How to Gain Weight Quickly (For Men)

If your metabolism is naturally fast and you're looking to gain weight, adjusting your eating habits and exercise routine can help you achieve that. While it's possible to put on weight by snacking and exercising less, there's a healthier approach: eating nutrient-dense foods and focusing on strength training to build muscle. This won't happen overnight, but if you start now, you should see results within a few weeks.

Eat more than three meals a day. If your metabolism burns calories quickly by nature, eating just three meals a day won't help you gain weight. Your body burns calories fast, so you need to consume enough calories to fuel it right away. This means you should eat multiple times a day, not just when you're hungry. You can aim for 5 meals a day to gain weight.

• Don't wait until you're starving to eat. Plan to have 5 meals a day so you're never hungry.
• To manage this, you'll need to put in some effort, so make sure to stock up on enough food to eat frequently. You can eat calorie-dense foods like bananas, peanut butter, or granola bars for energy.

Each meal should be calorie-dense. Divide your meals into 5 smaller ones; low-calorie meals won't provide enough energy for your body. You need meals rich in calories. The menu for each meal should resemble what you'd find at a restaurant, with portions primarily consisting of meat, vegetables, and carbohydrates. Eating these foods might feel uncomfortable at first, but it's the best way to help you gain weight.

• A fulfilling breakfast could include three fried eggs, two slices of bacon or sausage, a bowl of roasted potatoes, and a glass of orange juice.
• For lunch, try a whole turkey sandwich, two bananas, and a plate of mixed greens.
• For dinner, you could have grilled meat, roasted potatoes, and a few bowls of roasted vegetables.

Stick to nutrient-rich foods. To increase your body weight, opt for foods that are both rich and nutritious. While you could easily gain weight by drinking sugary sodas and eating pizza daily, this type of diet can ruin your metabolism and cause fat gain rather than muscle development. When selecting food, follow these steps:

• Choose unprocessed foods. For example, pick old-fashioned oats instead of instant oats, and use fresh chicken for lunch.
• Prepare many dishes from the foods you've selected. Avoid eating cold meals in the evening, fast food, and snacks that are high in salt, sugar, and other unhealthy additives.

Focus on foods high in protein, fats, and carbohydrates. These are the three key components that not only help you gain weight but also keep you healthy. Incorporate foods containing protein, fats, and carbohydrates into every meal to maintain a balanced diet. Here are some food options you can include:

• Protein-rich foods: Eggs, salmon, tuna, and other fish; roasted pork, ribs, and ham; chicken breasts and thighs, lean beef burgers, and roast beef.
• Foods rich in fats: Olive oil, coconut oil, grape seed oil, and flaxseed oil; butter, walnuts, almonds, and flaxseeds.
• Carbohydrate-rich foods: Fruits and vegetables; beans, lentils, and peas; brown rice, whole-grain bread, whole-wheat pasta, and other whole grains; honey and fruit juices.

Drink plenty of water. Water helps your body process the excess protein and calories. Drink a few glasses of water after every meal to avoid dehydration. If you're strength training to gain weight, aim to drink 10 cups of water a day.

• You can also drink unsweetened tea, fruit juices, and other nutritious beverages.
• Avoid energy drinks like Gatorade and other sports drinks, as they contain high amounts of sugar.

Focus on strength training exercises. Bodybuilders know that the best way to gain weight is through strength training. This type of workout will help your muscles grow bigger and stronger. You can either train at the gym or buy equipment to work out at home. It is an essential part of gaining weight, so plan to train multiple times a week.

• If you don't want to spend money on a gym, buy a set of dumbbells and choose weights that allow you to work out at home.
• You can also do resistance exercises that don’t require weights. Start with push-ups, as they're easy. You could also install a pull-up bar in your door frame to work on your arms and chest.

Train different muscle groups. You might want to focus on building just a few muscle groups, but you'll see better results by training your whole body rather than just one area. Spend equal time working on your arms, back, chest, abs, and legs. Instead of training all your muscle groups in one day, alternate the muscle groups so the others can rest between workouts.

• Set a schedule and achievable goals for each week. For example, you could train your arms and chest on the first day, focus on legs and abs on the second day, and work on your back and chest on the third day.
• You may want to hire a personal trainer to help you stick to your workout schedule and plan.

Train your muscles without injuring yourself. Your muscles grow when you put pressure on them by pushing them beyond their limits each day. This is done by lifting a weight you can handle and repeating the movement until your muscles are fatigued and sore, but without hurting yourself. Find the right weights to train with by choosing a dumbbell you can lift for 8 to 10 reps. If you can easily lift the dumbbell more than 10 times, increase the weight. If you have to stop after 5 reps, decrease the weight.

• Incorporate compound exercises. Focus on multi-joint exercises that work as many muscles as possible, such as bench presses, dumbbell presses, squats, deadlifts, push-ups, pull-ups, and dips.
• If you're starting and can only bench press a 5kg dumbbell, that's fine. Whenever you start working out, focus on becoming stronger and try to lift the weights up and down multiple times before you reach failure.
• When working out, take a break for a minute or less, and don’t do more than 12 consecutive reps in one set.

Drink egg milkshakes to boost protein intake after each workout. According to a study from the University of Birmingham, energy-boosting milkshakes will help improve your endurance during workouts. Eat a banana, some dried fruits, or drink an energy milkshake right after your workout.

Relax. Allow your muscles to rest between workouts. This is crucial for muscle growth. Your muscles rebuild during rest, so never train before your muscles are fully recovered, and avoid training the same muscle group on consecutive days. Wait at least 48 hours before training again.

• Additionally, getting 8 to 9 hours of sleep each night is essential for gaining weight. If you only sleep 6 hours or less, your training and diet won’t be as effective.

Don’t stick to the same routine. Your body adapts quickly, so if you don’t change up your workout routine from time to time, you’ll hit a plateau. Try to switch things up once a week. You can increase or decrease the number of training sessions or exercises, or simply alter the order of the exercises you normally do each day.

Limit cardiovascular exercises. When you run, bike, swim, or do other forms of cardio, you’re burning a lot of energy that could otherwise go toward muscle development. Cut back on cardio to once a week, or stop doing it altogether while trying to gain weight. If you don’t want to eliminate cardio, opt for low-energy activities like walking, hiking, or short bike rides on flat terrain.

Move around instead of sitting still. Another method for gaining weight quickly is eating anything you want and staying as inactive as possible. However, gaining weight this way won’t help you achieve a balanced physique and could weaken your health. While gaining weight through muscle building can be challenging, it will help you stay healthy and attain a balanced body.

• Remember that eating five meals a day will put a lot of fat into your muscles. That’s okay! Set a weight goal and add 2-5 kg to it. Once you reach that goal, you can reduce carbs, sprint, and keep working out: the fat will burn off quickly, leaving you with a great physique.

Don’t ignore signs that you’re gaining weight too quickly or overtraining. You may be eager to gain weight as soon as possible, which might cause you to put too much pressure on your body. But you shouldn’t push yourself to exhaustion or constant soreness. In fact, improving your diet and training process will make you feel healthier than before. If your body seems to signal that something’s wrong, listen to it.

• Consider hiring a personal trainer. After just a few sessions, you’ll have a solid understanding of your workout schedule, exercise form, intensity, and duration, as well as a better idea of your diet.
• Always consult a doctor before taking any medication, and see a doctor immediately if you get injured while working out.

• Consult with a doctor before making any changes to your diet or exercise regimen.