Preparation.
If I had to sum this entire post up in one word, that would be it.
When it comes to gaining weight, for many baseball players this is already hard enough due to their schedule, amount of activity they participate in, school, work, genetics – or some combination of the above.
But, when you’re prepared nothing can stand in your way. When you have simple strategies to get enough calories, protein, carbohydrates, and healthy fats in – you can be much more consistent with the process, and it is consistency that will ultimately bring you your weight gaining goals.
Nobody ever gained 10lbs in a week, this stuff takes time and hard work. Unless you create strategies simple enough to maintain for months on end, you won’t be able to reap the rewards of new muscle and strength as you will continuously be spinning your tires in the mud going “all-in” and then “all-out” shortly after.
Preparation isn’t just about creating a plan, that’s the easy part.
Preparation is about creating a plan that results in seamless action-taking by forming new habits in your everyday life. Most people overestimate how hard it is to prepare and change habits, and then underestimate how long the process takes. There’s a happy middle in there somewhere, and it’s different for everyone.
When it comes to gaining weight, you have to listen to good ol’ Yoda:
“Try? There is no try; there is only do and do not.”
If you haven’t already, sometime after reading this blog you might want to check out my previous weight gaining blog on this same topic for more information and strategies. But for now, you’re going to stick with me as I teach you techniques that you can use to add mass in a simple and effective way.
What You’re Going to Need
Before diving into the weight gaining strategy, it won’t be very useful unless you have the tools available to you in order to make this happen. Yes, I am being bossy, and I want you to go purchase these items – they will serve you for years to come in your baseball performance and body composition goals. I promise they’ll make your life a whole lot easier.
#1: A Countertop Grill
Ensure you get one with a nice and big surface area because if you do you can cook all your meat for the day in one simple 10-minute process.
#2: Five Large Tupperware Containers
The containers should be airtight and will be used to store your pre-made food. You will be “batch cooking” the standard weight gaining and healthy foods such as rice, quinoa, yams, meats, fruits, vegetables, etc. These containers will be in your fridge and will hold all your pre-made food.
#3: Five Small Tupperware Containers
The containers should be airtight and will be used to store the pre-made meals that you will be carrying with you each day to work, school, or the baseball diamond. We do this so you’re always prepared, it’s ideal to package all your meals unless you know for sure you will be eating elsewhere. This way if you get stuck somewhere, you’re not relying on fast food or food from a machine.
#4: Four Shaker Bottles
Ideally, these shaker bottles would be 1L in size each and have one of the good lids on top, so no leakage happens (that’s the worst). We will be using these to put our powders in (carb powder, creatine, protein powder, etc) and also to put water in when on the go.
#5: One Big Lunch Box
This should be big enough to store all your meals for the day plus a few of the shaker bottles. Keep this nearby so you always have access to your meals and workout nutrition.
#6: A Cellphone
I’m going to assume you already have a cellphone with an alarm – if not, a watch works fine as well. All we want here is for you to set an alarm timer for the specific times of the day you want to eat – ideally this would be every 2-3 hours.
Baseball Weight Gain Action Plan
Once you have all of these items in your possession, you’re now ready to perform the baseball athletes weight gaining ritual.
If you do exactly as I say, I can guarantee you weight gain with only 30-minutes per day of preparation (or even less once you get the hang of it) – that’s a deal any baseball player should get excited about.
Once your preparation period is over, all you have to do is sit down, eat breakfast like a king, and carry on with your day. Here’s what you’re going to do:
Step 1: Wake up and get out of bed.
Step 2: Place a skillet on a heating element, spray the skillet with some cooking spray, pour in 12 egg whites and some chopped vegetables.
Step 3: While your eggs and vegetables are cooking, throw one 8oz burger and two chicken sausage links on the countertop grill.
Step 4: While everything is cooking, open three of your containers and throw some spinach, carrots, and cashews in each one to make a nice salad.
Step 5: At this point, flip your egg white omelet over and place one slice of cheese on top.
Step 6: Place your creatine, carbohydrate powder, and protein powder in each of your three shaker bottles for the day (no water necessary, only add when it’s time to train or go to baseball).
Step 7: Put 1 cup of full-fat yogurt in your two additional containers, also add one scoop of protein powder to each one of these yogurt servings and stir until mixed thoroughly.
Step 8: Take the burger and chicken sausages off the grill, place in them in the containers with the spinach salads (4oz of burger in one container, 4oz burger in another container, and both chicken sausages in the last container).
Step 9: Place 1 cup of rice (or) 1 sweet potato in the burger and chicken sausage meals.
Step 10: At this point, place all of your containers in your lunch box and add any condiments you would like. Additionally, throw in 1-2 pieces of fruit for good measure.
Step 11: Enjoy breakfast and enjoy the feeling of being fully prepared and knowing you’re going to be successful, instead of just winging it.
Here’s What You Just Created…
Meal 1: 12 egg white omelet with chopped vegetables and cheese.
Meal 2: 1 cup of full-fat yogurt with 1 scoop of protein powder stirred in.
Meal 3: 2 chicken sausage links with a spinach salad and 1 cup of rice.
Meal 4: Pre-workout supplement shaker mix.
Meal 5: Intra-workout supplement shaker mix.
Meal 6: Post-workout supplement shaker mix.
Meal 7: 1 cup of full-fat yogurt with 1 scoop of protein powder stirred in plus 1 piece of fruit.
Meal 8: 4oz burger patty with a spinach salad, 1 cup of rice, and 1 piece of fruit.
Meal 9: 4oz burger patty with a spinach salad, 1 sweet potato, and 1 piece of fruit.
Grand total: 4,600 calorie day! All in 30 minutes or less of preparation time.
Conclusion
Of course, the above meal plan is just an example and is not a “one size fits all” strategy for everyone, but it goes to show you what’s possible in such a short time frame and how easily you can get started today on building some solid muscle mass.
4,600 calories is a lot of food – very few baseball players will ever need more than this to accomplish what they need to accomplish, even when training twice per day.
Lastly, you don’t need to do this in the morning – if it works better for your schedule to do this preparation period before bed so that you’re prepared for the next day, you can do that too.
I hope this article helped shed some light on what you can do immediately to start gaining weight and has provided you with a real strategy for gains. Enjoy, and stay hungry – and if you’re ready check out our full baseball training programs and get started with a professionally designed baseball program to follow!