Helping Athletes Gain Size & Strength the Right Way
One of the most common things I hear from athletes and parents is:
“He just can’t gain weight.”
Or…
“She works hard but struggles to get stronger.”
And honestly, this is extremely common in young athletes.
A lot of athletes are incredibly active between practices, games, workouts, PE classes, running around with friends, and just being kids. Their bodies are burning through a huge amount of calories every single day. So even though they may feel like they’re eating “a lot,” many times they’re still not eating enough to actually support muscle growth and strength development.
The good news?
This can absolutely be improved with the right approach.
At Build Performance, one of the things we focus heavily on is helping athletes not only become faster and more explosive, but also helping them build the physical foundation needed to perform at a higher level.
Because skill development matters.
But skill can only be expressed as well as the body allows.
If the strength foundation is limited… eventually the ceiling for speed, power, and athletic performance becomes limited too.
So how do we help athletes properly gain size and strength?
First: we need to consume more calories than the body is burning.
If an athlete’s body is using 2,000 calories per day through daily activity, training, sports, and normal growth, then they need to consistently consume MORE than that if we want muscle gain to occur.
Typically we want to do this slowly and strategically.
The goal is not simply “gain weight.”
The goal is to gain quality size and muscle while minimizing unnecessary body fat gain.
For many athletes, that may mean eating roughly 300–500 calories above maintenance consistently over time.
Second: prioritize protein intake.
Protein is the building block for muscle growth and recovery.
A lot of younger athletes drastically under-eat protein, especially athletes that are picky eaters or constantly on the go.
Protein sources could include:
Eggs
Chicken
Ground beef
Steak
Greek yogurt
Protein shakes
Milk
Cottage cheese
And lastly: carbohydrates are extremely important.
Carbs often get unfairly demonized, but for athletes they are one of the best tools we have.
Carbohydrates help:
Fuel practices
Fuel speed and strength training
Improve recovery
Support performance
Help athletes train harder and recover better
For active athletes, carbs are not the enemy.
They are fuel.
Things like:
Rice
Potatoes
Oatmeal
Pasta
Fruit
Bagels
Cereal
can all be great tools when used correctly.
Hydration is another huge piece that often gets overlooked.
If an athlete is constantly dehydrated, performance suffers. Recovery suffers. Energy levels suffer.
Especially during the summer months, hydration and electrolytes become extremely important.
So what might a sample day of eating look like for an athlete trying to gain size?
Breakfast:
Eggs, oatmeal, fruit, milk
Snack:
Protein shake and granola bar
Lunch:
Chicken, rice, fruit. Don’t be afraid to utilize sauces as needed to help increase calories and make meals easier to eat consistently.
Pre-workout:
PB&J sandwich, granola bar with honey, or rice cakes with peanut butter
Post-workout:
Protein shake and rice crispy treats or fruit
Dinner:
Ground beef, potatoes, vegetables
Evening snack:
Greek yogurt with granola
Simple. Consistent. Repeatable.
And honestly, that last part is the key.
Consistency.
Not eating huge amounts one day and barely eating the next.
Not skipping breakfast.
Not going all day without protein.
Just consistently fueling the body well over time.
Summer is honestly one of the BEST opportunities for athletes to make this kind of progress.
With school out, schedules become more flexible and athletes can finally get a consistent stretch of training, recovery, eating, and sleep.
This is the time where athletes can come back in August:
Bigger
Stronger
Faster
More confident
And that physical development can completely change how they perform when their next season arrives.
At Build Performance, our goal is to help athletes develop the complete foundation:
Strength
Speed
Power
Movement quality
Confidence
Because better athletes are BUILT over time.
— Coach Kyle
Build Performance
