What’s the trick to bulking and gaining quality mass?

Losing weight gets a lot of attention, but the fun is coming up with a plan to GAIN muscle and quality SIZE. If you're naturally on the leaner side, it can be especially difficult to gain and keep healthy weight on your body. If this sounds like you and you're willing to put in the extra work in the gym and the kitchen, keep reading for our top 7 MASS gaining tips for hard-gainers. 

 To gain one pound per week healthily and steadily, you will need to adjust your caloric intake by 500 calories per day. In order to do this, however, you must first ensure you’re consuming enough calories to meet your body’s needs.

You can figure out your basal metabolic rate (BMR) to see how many calories your body burns at rest each day. It. To calculate your BMR, use an online BMR calculator or the widely used Mifflin-St. Jeor equation:

• Males: 10 × weight (in kilograms) + 6.25 × height (in centimeters) – 5 × age (in years) + 5

• Females: 10 × weight (in kilograms) + 6.25 × height (in centimeters) – 5 × age (in years) – 161

This number helps you know how many calories you need to consume to go beyond what your body requires for "maintenance.” Once you have your calories calculated follow these 7 steps to add healthy muscle building calories, improve recovery and retain mass. 

1. Stay away from fast food/empty calories.

While fast food is in fact high in caloric density, it tends to lack in essential nutrients and vitamins. Consuming highly-processed foods that are high in saturated fat and sugar can disrupt your digestion, increase your visceral fat, and lead to heart disease. Prioritize whole foods in order to maintain healthy digestion, allowing your body to better absorb the calories you intake.

2. Add snacks between meals or increase meal frequency.

Introduce snacks between meals or increase meal frequency to keep your body consistently fueled. While timing matters, overall daily or more specifically, your weekly caloric intake is key. Eating more frequently can be a smart strategy to increase your calories without having to eat massive meals. Aim for nutrient dense, balanced snacks like Greek yogurt topped with honey, granola, and fruit or calorie dense smoothies with your choice of fruit, nut butters for extra calories and fats, milk, or supplements like protein powder.

3. Sneak calories into meals you’re already consuming. 

Get creative with your meals by adding in calorically dense ingredients. Just like sneaking veggies into a kid's meal, you can sneak in extra calories without feeling like you're overhauling your diet. It's all about those sneaky, nutrient-dense fillers. Add oatmeal or peanut butter to your shakes, mix in nutrient dense greek yogurt to your sauces and dressings, and add healthy sources of fats like avocado as a topping and olive oil when sauteeing and cooking.This can easily add several hundred calories a day without realizing it.

4. Eat more protein.

 Prioritize protein to not only gain weight but to gain muscle. Increase your protein intake by opting for larger portions of protein-rich foods, such as upgrading from your usual 4 ounces to a hearty 6-8 ounces of chicken in your meal. Don't hesitate to incorporate protein powders for a convenient boost, but ensure it is from a high-quality third party tested source, like Titan Nutrition’s Whey™.

5. Don’t neglect sleep!

Regenerative sleep serves as the cornerstone for a well-functioning metabolism. It goes beyond just resting; it actively restores essential bodily functions, ensuring optimal hormonal balance and sustained energy levels.

6. Lift HEAVY.

Hit the weights to stimulate muscle protein synthesis and increase hunger levels. Resistance training isn't just about building muscle; it actively contributes to effective weight management by promoting a healthy appetite.

7. Add a quality weight gainer to your day. 

Incorporating a high calorie, high quality source of nutrients in a mass gainer shake can be one of the easiest ways to pack on healthy pounds.

Titan Hero is packed with 30 grams per serving of quality Titan Nutrition Whey which features low-temperature processed whey protein concentrates, cross-flow microfiltration whey protein isolates, and milk protein isolates. Unlike most of the gainers on the market, Titan Hero is packed with vitamins and minerals so you can rest assured knowing that you are giving your body high-quality calories to build muscle. Hero contains wholesome complex carbs from natural maltodextrin and our Farm2Carb™ formula made from sweet potatoes and wild yams. Simply eating more calories is not the same as digesting them. To maximize nutrient assimilation and absorption, Hero has been enhanced with digestive enzymes.

While supplementing with Hero can increase your daily calorie intake significantly, it is still essential to get the majority of your calories from whole food meals. We recommend taking one half serving in the morning right after breakfast and the second half serving in the evening after your last meal. This simple plan effectively adds 770 calories per day to your diet!

Above all, be patient! The goal is quality mass and that takes time. Keep it steady and stay disciplined with your diet. You’ll have to eat when you're not hungry, make it your job and get those calories in!