Tactical Fitness Report with Stew Smith Podcast · Stew Smith

TFR 248 - Nutrition for the Hard Gainer with Nick Barringer PhD Nutrition / Dietitian

June 29, 2025·44 min·2 clips

Nick Barringer says a 100-to-500-calorie surplus is enough, and 300 calories is a practical starting point.

1. Tactical Fitness Report with Stew Smith focuses on nutrition for the hard gainer with Nick Barringer PhD Nutrition. 2. Stu Smith hosts the episode, and Nick Barringer is a PhD in nutrition, a retired lieutenant colonel in the Army, and a teacher at Lionel University. 3. The episode asks what a hard gainer is and how an athlete can add lean mass without wrecking performance. 4. Barringer says hard gainers are usually young, highly active people who spend energy on training, sports, and constant movement. 5. He points to fidgeting, foot tapping, and high activity as extra calorie costs that make weight gain difficult. 6. Smith adds that some teens and young adults are still growing, so calories also go toward bones and soft tissue. 7. Barringer estimates that some hard gainers may need more than 3,500, 4,000, or even 5,000 calories depending on size. 8. Smith describes his son growing seven inches in eighth grade and staying around 140 pounds at 6-foot-2. 9. Barringer and Smith describe using milkshakes, Carnation Instant Breakfast, peanut butter, banana, and milk to add calories. 10. Barringer says the research supports an energy surplus more than simply pushing protein higher. 11. He explains that too much protein without enough carbohydrates can be used for energy through deamination and gluconeogenesis. 12. Barringer says the goal is to let protein support anabolic processes and muscle tissue instead of becoming glucose. 13. Smith says his son gained from 6-foot-2, 140 pounds to 6-foot-1, 195 pounds by senior year of high school. 14. Barringer recommends a surplus of about 100 to 500 calories per day, with 300 calories as a practical starting point. 15. He warns against dirty bulking on donuts, pizza, and other random calories because the weight gain may not be useful. 16. Barringer says bodyweight, TDEE, and BMR should be tracked so calorie targets can be adjusted upward as mass increases. 17. The tone is practical, conversational, and rooted in examples from Smith's own family and training background. 18. The format is an interview with back-and-forth coaching questions, nutrition explanations, and specific application to athletes. 19. Best for athletes, military candidates, and hard gainers who need lean mass. 20. Skip if you want general diet talk without training-specific calorie targets.

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