For any athlete who wishes to increase their body weight (preferably muscle mass rather than fat mass), a combination of the right training (i.e. resistance training) and the correct nutritional intake are essential. Remember that a body can only increase weight or bulk-up IF the energy intake is greater than the energy expenditure. This means eating or drinking nutritious foods and supplements at frequent times through a day – it is most likely that this will be achieved by having at least 6 meals/snacks through the day.

Please be realistic and achieve your goal over time and not expect a ‘quick fix’. In all likelihood a gain of between 0.5-1kg a week is realistic rather than a bloated 2-3kg a week. A realistic energy intake for “gainers” should be around 3500 - 6000 kcal/day for males and around 3000-4500 kcal/day for females depending on size and level of activity in a day. As a very rough calculation you should calculate your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) and then add around 600 kcal for every 1 hour session you do in a day and then a further 1000 kcal for other activities including eating, walking, work etc. The BMR is around 1600-2000 kcal/day for males and around 1300-1600 kcal/day for females. So you really MUST eat/drink foods which provide you with more energy then you expend. Of course you can check whether you are in gaining by weighing yourself regularly (say every 2-3 days in the first instance and then weekly thereafter).

The guidelines below provide some simple ideas, using Nutrition X products, to help you reach your goal.

WHAT SHOULD YOU DO?

1. Ensure you have a good weights/resistance programme in place BUT reduce cardio sessions in consultation with trained professionals and sound medical advice.


2. Make sure you eat 6 meals/ snacks per day


3. Be wary of a high GI carbohydrate intake – don’t eat too much carbohydrate foods such as bread/potato/rice/pasta at night.


4. Increase your protein intake to around 2-3g per kg body mass a day


5. ALWAYS take a Protein drink before a training session i.e. Pro X Elite.


6. Mass X Elite or Ultimate as a mid-morning snack.


7. Mass X Elite or PRO X Elite as mid-afternoon.


8. Ultimate with dinner (IF heavy training day).


9. Hypnos just before bed IF heavy training day.

WHAT SHOULD YOU EAT PER DAY TO ACHIEVE THE RESULTS?

1. 400- 500g of Carbohydrates - achieved by eating porridge/muesli at breakfast, reasonable portions of bread/potatoes/rice/pasta at lunch, then mainly vegetables/salad and some fruit at dinner.


2. 200-300g of Protein - 600g of meat/fish will give you 150g protein, Milk and eggs can also be a good source of protein (you could also get at least 100g of quality protein from Nutrition X protein shakes)


3. 100g of Fat – from fish, nuts, cheese, red meat


4. 2-4 litres of water. Larger athletes need to get 3-4 litres; smaller 2-3litres.