How to Gain Weight

What’s his caloric intake daily? How does he compare in size to the members of his family (father, mother, any older siblings, grandparents/cousins)? How much has he grown in the last 18 mos?

Senna is right in track. First do a food diary and get exactly what is the intake. Also need to understand grams of protein /day .Adding shakes is great but half the intake needs to be animal (meat) protein and not just the shake. (Whey) A good rule is 1.5 g /lb/day to start. In general if you want to get big you have to eat big, it’s that simple. Try limiting very carb heavy food early in the day which clearly will Make you feel bloated more easily. Been there , it’s tough.

Thanks guys.  We need to measure the caloric intake again (it has been year).  I believe it was around 1700 back then.   He has grown about 2 inches (and 5-7 lbs) in the last year.  He is built like I was - 5'11" and 140lbs until I was 26.  Could not put weight on at all costs.  Now I wish I had that problem.

That bloated feeling should be frequently felt while gaining.    Don't avoid it. Eat more.  A lot more.  And more often.  There is no magic formula other than increased calories.   Peanut butter is your friend.

1700 calories a day is low by half if he wants to gain weight. I think most of us have struggled with our sons at some point needing to gain weight. Best advice we got from a nutritionist was eat by the clock and cut out snacks.  4 meals a day at regular intervals with a shake as a supplement at some point.  Grazing is bad as it prevents them from putting a big meal on board at meal time.  My son's 2nd period teacher did a double take when he pulled out a thermos full of scrambled eggs in the middle of class the first time. She thought is was cool when he told her why.

Best thing we came up with on our own was put more of the foods they pound on their plate.  My wife is a super healthy food junky. She would cook a new balanced meal every night.  Unfortunately it wasn't always things the kids like and they would only eat enough to get away from the table. I finally convinced her to cook big potions of things like spegetti and meatballs early in the week and serve it to them 2 or 3 times through the week while we eat chopped salads.

@senna was spot on. Determining his normal daily caloric intake is Step 1 because you know this is what he needs to maintain his current weight at 140. At this point, the goal should be to add 500 calories to this number.

For example, if he is taking in 2000 calories per day, the new goal should be 2500 per day. This should be THE NUMBER until he starts to plateau at a higher weight. Then you can adjust higher from there.

Does he have an end goal weight by a certain deadline? For example, does he want to gain 15lbs by Spring Season/March 1st? If so, he has about 16 weeks, so all he needs to focus on is gaining one pound per week.

Training Strategy - is his current training strategy designed to gain Strength and Size? It could be his current strategy is more Strength and Endurance or Strength and Power based and that is why the muscle growth isn't occurring. Maybe ask his trainer? Lastly, lifting 3 days per week, especially during the off-season, is light on volume. Really needs to be 5 days per week.

Other factors to consider:

• Daily Protein, Carb, and Fat intake (all of these are on the labels.) These can be used to make sure the weight gain is healthy and diversified.
• Desired Body Fat Composition (measuring this will help to make sure the weight he is putting on is "good" and will have a positive impact on performance)
• Food Scale (Purchasing one of these to understand portion sizes)
• Rules of thumb
  • Food will always be better than supplements (if possible)
  • Protein - "The less legs the better." (Fish = best. Chicken = second best. Cow = 3rd Place)
  • "Eat a Rainbow Often" - Different colored vegetables. Variety is good for every meal.
  • Carbs - complex is greater than simple.

@InnerPro

• Protein - "The less legs the better." (Fish = best. Chicken = second best. Cow = 3rd Place)

what do you mean by best?  

@Around_The_Horn Should have communicated better there... Best = healthiest forms of protein due to fat, omega's, cholesterol...etc. Balance is key, so eating a variety is perfectly fine - unless there is a fish allergy

Our son has finally topped out at 190. He's got a thick build so we - and by we I mean my wife - put him (and my v-ball playing daughter) on a high-protein moderate-fat diet. Both kids focused on strength and flexibility. Lots and lots of fish (we live in San Diego and are very fortunate to have a wide selection of fresh ocean fish). Also supplements (fish oil, protein powder) and fruit, which my wife tells me is good for joint flexibility. I nod and keep my mouth shut.

Thanks Everyone.  This is great information to digest.  InnerPro, one question.  You mention 5 days a week to lift.  He has a personal trainer who feels 3 days is the max.  He seems very focused on not building too much upper body strength since he is a baseball player.  This does seem to contradict what I have read and seen some places.  Can you elaborate on 5 days per week and are there concerns over too much upper body strength? 

@Miller2020, my son is doing the same, 3 days of power/strength and 2 days of speed/agility. His trainer is an expert with rotational athletes and overhead throwing athletes. They do a TON of core work. I don't even think there is a traditional bench press in the gym.

Eat more calories than you burn. Eat before bed, limit cardio and work out..which it sounds like he has down. My son learned how to eat and work out in college. He worked out in HS and that got him on track to get a scholarship etc but the real rubber met the road in college. He just didn't like food enough and eating period, to put on weight. Btw, he was 5-10 and 145lbs when he started working out in hs.

Been talking to a couple of families who are going through the same thing, as we are also (2023 son is 6'0, 155lbs). One family said the program they are training with has their son on a 4,000 calories a day diet. The son has gained 7.5 pounds over the past 4 weeks. Another family, whose son is a skinny 2021, said their doctor said the son's goal should be 6,000 calories a day.

But what we are finding as an obstacle with eating is being back in school and all the restrictions they have at school because of COVID. The kids aren't allowed to eat unless they are at lunch and at the designated lunch areas. So from 7:15am to 2:30pm, lunch is the only time they get to eat. So we have been packing huge lunches but it's still an issue. My son said you can only eat so much in the short lunch period without feeling sick in his next class.

@ARCEKU21 my son is growing through that at school now. On a good day they have a 30 minute lunch. Most of the time it’s 20 minutes.

@TerribleBPthrower posted:

@ARCEKU21 my son is growing through that at school now. On a good day they have a 30 minute lunch. Most of the time it’s 20 minutes.

Yup, 20 minutes here also. Been trying to get him to eat between school and practice, but they barely have enough time to change and get to the field.

@Miller2020 first a disclaimer...Your Personal Trainer knows your son and his needs better than we do. Just wanted to mention this because we are in no way advocating for change. We are advocating to ask questions....always.

You mentioned, "he seems very focused on not building too much upper body strength since he is a baseball player." When you look at your son, do you think this approach applies to him?  Some things to consider:

• Is my son's upper body strength/mass approaching a limit where on-field performance is negatively impacted due to a lack of range of motion?
• If my son lifted more to add size, could he add in more upper body mobility work to make sure he maintains his range of motion to maximize on-field performance?
• Am I satisfied with the results my son is getting from the current strategy?
• Am I seeing a return on my investment here?

These are always tough questions, especially the last two, but the fact of the matter is every parent who has a son who aspires to play the next level is not only competing against other players for those scholarship dollars, but they are competing against time. There is a finite development window and time/effort/money are assets that can't be wasted. There has to be a return on these investments. The clock never stops ticking.

Lastly, always remember, each player is unique with different needs, at different times of the year.

Hope this helps.

@ARCEKU21 posted:

Been talking to a couple of families who are going through the same thing, as we are also (2023 son is 6'0, 155lbs). One family said the program they are training with has their son on a 4,000 calories a day diet. The son has gained 7.5 pounds over the past 4 weeks. Another family, whose son is a skinny 2021, said their doctor said the son's goal should be 6,000 calories a day.

But what we are finding as an obstacle with eating is being back in school and all the restrictions they have at school because of COVID. The kids aren't allowed to eat unless they are at lunch and at the designated lunch areas. So from 7:15am to 2:30pm, lunch is the only time they get to eat. So we have been packing huge lunches but it's still an issue. My son said you can only eat so much in the short lunch period without feeling sick in his next class.

Snacks, snacks, snacks.  My 2022 gained 25 lbs this year through lifting and eating all the time.  He likes almonds, fruit, and Kind bars to eat between classes and lunch so he doesn't have to eat so much at lunch that he feels sick.  He also takes a protein/avocado/fruit smoothie with him each morning on his drive to school.  It's been said before, until he gets used to it, eating this much will make him feel like he's going to get sick but his body will get used to it especially if he's burning calories in the gym or playing ball.  Good luck, this was a harder task than I ever thought it would be.

@InnerPro posted:

@Miller2020 first a disclaimer...Your Personal Trainer knows your son and his needs better than we do. Just wanted to mention this because we are in no way advocating for change. We are advocating to ask questions....always.

You mentioned, "he seems very focused on not building too much upper body strength since he is a baseball player." When you look at your son, do you think this approach applies to him?  Some things to consider:

• Is my son's upper body strength/mass approaching a limit where on-field performance is negatively impacted due to a lack of range of motion?
• If my son lifted more to add size, could he add in more upper body mobility work to make sure he maintains his range of motion to maximize on-field performance?
• Am I satisfied with the results my son is getting from the current strategy?
• Am I seeing a return on my investment here?

These are always tough questions, especially the last two, but the fact of the matter is every parent who has a son who aspires to play the next level is not only competing against other players for those scholarship dollars, but they are competing against time. There is a finite development window and time/effort/money are assets that can't be wasted. There has to be a return on these investments. The clock never stops ticking.

Lastly, always remember, each player is unique with different needs, at different times of the year.

Hope this helps.

Thanks so much.  This makes a lot of sense.  I think he could get much stronger before limiting his field performance.  I will have a conversation with his trainer to make sure we outline what is best for him.  you are so right, time is getting closer!

@chazball posted:

Snacks, snacks, snacks.  My 2022 gained 25 lbs this year through lifting and eating all the time.  He likes almonds, fruit, and Kind bars to eat between classes and lunch so he doesn't have to eat so much at lunch that he feels sick.  He also takes a protein/avocado/fruit smoothie with him each morning on his drive to school.  It's been said before, until he gets used to it, eating this much will make him feel like he's going to get sick but his body will get used to it especially if he's burning calories in the gym or playing ball.  Good luck, this was a harder task than I ever thought it would be.

We were doing this before covid hit. He was taking Lenny & Larry's cookies with him to school and he would eat them between classes. But now with the new eating restrictions at school, he can't do that anymore.

But I do see him actively making an effort to eat more at the main meals. When we were in Florida for the WWBA, he saw how some if his older teammates were ordering food. They were also ordering an extra main item. So he has started to do that also.