During my sophomore year in High School I was 6’3″ and 155 lbs. My sophomore year in college I reached 6’5″ and weighed 207 lbs. I did this simply by writing down a goal and letting it occupy my mind every day.

Many people complain that they can’t gain weight or get bigger. I will bet you that most of those people have neglected to set goals. And not only neglected set them but to write them down! Unwritten goals are only dreams to be forgotten.

The best investment I have made, in my efforts to gain weight and get bigger, was not a gym membership, weight gainer or pre-workout drink. It was a white board. All through college my most important goals were written on a dry erase white board hanging in my bedroom. Every morning when I woke up I was reminded of the goals I had made. When I left for school or work my day was centered around how I could reach my goals.

Gain Weight 1 Pound At a Time

Michael Cannon, a professor at BYU-Idaho, once mentioned goal setting in a lecture to a group of communications students. He spoke about how the peak of our creativity comes when we are close to the end of a deadline. Our best work comes when we are under the pressure of a time constraint. I never forgot this concept and have used it for projects at work and working out.
How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time… Pun Intended. Don’t get frustrated if your goal seems unreachable. Instead, set smaller goals that lead up to your ultimate goal. Successful body builders only gain about 10 pounds every year. But that is 10 pounds of lean muscle. And once that muscle is gained it stays with you.
If you are skinny and want to gain weight remember that it is going to be hard earned. You will have to work for it 1 pound at a time. Set small goals and focus on them. Before you know it you will not only reach your overall target but maybe even pass it up!

Support Group

A group of people where I work started a “Get Big Support Group”. We put all of our individual goals on the board. Every day we report on the previous days accomplishments. My overall weight goal and daily goals are written on this board. Letting down the group is not an option in my mind and that will keep me in the gym every day.

Competitive Motivation

It’s hard to do anything alone. People need motivation from their peers. Whenever I had a roommate in college who was bigger than me he became my motivation to work out every day. The competition helped keep me in the gym. When I got bigger than one guy I would find another who was even bigger. When I got bigger than him I would find another… You get the idea.

Remember, set a goal, write it down, get a support group and find what motivates you.