Let’s cut to the chase. The little tricks I am about to show you can be used in two ways:

1. Help you gain weight if you’re having a hard time juggling a busy schedule.

2. To help you maintain the weight that you’ve worked hard to get.

And I get it, not everyone wants to get jacked, but you should realize that taking in “maintenance” calories will at least prevent you from atrophying (getting smaller). These little tricks are based on the fact that you KNOW how many calories you need to consume daily to gain quality mass… if you don’t, then these little tricks will elude you.

For those of you who want a crash course, then let me enlighten your ass. Gaining weight is simple, it just takes a lot of discipline. Here’s the easiest way… calculate how many calories you need to consume daily in order to maintain your weight, then toss about a 1000 on top of that. Most dudes who are active will usually need to consume 2000 – 2500 calories a day to maintain their weight, so to GAIN weight, 3000 – 3500 is a good bet. Some of you will need even more… test and see. Keep in mind that these calories consist of QUALITY foods… not Oh Henry bars and other bullshit.

Sneaky Trick #1: Olive Oil

Olive oil has heart-healthy fats and therefore I consider it “clean calories”. The fats in olive oil can also be easily used as energy by your body. You can use it while cooking all you want but here is my favorite technique >> SHOT GLASS! Don’t cringe you pussies, step up and toss one back. One 8oz shot of olive oil contains 300 awesome calories. Do this 2x a day and you’ve just added 600 calories to your daily intake. You may chase this with a protein shake, that’s what I do.

Sneaky Trick#2: Peanut Butter

If the olive oil thing is a little too extreme for you, then this is a tastier alternative. The only problem is that peanut butter is high in fibre so if you eat lots, you’ll feel “fuller” for longer. This is clearly a major problem since if you want to GAIN, you need to eat constantly. So the best way around it is to suck it up because one tablespoon of peanut butter usually has around 100 calories. Eat this 3x a day and BAM! 300 fucking calories just like that! Suddenly hitting 3000 a day isn’t so hard is it?

Sneaky Trick#3: Whey Protein

This trick is tried and true, therefore my list would be incomplete without the inclusion of some whey protein. It’s simple, have 2 whey protein shakes in-between your regular meals. If you have some weight gainer shake then it’s ever better since most “gainer” powders require 4 scoops per serving and on average they contain about 1000+ calories. Even if you just have ONE serving of weight gainers everyday, the extra 1000 calories will add up real quick.

My “premade” gainer of choice right now is QuickMass from Allmax nutrition. Gives you 1010 calories in one serving, tastes awesome and mixes really well. But if I have time, I’ll create my own mixture by heading over to trueprotein.com. It’s cheaper and better since I control what goes in my mixture.

Sneaky Trick #4: Fish Oil

I go through fish oil really quickly, and it has been one of the BEST supplements I’ve ever taken for building muscle and keeping me at 6% body fat. No joke. Studies have shown that daily consumption of fish oil increases fat oxidation so there is research behind my madness (go figure). Now, most people consume fish oil using gel capsules… this may be convenient but it’s retarded since you’ll need to swallow a shit load to get in effective dosages. Most gel caps max out at 1g.

1g a day, in my opinion is insignificant. I take 10g a day and the benefits are outstanding. On a side note, my joints have never felt better. I mean I power tumble, therefore I’ve had PLENTY of ankle/knee pains from wiping out or landing in a retarded fashion, so take it from me… fish oil is the shit! Women might want to stick to 5g a day though.

Sneaky Trick #5: Creatine Monohydrate

This supplement has been proven and tested so many times that it would be downright idiotic for me to leave it out. Forget about all the other “fancy” bullshit. Creatine Monohydrate is the most effective type of creatine you can buy as far as price/performance is concerned. It outperforms CEE which also happens to be more expensive. On the other hand, if you just consider performance, then Kre-Alkaline (Purple K) is better, but it’s also more expensive, so in my opinion it comes in a close second in relation to monohydrate.

Monohydrate has to be cycled for maximum efficiency. Remember, just like your training, taking it ALL the time will turn out to be in-effective and put undue stress on your liver & kidneys. Be smart about it, follow the instructions on the label of the product you bought and you shall be rewarded. Kre-Alkaline on the other hand doesn’t need to be cycled but like I said… you’ll pay a bit more for that convenience. Decisions, decisions…

When Sneaky Tricks Become Stupid Tricks

I just gave you 5 bullet-proof little tricks that will either keep your finely sculpted body the way it is, or increase it’s mass to something significant. But I want you to keep something in mind… these tricks DO NOT WORK if your base consumption of food is fucked up. If you are eating pop tarts for breakfast and taking shots of olive oil to meet your daily intake needs then there is something very wrong with you.

These tricks are meant to take you over the top. They are the icing on the cake. The appetizer to your main meal… so don’t treat them like the end-all-be-all.

- FitJerk

Also, be sure to check out the brand new Social Fitness Site called Fitmarker!

Discuss: Do you have any little tricks & tactics that you use to keep your calorie count up to par? If so, post em!