid Mickey D’s 5 times a day? Or maybe load up on pizza and ice cream? Or does it mean I should eat clean? If so, then how many calories does “eating big” require? Are you beginning to see what I mean?
If your gain muscular weight plan is to eat more food, you can’t just “eat big”. You have to have a better plan than that. It goes without saying that you’ll need to have at least some idea of what your calorie intake and macronutrient breakdown looks like. In addition, you will need to be consistent. I suggest tracking your info at least until you have a consistent eating schedule down.
How Many Calories Do I Need To Gain Muscular Weight?
In order to determine a good caloric starting point to gain muscular weight, I suggest multiplying your body weight by 18. So let’s say you weigh 200 lbs. Therefore, 200 x 18 = 3600 calories per day. That’s your muscle-gaining starting point. Of course, you can use an app that does the calculating for you. However, this is a fast and easy approach.
What Does My Macronutrient Breakdown Look Like?
Regarding your breakdown of macronutrients, here’s how it should look. Think in terms of 35-45-20. That means 35% lean protein sources, 45% quality carbohydrate sources, and 20% healthy fats. Keep simple, sugary carbs as low as possible. In fact, the only simple carbs you should be eating should be in the hours surrounding your workout. As regular readers know, I advocate consuming roughly 50% of your daily carbohydrate intake within this time frame.
Example Breakdown
Using our example 3,600 calories, here’s the calculation: 315 grams of protein per day (3600 calories x 35% = 1260 calories divided by 4 grams = 315). From there, it’s 405 grams of carbs per day, and 80 grams of healthy fats.
Increase Calories Gradually
The next thing you need to do to gain muscular weight is track your daily calorie intake of 3600 calories for 2 weeks. If after that time you haven’t gained any muscle, increase your calories by another 500, using the 35/45/20 proportion outlined above. From here, it’s just a process of gradually increasing your calories until you reach the point where you begin to gain. Now, you don’t want to gain excessive fat. If you are, drop your daily calories by 500. Reduce carbohydrates, never protein. You can also add 30 minutes of cardio 3-4 days as desired.
Watch For Fat Gain!
An important component of this approach is to monitor your waistline frequently. If you find you’re beginning to add fat around your waist, stop increasing calories. Cut your daily total by 200 calories per day until any fat gain levels off. It’s true you may gain some fat if you’re trying to gain muscular weight, but it should be minimal.
The Gain Muscular Weight 3-Day Push/Pull/Legs Split
It’s a classic routine that’s common among bodybuilders. The 3-Day split is also popular with any style of lifting. This is because it works well with lifters that have busy lifestyles. I suggest training in a gym if you can. However, you can easily do this classic workout in your home gym. I personally do both. I have a small home gym with free weights, a power rack (and bench) and a weight stack machine that serves as a high/low cable machine.
The Gain Muscular Weight routine assumes Monday, Wednesday, and Friday as workout days.
Day 1: Push
Bench Press
Warm up over 3 sets:
- Bar x 15 reps
- 20% RM x 10 reps
- 40% RM x 8 reps
4 Working sets x 8 reps – If you can’t hit 8 reps on every set, do as many reps as you can. You should be able to hit 8 on most of your sets.
Incline Barbell Press
4 sets x 8 reps
Overhead Barbell Press
3 sets x 8 reps
Close Grip Bench Press
3 sets x 8 reps
Crunch
3 sets x 15 reps
Day 2: Rest
Day 3: Pull
Deadlifts
Same as bench press
Bent Rows
2 sets x 8 reps
Lat Pulldowns – Do this if pull ups are too difficult
4 sets x 8 reps
EZ Curls
2 sets x 8 reps
Hammer Curls
2 sets x 8 reps
Wrist Curl
2 sets x 8-10 reps
Hanging Leg Raise
2 sets x 10 reps
Crunch
2 sets x 15 reps
Day 4: Rest
Day 5: Legs
Squats – Same as bench presses, but do 5 working sets.
Lying Leg Curls
2 sets x 8 reps
Standing Calf Raises
2 sets x 10-12 reps
Seated Calf Raises
2 set x 10-12 reps
Crunch
4 sets x 15 reps
Day 6 & 7: Off
Performance Notes
Concentrate on correct exercise form. Lift the weight under control, never let momentum do the work. Also, make sure you’re using a full range of motion. Plus, don’t knock out 8 easy reps and then stop. If your reps feel easy, add weight and work harder. Here’s your rep tempo: 2-3 seconds to lift the weight, pause at the top for a 3 count, 4-6 seconds to return to the start position. Finally, hold the weight in the fully stretched position for a 4 count. I personally prefer to train to failure, but not everyone does. Either way, your last few reps should be difficult to complete.
The 3-Day Advantage
One of the primary advantages of the 3 day split is that you can change the order around any way you like. For example, you could do legs on Day 1, push on Day 3, and pull on Day 5. This makes sense because the legs will be heavily involved in deadlifts. Another advantage is you can change the days themselves to whatever works best for your schedule. However you schedule it, try to allow one rest day in between your workout days.
The Gain Muscular Weight Supplement Plan
To get the most out of the Gain Muscular Weight routine, you’ll need several supplements. These are cornerstone products. The first one is a great protein powder. I suggest Hi-Tech Precision Protein. This is my go-to protein and the reason why is that it enhances leucine absorption for optimal protein synthesis stimulation.
Pre-Workouts
On to pre-workouts. I suggest Gorilla Mind Gorilla Mode. The ingredient profile and dosages are exceptional in this product. Beginning with 10 g of citrulline, Gorilla Mode also contains a huge 400 mg of caffeine, plus 5 grams of creatine, 4 grams of betaine, and 4 grams of glycerol. Another good pre-workout option, especially for the budget-conscious lifter, Alpha Supps USA Pre. This is Alpha Supps entry into the new “Basic” or “Core” series of pre-workouts that feature streamlined ingredient profiled at a great price.
Other Cornerstone Products
I also suggest creatine to use on your off-days, and a good multi. Finally, I suggest a good post-workout shake. I suggest combining your Precision Protein with simple carbs. I suggest using EFX Sports Karbolyn. You can also mix in glutamine.
Summary
Well there you have it – great tips on how to gain muscular weight. Implement what I’ve suggested here, and hit it hard with dedication and consistency. I won’t say that gaining more mass is easy, especially if you need to eat a lot of calories. That’s why you need more than just a mantra. You need a plan – so it’s time to get to work. Don’t forget to stop by illpumpyouup.com for all your supplement needs! Train hard and go get those gains!