Those of you who are "hardgainers" out there know that gaining lean mass can be difficult when you are eating clean.
Personally, I have a hard time physically eating enough healthy calories to put on weight. For many, getting this extra calories through a weight gainer shake is much easier. However, I have yet to find a weight gainer I enjoy taking on a consistent basis (most of them make me so full and sluggish I tend to want to skip my regular meals). So, I started making my own.
These 5 simple ingredients work for me. Feel free to modify them to best fit your goals and taste buds.
Ingredients:
- 8 oz of milk (130 calories)
- 1/2 cup of oats (150 calories)
- 2 scoops of Optimum Nutrition extreme chocolate whey protein (240 calories)
- 2 table spoons of natural peanut butter (210 calories)
- 1 banana (105 calories)
Total - 835 calories
722 calories per day x 7 days x 4 weeks / 3500 kcal per pound
= 6.68 lbs per month
2 shakes per day = 13.36 lbs per month
*Your weight gain will not be perfectly linear as there are many other factors playing into weight gain. If you are not seeing the results you would like, simply increase the amount of each ingredient in the shake. I wouldn't increase this too much however, as gaining weight too quickly can result in gaining more fat than lean tissue.
*Resistance training is key in gaining lean mass and should be performed along with increasing calories. With training, use multi-joint movements such as squats, deadlifts, bench press, and lunges. Intensity and repetitions are dependent upon your goals. I would shoot for 3-6 or 8-12 reps, progressively increasing the load each session.
Embrace the grind!
- Jeff
