How much weight can a College Athlete put on in a summer? Or a year?

Hah! The grocery bill is certainly going to take a jump.

Does he need to add weight? Maybe he can add strength without weight gain. When my son went from 6’2” 190 to 200 he felt sluggish. He timed .05 slower in the sixty. When he got back to 190 he didn’t feel weaker. He also didn’t look any thinner.

Build is a factor. My son was built like a point guard. He was 6’1 175 when he graduated from high school.

Son got to college at 6'3" about 190.  Has very long limbs and looked thin.  Coaches told him to get to 225 over time.  After a year he was up to 220 and they said he looked too bulky and to lose 5 lbs.  To be honest, I think that when they say gain weight what they really mean is add muscle tone.  He stopped with the nightly protein shakes and lost 5 lbs in a week.

Ah yes, the good old HSBBW!  I love this place but I should have known: Don’t give a direct answer, instead question whether he needs to gain weight.

Yes, eventually he’d like to be around 225-230 pounds of intimidating muscle mass.  That’s what his coaches want, too.  That’s what the upperclassman who currently starts at DH weighs.  He’s got long limbs, looks kinda skinny but certainly bigger than when he was a 185 pound high school kid.

Mine went from 210 to 240 in 2020 (winter of junior year in HS) lifting in the basement with his sister and adding an entire meal.  Most of the eating and lifting happened from 8pm - 1am (it was like we were housing and feeding a vampire bodybuilder). It happened over a 3-4-month period. The 30 pounds didn’t slow him dawn—he got faster.

He gained another 10 pound during 6 weeks of winter conditioning this past January. He did not feel like the extra weight added power. That weight came off during spring training and he’s holding steady at around 240 now. I expect he will slowly add weight and man muscle as he gets older (he’s 6’7” and 19 yrs old) but he will most likely stay on the solid but rangy side.

@3and2Fastball posted:

Ah yes, the good old HSBBW!  I love this place but I should have known: Don’t give a direct answer, instead question whether he needs to gain weight.

Yes, eventually he’d like to be around 225-230 pounds of intimidating muscle mass.  That’s what his coaches want, too.  That’s what the upperclassman who currently starts at DH weighs.  He’s got long limbs, looks kinda skinny but certainly bigger than when he was a 185 pound high school kid.

LOL - my kid and his teammates/roommates found that night time protein shakes with Mass Gainer helped quite a bit.  Of course this was combined with intensive lifting and eating big meals.  They all gained about 20 pounds or so from first year to second.  My guy had a hard time gaining anything over Summer due to heavy game schedule and travel, but worked hard to maintain and get in as many workouts as possible.  Not easy to do with lots of long road trips.

What are the players goals, hit .400 or look good at the beach?

Bob

@Consultant posted:

What are the players goals, hit .400 or look good at the beach?

Bob

ha ha ha ha......I'll take the beach look...but I am an old.....

Take a look at the number 3 batter on the Dodgers right now.

I think when you're younger, say HS age just gaining weight helps tremendously. It's like a cheat code. But at some point and definitely as a college athlete  you need to be concerned with power. Basically how do you transfer what you've gained in strength into power. Power lifters aren't baseball players.

At 6'2" 200lb he's not a string bean. Can he go to a reputable place over the summer that can help with programming, etc?

Bof

Trea Turner or Chris Turner?

Bob

Interesting topic post. Barry Bonds says hello.

I think the question in the topic header has waaaay too many variables. But as for your son:

Over the summer playing baseball as you state? 5 lbs would be amazing. Maintaining his weight would be the baseline goal

Over 9 months (say, May 1 to Feb 1)? 10 lbs of useful weight at his height (depending on his stage of puberty)

Over 1 year? 10 lbs of useful weight, again depending on his stage of puberty

Hope he likes peanut butter.....

200 is a good weight I think. There are plenty of sub 200 pounds guys at mlb who regularly hit 30+ bombs.

Many college players do need to add weight because they come out of HS at like 150-160 pounds but if you are already at 190+ I would worry more about adding max strength and explosive power than adding weight.

Just give him a good lifting program, eat enough and he will probably gain some weight automatically.

@Dominik85 posted:

… if you are already at 190+ I would worry more about adding max strength and explosive power than adding weight.

Why yes, no kidding.  The whole point is gaining muscle weight to add strength and explosive power.

@Senna posted:

I think the question in the topic header has waaaay too many variables. But as for your son:

Over the summer playing baseball as you state? 5 lbs would be amazing. Maintaining his weight would be the baseline goal

Over 9 months (say, May 1 to Feb 1)? 10 lbs of useful weight at his height (depending on his stage of puberty)

Over 1 year? 10 lbs of useful weight, again depending on his stage of puberty

Hope he likes peanut butter.....

Thanks!  He’s fortunate that the summer league is close to home and doesn’t have any real travel (all the teams are within 60-90 minutes from our house) so he’ll be able to live at home etc… 205 by Fall Ball and 210 by Feb 1 2023 sounds reasonable

@nycdad posted:

At 6'2" 200lb he's not a string bean. Can he go to a reputable place over the summer that can help with programming, etc?

Yes, he’s got a great local trainer that he’ll be able to work with twice a week who specializes in Baseball strength & conditioning and has trained several MLB & MiLB athletes.

Bottom line is that his college coaches want him BIGGER as well as stronger.  He can’t show up next fall and show his coach this thread and say “these guys know better’n you, Skip.”  

@Consultant posted:

What are the players goals, hit .400 or look good at the beach?

Bob

Thanks Bob.  His goals are to develop to his full potential as a Baseball player.  He’s a 3B/1B/DH who is expected to hit for power.  His coaches want him to be bigger and stronger.  If you look at him you can see he could easily be 225-230 pounds when at his full development.  Broad shoulders, long legs, long arms.

3&2

have you seen the tire and fence post drill? Find a old car tire, cut it in half nail the tire to a post. Then find an old wood bat and swing 4-5 times then rest, then again. This will provide a "quick" bat and allow the hitter to wait longer before swing.

FOR PARENTS IT A GREAT 'frustration release!!

Bob

What did his college S&C coach recommend?

When mine got to campus the told him they wanted him at 230. He was 210.  He gained it in the fall, didn’t add any velo and he felt bad. Settled back at 215.  Another player lost 15 lbs and gained velo. I think sometimes they like to see what the weight does for you. My sons roommate went from 155 to 185 in the fall…freshamen conference player of the year.

@2022NYC posted:

What did his college S&C coach recommend?

It’s D3, the S&C coach is the assistant coach/RC, so it’s same message “get bigger and stronger”

Will he provide a program?

@3and2Fastball posted:

It’s D3, the S&C coach is the assistant coach/RC, so it’s same message “get bigger and stronger”

The S&C coach has to provide a program with some level of guidance and oversight.   My son received a nutrition and workout routine the summer before his freshman year and was told to stick to it...no deviations.   If the baseball S&C coach isn't going to provide the "how to" then I'd suggest going to another S&C coach in another sport (football?) or possibly someone you know that can help and oversee his progress.   This has to be monitored.

My son was 6'0' 170 when he he was recruited AND he is a very picky eater.  If he can put on weight, anybody can.   He put on another 25 lbs (legs and a$$) rather easily his freshman year following every instruction in the S&C's program of what you put in your body and how to work your body.

Based on what you've shared, I think there are a handful of questions that need to be asked of the S&C coach.

Just my experience.  Good luck!   

Gaining in season will be tough. He’ll need add extra calories to make up for the calories burned during games and practices. I’m not a fan of eating everything just to get calories (pb&j for example). We tried that with my son and the gains were slow. Someone finally convinced him he needed to commit to proper nutrition and he started to gain strength and mass at a ridiculous pace.

First post. I’ve been reading this site for a while. My oldest son will be in high school next year so I don’t have a ton of experience to contribute on most topics. I can help on this one. I am the same height as your son and went from 200lbs to 225lbs in an effort to gain strength.
Assuming he is following a lifting program your son should try to gain .5 - 1lb per week. Any less than that is too slow and any more and he is probably putting on unnecessary fat. I’m not going to get to far into the nutrition, but ideally he would be tracking calories - at least for a little while until he gets an idea of just how much food he will have to eat at his size. I was a little older and definitely less active than him when I put that weight on and I was eating close to 4K calories per day.
Short of that - tracking average body weight throughout the week should tell him if he is eating enough.
There are a ton of resources available on this. I’ve had success using MyFitnessPal and Renaissance Periodization both. The latter also has a great YouTube channel with a ton of info. Mostly targeted to bodybuilding crowd, but principles of muscle gain remain the same. I’m not affiliated in any way - just used it to learn a lot.

Myfitnesspal is a solid resource. My son used that when he was first getting started. He was taking in 4200-4500 calories a day. Right now probably 3500 in season. Tons of protein, carbs, and veggies. Also as many whole foods as possible.

After reading all of this I need to talk to my son.  He’s officially 6’ 2” (real measurement) but as I learned  here that means he’s 6’ 4”.  Went to school 205 as Freshman.  Worked out a ton but came home 225 and it seemed to be beer weight. Last summer he really hit the gym. Went back a tad below 200 but fat way down and muscle way up.  Velo back to peak too, thru peak. He can’t stand the food at his school so we run up some real door dash bills but with less lifting in season and calorie burn he’s now about 185 and also hurt.  I think he needed to lift more this semester and eat more too.   The kid looks great though except he won’t get a hair cut…

This is an expense, and may not be for every kid, but I got my son a Whoop and it’s really helped him.  Particularly with sleep and recovery which are very tough to measure at any level, much less when one is in college:

Yikes, Whoop is pretty expensive, and I usually have no problem blowing money on this type of stuff. I think it is the monthly membership thing that always bugs me. However, if they could guarantee my son would wake up on time without me having to yell at him I'd be willing to pay double!

I agree with myfitnesspal. I have the subscription and it is worth every cent. I export the data and send it to my nutritionist to shut her up about my eating habits...except she hammers me about sodium, I told her that it barely moves my BP unlike my sessions with her...I have known her for years so she can take it with a grain of salt.

What are opinions on when is the appropriate time for a high school player to try to start to bulk up.

I've got 6'1 150 lb freshman. Won't turn 15 until summer. Kid doesn't have a hair on his face or chest.

He lifts and is wiry strong but still all arms and legs.

Is it worth the extra effort and expenses to try and bulk up this summer while it appears he is still growing?

@DaddyBaller posted:

What are opinions on when is the appropriate time for a high school player to try to start to bulk up.

I've got 6'1 150 lb freshman. Won't turn 15 until summer. Kid doesn't have a hair on his face or chest.

He lifts and is wiry strong but still all arms and legs.

Is it worth the extra effort and expenses to try and bulk up this summer while it appears he is still growing?

I think he’s too early to be worrying about cyclical nutritional approaches like this while he’s clearly still growing.  I’d put more of an emphasis on learning more about nutrition and applying it towards his daily routine.  Can’t speak to your son but so many kids have no clue and eat terribly, and the earlier he can learn a healthier nutrition routine the better.  Even ones that care about it a little bit are often very misinformed about what they should be eating, proper macros, etc.  

@2022NYC posted:

I agree with myfitnesspal. I have the subscription and it is worth every cent. I export the data and send it to my nutritionist to shut her up about my eating habits...except she hammers me about sodium, I told her that it barely moves my BP unlike my sessions with her...I have known her for years so she can take it with a grain of salt.

I see what you did there 😂

@DaddyBaller posted:

What are opinions on when is the appropriate time for a high school player to try to start to bulk up.

I've got 6'1 150 lb freshman. Won't turn 15 until summer. Kid doesn't have a hair on his face or chest.

He lifts and is wiry strong but still all arms and legs.

Is it worth the extra effort and expenses to try and bulk up this summer while it appears he is still growing?

I agree with Wechson. It isn't too early to start focusing on proper nutrition, but it may be too soon for bulking up. Right now he should be eating as much protein, carbs (good carbs), and veggies as possible. Just the healthy eating will help him tremendously.

We supplement with about 60 grams of protein per day and my son also drinks an Athletic Greens drink every morning since he is terrible with the veggies.

My son started nutrition program and creatine cycling at 14. My was annoyed annoyed at me about it but given the history of it and my kid was serious about gaining strength the benefits clearly outweighed the risks. He had great gains but it was a combination of puberty, good supervised strength program and nutrition.  More importantly fitness is a big part of his life and he will likely look at a career in it at college, which I am happy to support.   

@DaddyBaller posted:

What are opinions on when is the appropriate time for a high school player to try to start to bulk up.

I've got 6'1 150 lb freshman. Won't turn 15 until summer. Kid doesn't have a hair on his face or chest.

He lifts and is wiry strong but still all arms and legs.

Is it worth the extra effort and expenses to try and bulk up this summer while it appears he is still growing?

My son was 5’11” 135 freshman year with a May birthday. Figuring he had just spurted from 5’4” and was likely to grow to about 6’2” it was like to start packing on the weight. Being built like a point guard and also playing point guard and soccer he was burning a lot of calories. He was 6’ 160 soph year. He graduated 6’1” 175. He got to 6’2” 190 in college.

He packed on the weight eating healthy food and protein shakes. He spent so much time that year with his head in the fridge it was laughable. Part of the desire for food was natural based on the growth spurt. But he was trying to gain weight.

My ex wife is a certified nutritionist and certified personal trainer. It helped. She was a bit of a food Nazi. The kids weren’t allowed to have soda. They still don’t like it as adults.

Thank you for the responses. Pretty much confirmed my thoughts.

Never too early to start good eating and exercise habits. But probably unrealistic to achieve serious gains while still growing.

Will continue to focus on stronger and faster and will let bigger come when his body is ready.

late to this one. just one data point, but I know a local kid who left for college last July at 195 and was 215 at the end of fall ball a few months later. not your average student athlete. tall (listed at  6-5) and super athletic body. never focused on getting big in high school. he had an army of training and nutrition staff working with him at his P5 school. his transformation was eye-popping.

My kid arrived home today for the summer, as his team’s season has ended.   He weighed in this afternoon at 196, ate a bunch of food and then went to go lift weights.

He has a goal of 210 by the start of Fall Ball in September of 2022.  Will keep this updated.

3&2

concern yourself and your son with mental and physical quickness. Quick feet!!  I wish I could prescribe the Japanese training as I watch Ohtani pitch tonight and hit. It is the story  of “Six rings”,

Bob

@Consultant posted:

3&2

concern yourself and your son with mental and physical quickness. Quick feet!!  I wish I could prescribe the Japanese training as I watch Ohtani pitch tonight and hit. It is the story  of “Six rings”,

Bob

Thanks so much, Bob!  Absolutely agreed.  That is indeed his number one focus, along with hitting.  He’s in a good College Summer wood bat league that will start up in about 3-4 weeks.  The strength & muscle weight gain are important to him but not anywhere close to his #1 focus.

I realize that I never updated this. The summer has gone well for my son. He’s gone from 194 pounds when he came home on May 7 to now weighing 206 pounds without gaining any body fat.  The goal of 210 pounds at the beginning of fall ball is definitely within reach.

He’s been lifting weights six days a week, and two of those days per week are under the supervision of a trainer who has worked with multiple pro baseball players and who emphasizes baseball specific movements and training.

The big plus with all of this is that he has gotten noticeably faster over the course of the summer despite the weight gain. (Or more likely because of the strength gain in his lower half).  He’s even been stealing some bases in the summer league. For a while there he was stuck at 202 pounds in the middle of the summer, until we realized he needed to up his calorie intake as he was just burning off so many calories from playing in the summer league & working out.

My kid came up a little short in his muscle building goal: came home May 7 weighing 194, checked into the team training room weighing 205 today.  Hopefully he’ll be 210-215 by the start of the spring season.  

The kid does love to lift, and eat!

(His coaches want him huge.  They’ve told him he’ll still get reps at 3B but see him as primarily at 1B/DH.  5th year Senior All Conference player at SS, team MVP at 2B, which means the backup SS and utility guy are getting looks at 3B, plus they just brought in another 6.7 60 slick fielding SS freshman this fall)