GAIN MUSCLE BODYWEIGHT FAST

A New Weight Gaining Drink & Special Workout Routine

By Wayne Gallasch

Several months ago I was feeling stale after training for about 12 months on the Peripheral Heart System (PHA) system.  I decided to take a four-week layoff and then change my training and diet in order to gain weight quickly.  When weight is gained quickly, there is a tendency for a certain proportion to be fat, and I aim to keep this percentage to a minimum by the use of my special drink.  One of the reasons I like to gain weight quickly is that it gives a greater sense of achievement and of course, also allows more time for training down before the next competition.

      After four weeks layoff my weight had dropped from its usual 182 pounds to 170.  During the next 6 weeks I increased my weight to 200lbs., a gain of 30 lbs. In 42 days.  I was amazed at the result of the experiment as I am only 5'6" and medium boned, having 7" wrists.  Naturally I got plenty of rest, between 8 and 9 hours sleep each night, and cut other activities to a minimum.  I still ran 4 to 5 miles 3 times per week and this did not hinder my programme, and in fact my improved endurance enabled me to train harder in the gym.

      As I feel that the diet I followed was of greater importance than the exercises used, I will cover the nutrition angle first.

DIET

      The "secret" to my success lay in liquid nutrition, and my whole diet was built around a special drink of the type featured in this magazine many times before.

      I usually drank 2 quarts (or a little less) of my special drink each day, plus at least a quart of water, but no milk was used except at breakfast with my wheat germ.  This special drink provided approximately 300 grams per day of complete protein, apart from the protein I obtained from my meals.  However, it is possible to consume more protein than needed, and this would partly be excreted and partly stored in (and on) the body as fat.  Unfortunately this fat cannot be converted back to protein.

      My meals were simple and high in protein, and included raw wheat germ, yoghurt, fresh fruit, honey, wheat meal bread, fish, steak, chicken, vegetables, nuts, eggs and diabetic (sugarless) ice cream.

      As it is obviously going to cost you money to bulk up, it is a good idea to take advantage of the economy of bulk purchases.  Such things as skim milk powder, honey, safflower oil, protein and brewers yeast powder can all be bought in bulk at considerable saving, and any excess can be split up with your training partners.  It was not easy to find sources of supply for buying bulk quantities, but a lot of letter writing and inquiry work certainly paid off.

      Unfortunately, many people making quick gains these days are accused of taking anabolics, but of course this is not necessarily so.

      The basic drink I used consisted of 8 main ingredients with several "optional extras".  Although protein powder dissolved in milk or water is a fine supplement, I feel that mixing several high quality proteins together is many times better and will give the best results.

      The keynote in mixing is quickness and exact quantities are irrelevant.  I measure out the various ingredients, as working by rough volume is much easier than working by weight.  The measure used is a normal sized teacup, with a cup full being roughly level with the top.  I also suggest that large quantities (at least 3 quarts) be mixed at a time, though smaller amounts using the same proportions could be mixed in a shaker.  As it is, I get tired of mixing up this drink almost every night, so the larger the quantity the better.  When prepared in bulk it is a good idea to store the pot in a refrigerator, as the drink tastes excellent when chilled.  The way I prepare my special drink is as follows: I use a 1/2 gallon pot (or similar container) for mixing the ingredients and find that a hand beater does the job, as none of the foods are hard to dissolve.  Mix the ingredients in the following order while adding cold water, as the mixture thickens, until about 7 pints of liquid is obtained.

 1) Natural honey (1/2 cup), 
2) vanilla flavouring. 
3) Safflower oil (1 cup). 
4) Ovaltine or MILO (11/2 cups) 
5) 3 eggs. 
6) Brewers Yeast Powder (1 cup). 
7) Protein Powder, Milk derived (2 cups). 
8) Skim Milk Powder (6 cups).

      Water is used instead of milk to keep down the fat content and also to keep down costs.  I occasionally add powdered egg white, fresh cream, ice cream, gelatine or malt.  This drink has a sweet, pleasant but very rich taste, and as it is quite thick it is best to follow with a mouthful of water to clear the mouth and throat.  This is a drink to top all drinks and I am sure it would put weight on a rake!  Some of the ingredients tend to separate out on standing, but a shake or stir before drinking soon rectifies that.

      Each morning I strain the liquid into my two 1-quart thermoses for consumption throughout the day.  Two quarts per day should be consumed, mostly between meals or after meals, so that the regular meals are not interfered with.  I use this drink every hour on the hour and even during workout, finishing the final 2 quarts prior to going to bed.  During a workout I find my energy level much higher as I have several mouthfuls every half hour as well as drinking water.  This does not upset me in any way, although I know many men who cannot drink any liquid during a workout.  In our warm South Australian climate where perspiration loss is heavy, I usually drink a quart of water during a hard workout.

      To round out my nutrition programme I include the following supplements derived from natural sources wherever possible; wheat germ oil, protein digestant, dolomite powder, Vitamin C, Vitamin A, Vitamin E, B1 and B2, Desiccated Liver, Kelp, Choline, inositol and pantothenic acid.

EXERCISE

      I used a 6-day per week split training routine with extra work on weak body parts on Sundays.  I alternate the sequence (PHA) and pump systems, always using the pump (split) system for bulking up, and then train down using PHA.  By training every day I found that I gained faster than if I had rest days.  This will naturally only hold true for a month or so, until the mind becomes stale and the body feels continually tired.  The routine I used was as follows, with certain exercises being substituted for each other, depending on how I felt.  This routine was especially designed to allow me to include power lifting as well as Olympic lifting movements.

  Calves and Abdominals - same as on previous day.

       On Sunday, extra work was done on forearms, calves, shoulders and abdominals, as well as extra running.  Note that parallel squats were mostly done in sets of 3-4 repetitions and front squats always to 15.  The bench press and dead lift were both worked up to limit singes once a week.  Most other exercises were done for 8 reps, increasing the weight whenever possible. (My biggest gain was 60 lbs. in the squat).

      This workout may be too long and comprehensive for many people wanting to gain weight, so please don't copy exactly what I did.  Before adapting this programme to your own needs, bear in mind these two points.  First, I wanted to quickly gain muscle weight (and strength) not flab, hence the high number of exercises performed and second, my body had been accustomed to daily training (or various types) for many years.  I also feel I have a food recuperative powers, aided by plenty of sleep each night.

      As long as you think big, eat big and get plenty of good liquid nutrition and train hard, you will get outstanding results from this programme.