How to Gain Weight as a Bodybuilder

Gaining weight can be tough for bodybuilders of any level. Gaining lean, muscular body weight can be just as tough for bodybuilders as it is for overweight or obese people to lose weight. Therefore, it is vital to pay attention to your nutrition and your calorie intake. You can gain dense, muscular body weight while keeping yourself trim by improving your diet and increasing your daily caloric consumption.

Things You'll Need

• Food journal

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Instructions

• 1

  Determine your daily caloric intake each day for a week to determine your average calorie consumption. Write down every food and drink you ingest along with their calories in your food journal. Add the calories together at the end of the day; at the end of the week, add all seven figures together and divide their sum by seven. The answer is your average daily caloric intake.

• 2

  Gain weight by increasing your caloric intake past your daily average. Add 500 to 1,000 calories to your daily average per day for a week. Note any weight gain at the end of the week in your food journal. Increase your calories slowly every week as you monitor your gains.

• 3

  Focus your diet around consuming calorie-dense, healthy foods for weight gain. Eat plenty of unrefined, complex carbohydrates such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts and seeds. Include lean proteins from fish, poultry and lean cuts of meat. Add healthy fats sources to your nutrition through consuming walnuts, cold-water fish and flax seed.

• 4

  Drink beverages such as fruit juices and milk. Drinks like apple juice or orange juice can add plenty of calories to your diet while providing vitamin C.