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Gain Lean Bodyweight and Build Muscle: A Method That Works

April 16, 2009

The great bodybuilding writer John McCallum said it best, “You can’t grow 20-inch arms on a 170-pound body.”

Absolutely true. To get big muscles you have to increase body weight and have an effective workout program. That’s a fact.

But there’s a right way and a wrong way to increase weight. The wrong way – loading up on empty, sugar-filled calories or the right way – loading up on nutritious, healthy foods.

I’m not going to go into detail about what food to eat and all that jazz, because everyone has different tastes. I love fish, you may hate it.

What I will say is try to eat three square meals per day that include good proteins like fish, chicken and turkey breast, eggs and lean red meat. Add to that 1-2 good protein drinks to gulp down and you’ll be well on your way to increasing body mass the healthy way.

And no, you don’t need to spend a fortune on meal replacement shakes and all that crap. Here’s a modified version of McCallum’s get big drink that I’ve used for years.

Brian’s Version of the Get Big Drink:

16. oz Whole Milk (skim if you’re trying to cut weight)
1 Scoop Vanilla Whey Protein
1 Banana
2 Tbs. Peanut Butter (All Natural)
2 Tbs Honey (real not imitation)

Blend that all together and um, um good.

Another key to muscle mass is a pre-and-post workout drink. Here’s one I mix up every workout. I drink half of it 30 minutes before lifting and polish off the other half after the workout. Only use this on the days you lift.

Brian’s Workout Drink

16 oz. Water
1/2-to-3/4 cup Wild Frozen Blueberries
1 Scoop Vanilla Whey Protein
1 Scoop Creatine
1 Tsp. Glutamine

Blend together and um, um good. I know what your thinking…that must taste shitty. Actually it doesn’t. Try it for yourself and see.

That’s does it for the diet, now it’s time for the heavy stuff. In order to get big you need a mass producing workout. A mass producing workout is easy to create – just use big, multi-joint movements with heavy weight and work your ass off!

Notice I said easy to create, not easy to perform.

Here’s a little routine to take care of that.

Gain Weight and Build Muscle Routine

Overhead Press
Bent-Over Rows
Bench Press
Curls
Deadlifts
Squats

Do whatever set and rep layout you like: 5 x 5; 4 x 8 or 1 or 2 sets to failure, whatever works for you. If this is too much for you at one time, split it up and do squats and deads in a separate workout. Do this 2-3 times per week, add weight to the bar, eat right, train hard, drink plenty of H2O, get adequate rest and you’ll grow into those 20-inch arms eventually. Train hard and heavy and you can’t go wrong.

Understand that to be successful in any weight training program – hard work is a must! Half-hearted effort does nothing for you. If you’re new to weight training or grossly out of shape, consult a physician first. End of disclaimer

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Written by Brian Carson · Filed Under Workouts 

Comments

One Response to “Gain Lean Bodyweight and Build Muscle: A Method That Works”

  1. Colin Timberlake on April 20th, 2009 11:58 am

    Good recipes. Always on the lookout for new ways to make the old shake stay appetizing.

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