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Much of what you see and hear regarding health and fitness these days revolves around burning fat, getting lean, slimming down or losing weight but there are a lot of us out here looking to build muscle, to get bigger and stronger. For some people packing on the pounds is more difficult them melting them away, if you happen to be among this group here are 8 simple things you can do to help you gain more weight.

Let's start with the not so obvious:

1. Start keeping a food journal.

It's important before you begin any drastic change in your diet to get a good feel for what you're consuming already. Jot down everything that you're eating during a normal day and when you're eating it. This way you can find out exactly how many calories it takes to maintain your current weight and you can figure out where and when you are going to add your extra meals to allow you the excess of calories that will stimulate the weight gain.

Since you're going to be logging your food intake, it should be easy for you to log your workouts as well.

Don't just write down the exercises, the weights and the reps; write down how you feel while performing your workout, if you're rundown part the way through then maybe you need to add a pre-workout meal. Keeping track of how your workouts feel could potentially tell you what adjustments need to be made to your current diet.

2. Skip the cardio.

You're trying to gain weight here, not lose it. I'm sure that there are a few people out there who can add lean muscle while burning excess body fat at the same time, but odds are that you're not one of them. When adding bulk you probably will add a few extra pounds of body fat. If you're desperate for bigger muscles and six pack abs you'll most likely have to do it in separate phases. Concentrate on gaining the weight now, then once you reach you're target you can adjust your calorie intake and the look of your workouts to burn away excess fat. Trying to do the cardio now will only hurt the chances of you bulking up.

3. Get plenty of rest.

Many people underestimate the value of a good nights sleep. You're muscles recover while you're body is at rest, if you don't get an appropriate amount of sleep you run the risk of jeopardizing the results of your workout or even end up overtraining. If you simply can't get at least eight hours at night for what ever reason, try to sneak a nap in during the day ' rest is rest and to add size you're going to need it.

4. Workout smart and hard.

The best way to add muscle without burning too many calories is to perform compound exercises that hit several muscle groups at once. Heavy squats, deadlifts, bench press and power cleans will work just about every muscle in your body, and they'll work all those muscles quickly. Performing these basic power building movements will let you shorten the length of your workout, while at the same time upping the intensity. During a weight gain phase you shouldn't be wasting your time doing set after set of concentration curls and calf raises(burning unnecessary calories while doing little to stimulate growth) you should be shocking your muscles into growth with heavy power movements and then loading up on protein.

5. Avoid skipping meals.

Aside from keeping you from getting the necessary calories you need to pack on lean body mass, skipping meals can wreak havoc with your metabolism. Even if you've got to drink a protein shake and eat a banana in the car or on the bus, do it. You're results could be seriously affected if you get in the habit of skipping meals.

6. Increase your intake in terms of quality, not just quantity.

Sure you'll be able to gain weight if you eat boxes of doughnuts and bags of cookies, but it won't be the kind of weight gain you're looking for. If you've got a lightening fast metabolism some indulgences are okay - like ice cream, whole milk and cheeses: which are all high in calories and fat but have a good deal of protein as well, but for the most part you'll want to cut back on or eliminate the empty calories and load up on lean sources of protein. Of course you can't have a diet consisting entirely of protein, you'll still need a balance of vegetables, carbohydrates and fats, but having one good lean source of protein with every meal will add necessary high quality calories and give your muscles the building blocks that they need to grow.

7. Throw in some supplements.

Meal replacement drinks, protein powders and weight gain powders are also good ways to give you an extra boost in the calorie department. Many of these drinks are not only filled to the brim with calories and protein but loaded with other nutrients and branch chain amino acids as well. These supplements are great for people who have trouble consuming a lot of food right after a workout or right after they wake up. They allow you to get an adequate amount of calories, protein and nutrients without stuffing yourself.

Packing on extra pounds of muscle mass is far from an easy task, but this list of 8 simple things you can do to help you gain more weight will most certainly get things moving in the right direction. You probably won't start to see results overnight but with dedication, in time the gains will come to even the most stubborn body types with the fastest metabolisms.