Today’s post is in response to an email I received about a young athlete interested in specific preparation for putting on weight. I recently really enjoyed an email from a friend and reader that I wanted to share with you as I’ll talk about my thoughts on the matter in today’s post:

QUESTION: “My son is going to be in 8th grade next year and is a football and lacrosse player.  He is concerned with his size as he is a twin and kind of skinny.  He wanted me to find out if you could suggest a HEALTHY way for him to put on muscle/weight.  I have always told players the peanut butter sandwich diet, but wanted you’re advice.  I have never used protein or anything like that and am not sure what to even suggest for him.

Could you give me some suggestions on what he could be doing now so he is a little more prepared, size wise, for football this fall?”

ANSWER(S):

This is a common question for many kids, regardless of age. First I’d like to say that I think it’s special that a young man can ask his Dad for healthy advice on improving his strength, size and overall image!

Considering the son is probably 13/14 years old, there are physiological as well as  chronological considerations that will impact the fruits of labor here in one’s attempt to gain size. Puberty is a great time to harness valuable hormones, specifically testosterone, and take advantage of the potential gains to be made from nature’s gift. In retrospect, it’s difficult to make gains (in terms of mass) prior to puberty, even if you’re eating right.

The peanut butter sandwich idea does warrant some thought as it is a way to increase quality calories. And let’s be honest here, who doesn’t like peanut butter? In considering the PB Sandwich and including eating it within your regular diet, in this situation we are concerned with nutrition and satisfying caloric needs in attempt of gaining weight. Gaining weight almost certainly requires increasing caloric intake. And, in order to be sure we gain, the caloric intake has to be equal to more than what the caloric expenditure is.

The stars need to align for optimal efficiency. Age, genetics, body type (look into endomorph, ectomorph, mesomorph and hybrid), nutrition, consistency, exercise, strength training, sleep, stress, etc. Of these, we have to think about the ones we can control. We can control what we eat/drink. We can mostly control our sleep and how much or little we get. We can control our exercise–but this may not mean we completely control our individual energy consumption as everyone uses food/fuel differently and at different rates for the same activities. We can control strength training and to some degree, we can control stress either directly or indirectly through the various methods of the above mentioned–each of the those factors affect one’s stress level and how we deal with stress. How we deal with stress individually is another matter.

1) Caloric Intake: All calories are not created equal. There’s a great deal of calories in most fast food and restaurants. Most of these are not great. The best calories are selected from the grocery store, grown in your garden or from a local farmer. Quality foods at home help build endless meal and snack options–including peanut butter sandwiches.

2) Nutrient timing: This could be very complex for simplicity, we need to seek balance. Creating a caloric surplus typically requires eating more and eating frequently. Eating a generous breakfast must be the start as it sets up how your body will use the fuel you provide it throughout the day. Packing lunch and 2 snacks for school is wise as school lunch can’t compete with what you, Mom or Dad can make at home. Eating a balanced dinner is another great time to fuel up. Someone might select different meal sizes throughout the day based on their intended goals. In this case of weight gain interest, we’d look for dinner to be balanced with meats, plenty of vegetables, quality dairy and carbohydrates. A before bed snack consisting of natural or supplemented protein are a consideration. Consider casein proteins which take longer to digest, for late night snacks like the ones found in milk, cheese, yogurt. A glass of milk is a good start. Milk consists of about 20% whey–the faster absorbed protein, and 80% casein. Making milk a good choice since your body will take to digest this while you sleep, and even help you sleep. Consider protein powder supplements if lactose allergies are of concern.

3) Strength Training: Notice I didn’t title this as exercise as strength training can differ from exercise. With our goal of strength training we’re interested in grooving quality movement patterns using a variety of resistance–be creative but keep it safe. Plan a program that works with your schedule. If you’re not in a sport, 3-4 days a week would be good. 2 might be a little on the light side, and more than 4 might be on the excessive side.

For a great guideline on teen nutrition, I recommend checking out Teen Nutrition Blueprint. It’s an easy read and makes sense for young athletes and adults alike.

Please let me know what you think by leaving a comment.

-Hollister

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Hollister

Eat me!

One of the very best, and most complete proteins is the egg. There was a time when consumers were warned about eating eggs/their yolks for fear they would make you fat or that they had dangerous amounts of cholesterol and increased heart disease–all claims without conclusive evidence. Well, we now know eggs to be nearly the best, if not the best source of protein we can eat. This is important for athletes as eggs are cheap and easy to make and go with just about anything. Want more information on the egg? Check out Two eggs a day keep the doctor away.

On the go athletes need protein especially while in-season because we’re constantly creating micro trauma to muscles from the high demands of competitive sports, practices and strength training… not to mention the importance of protein for the success in the classroom. It’s not always easy to get the desired protein or always be able to eat the protein sources of choice. That’s why I believe there is a place for supplementation. Quality supplementation can be found if you do your research. Don’t worry, I’ve done the research for you with with my favorite protein for on the go convenience. Now, if you’re not concerned with the quality of the protein you’re ingesting, this protein is not for you. Then you’re better off buying the over hyped product at the big box nutrition center.

A well rounded “nutrition blueprint” is really what athletes should look into. Wait, my friend Jeff Cavaliere has put together a Teen Sports Nutrition Blueprint that takes away much of the guesswork.

The information is there my friend. It’s our job as coaches, athletes and parents to deliver.

Yes, you read that right, our young future is getting better 1 corn dog at a time… Or so our schools think so. I had the opportunity to pass by the school breakfast line while stopping to meet a coach this morning and I can’t say I was impressed with what was available for the kids to select from for breakfast. After watching Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution I have been on a kick about the foods most schools are feeding kids.

I really enjoy working with our youth and am fortunate enough to be able to spend some time each week to work teens and help them learn the importance of proper exercise and lifting patterns similar to those often used in nature and life. This means little to no machines, closed chain & ground based exercises and multiple compound movements with a high priority on correct posture integration. Some of the students I work with train early at 6:15 am before school. So, for the typical teen this means rolling out of bed with just enough time to throw clothes and shoes on and head out the door. Not saying they’re lazy, but sleep is at a premium and there are far too many factors that might dictate them not getting to bed early enough to allow for 7-9 hours of sleep… So they’ll soak up as much time as they can in the morning by staying in bed as long as possible.

Teens arrive to school half awake and sporting some sweet bed head hair styles and after some grumbling, we get to work. Workouts typically are 45 minutes and consist of performing dynamic warm-ups incorporating mobility, flexibility and activation. Followed by trunk and core exercises to strengthen and stabilize intricate musculature primarily responsible for good posture, injury reduction and ultimate power & force production in sport, life and weight-room. Then we’ll head to the weight room for about 25 minutes of various strength routines including but not limited to: deadlifting, various bi-lateral and uni-lateral squat patterns such as front squatting, back squatting, overhead squatting, etc., bench press, rowing, pull-ups, Band Training, etc. Once the session is complete, the guys/gals hit the showers and as long as they don’t spend too much time in front of the mirror, have time to eat some breakfast.

What’s on the menu? Cookies, water & sugar loaded imitation juice, flavored milk, corndogs (yeah for breakfast)… are just a few of the items. And to think, kids get up in the morning for training with me, then head to the cafeteria to fill up on foods severely lacking nutrition and loaded with sugars and hydrogenated fats. Can we blame the kids for eating this stuff? Maybe and maybe not. For one, it may be cheaper for families to eat school lunch, so what’s served at school is what they get. Do they have choices when it comes to what goes on their plate? I think so. Are we getting the right choices in front of the youth in the lunch lines? More often than not, no we’re not. If there were better choices, maybe kids would chose better fuels to nourish themselves with.

Many fitness professionals claim to have impeccable diets. Not me. While I generally stick to a balanced diet and mostly eat at home where I am in control of what I’m eating, my diet is pretty good. I too relinquish to my inner beast now and again, I digress. But, the 90% rule (eat well 90% of the time, allow for %10 reward/cheat foods) is what allows me to squeak in a little of some of the bitter sweet foods of life.

Trash the corn-dog. A snack like this can be made for work or for the locker.

So, what can we do? Much of what kids learn is from their parents. This means better choices at home encourage better choices away from home. Cook, bake or mix up nutritious meals at home for yourself or for family. Rely less on the microwave, take more time to treat yourself to cooking. On a budget? Brown rice, eggs, tuna, fresh vegetables are all available for reasonable prices and provide excellent nutrition. Resources like Teen Sports Nutrition Blueprint make it easier to identify healthy habits and establish a great baseline for parents and teens. I love my copy and highly suggest reading it. Easy snacks for work or the locker like sliced apples, a banana, nuts–cashews, almonds, peanuts, etc. Adding some dried fruits like raisins or cranberries mix well.

Reality is, options are there and we’re ultimately in charge of what we eat. Foods and nutrition classes should be a bigger part of curriculum in primary and secondary education–maybe we’d better understand the importance of the foods that fuel. Life’s full of choices. Food is one of the most important choices we can make for quality of life, disease resistance and sport/classroom/work performance. Pack a lunch, feel better about yourself and your kids.

Get your hands on 1 or 2 of my most trusted fitness, sport training, items: BANDS, Teen Sports Nutrition Blueprint

I’m interested in what you have to say. Drop a comment. Let’s tackle this together!