If you want to LOOK like you know your way around a gym, you are probably going to need to gain some weight at some point in your training career.
But how much weight do you need to gain? What will YOU need to weigh before you actually LOOK like you work out.
Here is a good rule of thumb: Take your height in inches and multiply that by 3.
So if you are five foot eight (68 inches), you will need to weigh around 195 to really get that impressive look of power.
Do not take my word for it: Here are a couple examples.
George Eiferman won the Mr.
America contest in 1948.
He was five foot seven and his weight is listed at 195 pounds.
Of course, that is probably his contest weight so he may have weighed more on a regular day.
But as you can see, he clearly has the look of power.
Or how about Dick Dubois? He was listed at six foot one (73 inches) and 220 pounds - again right around 3 pounds per inch of vertical height.
And as you can see, he too had the look of power and strength.
Finally, let us not forget about John Grimek.
Grimek was a beast at 5′8 and 210 pounds.
He actually weighed as much as 250 pounds at one point but competed at 210 pounds.
And as you can see, he DEFINITELY looked like a guy who knows a thing or two about weight training.
So if you want to LOOK like a man of steel, then you may have to gain some weight.
Shoot for 3 pounds per inch of vertical height.