Rashad Devoe

I hear everyday from athletes " I want to gain weight" but they do not know how the first thing about gaining weight. It is not just working out, nutrition is important and knowing your BMR.

As an athlete you must eat at least 5 times per day. 3 meals and 2 snacks The first thing you must do is determine how many calories you need so you can create a proper nutritional plan.

We do this by obtaining your (BMR) Basal Metabolic Rate; this will help you determine how many calories you will need each day to gain weight.

How do you determine your BMR?

Women: BMR = 655+( 4.35 x weight in pounds ) + ( 4.7 x height in inches ) -( 4.7 x age in years )

Men: BMR = 66 + ( 6.23 x weight in pounds ) + ( 12.7 x height in inches ) - ( 6.8 x age in year )

Example 6ft male athlete that weighs 170lbs and is 18 years old BMR = 66 + (6.23 x 170) + (12.7 x 72) -- (6.8 x 18) = 1917.1

His body burns 1917.1 calories everyday.

So that means he must take in 1917.1 calories to maintain his weight

Now if you are an athlete you must use the Harris Benedict Equation which in essence takes into account your activity level and how many calories you expend because you are active

Harris Benedict Formula To determine your total daily calorie needs, multiply your BMR by the appropriate activity factor

If you are sedentary (little or no exercise) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.2

If you are lightly active (light exercise/sports 1-3 days/week) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.375

If you are moderatetely active (moderate exercise/sports 3-5 days/week) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.55

If you are very active (hard exercise/sports 6-7 days a week) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.725 If you are extra active (very hard exercise/sports & physical job or 2x training) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.9

So if you play a sport or workout 6-7days a week you multiply your BMR x1.725 1917.1 x 1.725 = 3306.9 Calories Burned

Now in order to gain 1 pound you must consume 3,500 calories more,that means if you want to gain 1 extra pound in a day you would have to consume 6806 calories in a day.

Now that is a lot and we do not think that jumping from barely eating 3,000 calories to 6,000 a day is a good idea but you can do some simple things like adding 500 extra calories a day for a week or two.

Then start to add an extra 500 on top of that every two weeks until you get to the weight you want.

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