Strongman Diet Plan on a Budget | Supplement Stacks for Strongmen

Eat Big and You'll Be Strong, Man

I am glad to help you gain weight. At best you are an ectomorph, which is one of the three main body types, and you will have the hardest time gaining weight. Having this body type - that of a hardgainer - means you have to pay attention to your diet more than before; otherwise, you will end up looking like a bean pole.

A first step you can take is to keep a daily journal. Write down in it all the foods you eat, the time of day you have your meals, and portion sizes. This record will give you a clear picture of what you are taking in. Next you have to increase the number of daily meals. You can't gain weight on four meals a day. You need six or seven meals to supply the nutrients to increase your weight 40 pounds. Each day eat four whole-food meals and three protein shakes. You should also buy a reputable weight-gain powder and consume a serving of it, blended in 16 ounces of whole milk, in between meals. These shakes will help out considerably because drinking calories is much easier than obtaining them from eating. Although I don't have any information about your meals, you should follow a clean and healthful diet. Strive to eat foods that are high in calories but are clean. Milk, cheese, eggs, nuts, red meat and yogurt are all good choices. Aim for a balance of protein, carbs and fat in each meal, e.g. lean steak, a baked potato, and green salad with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. This meal provides generous amounts of protein, carbs, fiber and healthful fats.

Protein is another important aspect of your mass-gaining plan. If you are not eating enough protein, you will not put on any mass no matter how hard you work in the gym. Your efforts will be similar to those of a caged hamster spinning the wheel -you will stay in the same spot. At your weight you need to consume daily at least 1.5 g of protein per pound of bodyweight. Weighing 160, you re-quire 240 g of protein a day. Consuming enough carbs is also critical. Each day consume 3g of carbs per pound of bodyweight. You will need 480 g of carbohydrates daily. Your carb choices should be ones that are clean and will help you pack on mass, e.g. rice, potatoes, pasta, multi grain bread, yams, healthful cereals, oatmeal and other grains. They will not only help you put on weight but will also fuel your workouts as never before. Keep your daily fat intake at lg per pound of bodyweight -at 160 g. Obtain most of the fat from omega-3 and -9 sources. Flaxseed oil, herring or salmon oil, and olive oil are your best bets. One tablespoon of flaxseed oil has 14 g of fat that can make meeting your requirements easy. Make the weight-gain shakes even more calorie-dense by adding two tablespoons each of flaxseed oil and olive oil. Doing so will provide almost an extra 460 calories - and from a drink that won t fill you up. Consuming 500 calories from rice is much harder than sucking back a little oil, which you will hardly realize is in the shake. About 30 percent of your fat intake should be from saturated-fat sources, a target you will easily meet through your intake of meat and milk

Strongman Supplements

If you follow the above guidelines, you will take in daily 960 calories from protein, 1,920 calories from carbohydrates, and 1,440 calories from fat, giving you a total intake of 4,320 calories. On top of the weight-gain powder and flaxseed- or fish-oil supplements, your supplement intake should include a daily multivitamin, which is important for preventing deficiencies and for helping in the many chemical reactions taking place in your body.

Creatine and glutamine are two more very good supplements that will help you pack on some mass. Most of my athletes gain at least 10 pounds in a month while on a good creatine-glutamine stack taken three times a day. I recommend you ingest 20 g each of creatine and glutamine daily. Take 10g of each after your workouts to assist in recovery and to increase cell volumization, and take identical doses before bedtime. This supplement combination will boost your strength besides your weight. Glutamine is very important for preventing muscle catabolism, or breakdown, and with your ectomorph structure, muscle loss is one of the main factors you have to worry about. You shouldn't go out and buy a carload of supplements because you won't need them. Buy the ones I recommended and incorporate them into your diet-and-supplementation plan. They will make a noticeable difference in achieving your weight-gain goal. You must always remember your diet is the more important part of the plan and that the supplements can work their magic only if your eating is dead on. If you eat ample amounts of clean, high-calorie food, take your supplements, and train hard, you will grow like a weed.

The recommendations in this article are a good base for your nutrition program and should definitely aid you in packing on more mass. Give this program a shot. If you follow it consistently, you will be on your way not only to more mass but to a major increase in strength as well. Follow the program for at least three months before deciding to alter any elements. Your macro nutrient ratios can be changed later once you have gained at least 20 pounds. So give it a go and watch yourself grow.