Power improves hitting, throwing, jumping and sprinting. All of which increases a baseball player’s performance on the field. The desire to develop more power often means gaining weight, especially through muscle. So, with the desire to increase performance, how can baseball players gain weight?
A teenage baseball player can gain weight by adding 300-500 calories to their baseline calorie needs. These additional calories should come from mostly nutrient dense foods rather than foods high in sugar or saturated fats. Eating more frequently also helps with meeting higher food intake needs and athletes often benefit from eating three meals with two to three snacks. Continued training, especially resistance training, will help ensure the weight gain comes as muscle.
There is a lot more to unpack about what kind of eating pattern supports healthy weight gain. Continue reading to learn the best way to achieve weight gain goals through nutrition.
Tips for Gaining Healthy Weight for Baseball
- Choose nutrient dense foods for additional calories
To gain weight, teenage athletes must eat more calories than what they burn during the day. However, the body also needs a certain amount of each nutrient to maximize training, growth and overall health. Eating mostly low nutrient foods such as desserts and ultra-processed foods may lead to the desired weight gain, but may also decrease athletic ability and health.
Choosing mostly nutrient dense foods will help a baseball player reach recommended levels of nutrients. These foods include fruit, vegetables, whole grains, unsweetened dairy products, lean meat or poultry, seafood, legumes (beans, lentils, soy), nuts, eggs and plant oils.
- Make a balanced meal pattern
Most teenagers understand eating cheeseburgers and fries every meal does not lead to healthy weight gain. However, salads and green smoothies will not effectively support an athlete’s weight gain goals either.
An athlete hoping to gain weight and increase performance should eat a balance of nutrients. Athletes need carbohydrates for energy, protein for tissue maintenance and growth and fat for energy and healthy organs.
Making half the plate fruits and vegetables with a quarter grain and a quarter protein will help meet these needs. Avoid restricting an entire nutrient or food group as this practice will result in poor health outcomes.
- Eat frequently
Eating too few meals and snacks make it harder for a baseball player to eat enough for weight gain. Eating three meals and two or three snacks will allow an athlete to eat more without feeling uncomfortably full.
Also, eating every 2-4 hours provides the opportunity for an athlete to maximize use of protein for tissue maintenance, repair and building. The body can only use 15-30g protein every 3-4 hours. The body uses excess protein for energy instead of growth. This reason is why eating moderate amounts of protein with meals and snacks will benefit the athlete more than one large protein shake.
- Include healthy fats
Dietary fat provides nine calories per gram of fat while carbohydrates and protein only provide four calories. Adding more fat to meals and snacks makes it a little easier for baseball players to eat enough calories for weight gain.
Certain fats, called unsaturated fats, offer more health benefits than others. These fats can improve brain, heart and cell health. Plant oils, seafood, nuts, seeds, avocados and olives are all great sources of unsaturated fats.
Saturated fats found in butter, packaged snacks, meat, dairy, etc. can still be a part of a healthy diet when eaten in moderation. Trans fats in fried foods and ultra-processed foods should be limited as much as possible.
- Don’t forget about the importance of sleep
According to the sleep foundation, “the sleep stage (is) where the body releases growth hormone and gets to work repairing muscles, building bones, and managing energy stores.” A lack of sleep can seriously hinder an athlete’s muscle growth as well as their performance.
https://www.sleepfoundation.org/teens-and-sleep/student-athletes-sleep-time
Experts recommend 8-10 hours of sleep for adolescents, with student athletes often needing more hours than the average teenager. While training, games and busy schedules may tempt baseball players to skip sleep, they should prioritize these hours as an essential building block to reaching performance goals.
- Keep training
Training, especially resistance training, allows the body to use the extra calories and nutrients to build muscle and improve performance. A lack of exercise during periods of excess calories will lead to weight gain that hinders performance.
Resistance training under the guidance of an expert causes tears in muscle fibers. The body then uses the extra calories to rebuild muscle tissue bigger and stronger. Aerobic exercise like running, will improve fitness and heart health, but too much can make it harder to gain weight and muscle mass. During times where a teenager strives to gain weight, they should include consistent resistance workouts and appropriate amounts of aerobic exercise.
Teenagers should seek guidance from an expert, particularly if new to weight lifting. Improper form or techniques may cause injury or impede progress.
Does Meal or Snack Timing Matter for Muscle Growth?
If a baseball player cannot eat right after a workout or exercises in a fasted state early in the morning, will this negate their training efforts? The answer is a bit longer than a simple yes or no.
Most athletes understand the importance of adequate nutrition throughout training. However, the specifics regarding the timing of meals and snacks are a little less clear. Athletes want to avoid upset stomachs but also want to eat enough for optimal performance and recovery.
Thankfully the body does not concern itself with exact timing of nutrient intake. Rather, the main concern of the body centers on availability of nutrients for necessary fueling, maintenance, recovery.
Therefore, if a teenager works out in a fasted state, the post-snack or meal should be eaten sooner. A teenager who eats well before a workout will still want a post-workout snack but may not need to worry as much about eating it immediately after.
In general, if athletes are able to eat before a training or game, they can consume a balanced meal of carbohydrates, protein and some fat 3-4 hours before the game. In order to avoid stomach distress, snacks 1-3 hours before the game should avoid fat, fiber and other foods that trigger gut discomfort. These snacks should emphasize carbohydrate with some protein. Any snack eaten less than one hour before game time should contain mostly easy to consume carbohydrates.
Post- workout fuel helps replenish lost energy and provides materials for repair and growth. This snack or meal should contain mostly carbohydrate and moderate protein. Athletes should also re-hydrate completely with 16-25 ounces fluid for every pound of water lost.
In a fasted state, a teenager should eat in the thirty minutes following exercise. If unable to eat a meal, athletes should grab a quick snack such as chocolate milk or a banana and peanut butter. They can then eat a more substantial snack or meal a little later.
Those who ate well prior to a workout should still refuel but can be a little more relaxed with timing. Generally, they should eat a meal within 30-120 minutes post workout.
How to Gain Weight if a Teenager Already Struggles to Eat Enough?
Eating too much at one time can lead to a distended stomach, heartburn or other uncomfortable feelings. A baseball player who finds it difficult to eat enough for weight gain without experiencing these uncomfortable symptoms may want to increase frequency of eating smaller amounts.
Athletes struggling to gain desired weight may also find the practice of “power packing” food helpful. This technique involves increasing calories of eating occasions without adding a lot of bulk or quantity of food.
The following list provides examples of power packing:
- Add sauces, dressings or gravies to meals.
- Instead of snacking on plain vegetables, eat them with ranch or hummus
- Cook foods in oil or butter.
- Add some olive oil to the water when you boil noodles. Roast your vegetables in oil instead of steaming them
- Add nuts or nut butters to foods
- Spread some almond butter on toast or peanut butter on an apple
- Use cheese to flavor dishes
- Add cheese to your sandwich or mix in cottage cheese with your scrambled eggs
- Swap out water with milk/dried milk
- Swap out the water for milk when you make a bowl of oatmeal
Find more ideas about power packing at: https://intermountainhealthcare.org/ckr-ext/Dcmnt?ncid=520681019
Should a Teenage Athlete Use Supplements for Weight Gain?
Weight gain as a teenage athlete should not require the use of supplements. In fact, most health experts and licensed professionals strongly discourage supplement use during adolescent years.
An athlete who focuses on eating a balanced and nutrient rich eating pattern, consumes enough calories, trains well and maintains good sleep habits will see healthy weight gain.
Supplements target adult populations and often contain inaccurate claims, excessive amounts of nutrients or even harmful contaminants. Due to poor regulation, those who choose to use supplements should seek professional guidance on safe products.
Refer to this post for more information about using supplements as a teenage athlete: Best Supplements for Teenage Athletes
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