Colorado State University Athletics
Gaining Weight Outside the Weight Room
7/12/2017 3:45:00 PM
Gaining Weight Outside the Weight Room!
With all the things that we put on our student-athletes plates (pun intended!); attending class, practice, study table, open gym, weightlifting workouts, conditioning, etc., our guys have to eat ... and eat a lot ... in order to not only meet the energy demands of their schedules, but to maintain, and for some, add weight to their frames.
Now, we are not looking to add weight for the sake of adding weight. Our goal is to add functional lean body mass while maintaining agility, quickness, power, and speed, while also improving the technical aspects of their game.
Too often, these kids look to supplements to fill the void and help add weight. I don't have an issue with supplements. We use them here at Colorado State, but if our guys are not optimizing their opportunities to feed their bodies outside of what we give them in the weight room, they are jeopardizing their chances to achieve their weight-gain goals. Most of these kids are high-energy guys and have motors that run like NASCAR engines. They burn lots of calories during the course of the day; therefore, they need to eat like it is their job! It takes dedication and preparation for our guys to plan and prepare enough meals and snacks for them to pack on some mass! Here are some basic nutritional guidelines that we follow with our guys:
1. EAT BREAKFAST! ... Too many guys skip this one... if they constantly miss feeding opportunities; they severely limit the ability to gain weight. Some lean protein, whole-grain carbohydrates, and fruit are good choices to start the day. Even if a guy doesn't have anything on their schedule in the morning... wake up, eat breakfast, and go back to sleep!
2. EAT EVERY 2 ... 3 HOURS ... This one is huge! Not only do our guys have to eat every 2-3 hours just to take in all the calories they need during the course of the day, but by doing so, they will avoid the fluctuations in blood sugar levels that result in the "crash" that will reduce their energy levels and ability to perform at a high level.
3. MANAGE YOUR TIME ... Like I mentioned earlier, these guys have busy schedules, but making time to prepare meals and snacks is important. Cooking big meals 2 or 3 nights a week and making enough to have portions left over is one way to maintain a full refrigerator! Since it is tough for some of our guys to wake up and eat breakfast before class/practice/ lifting, making sandwiches or packing snacks for the next day the night before may be another method to ensure that their caloric needs are being met.
4. CUT THE EMPTY CALORIES ... Just because guys are trying to gain wait, doesn't mean they have a free pass to McDonalds, Pizza Hut, etc... Not all calories are created equally! Fast food, soda, candy, and heavily processed foods are usually high in fat and not nutrient-dense. The sooner our guys realize that there is a direct correlation between what they put in their bodies and on-court performance; they will continue to work on improving their nutrition.
For most of our weight-gain guys, it simply comes down to eating more. We need them to eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner, snack throughout the day, and consume their post-workout recovery shake. At Colorado State, we take time to educate our guys not only on what and where to eat, but WHY they should eat this way.
