Subj: How to Gain Weight for Skinny Guys.
I used to be a skinny guy.
I couldn’t gain an ounce of weight even if my life depended on it.
Back in high school I weight 150 pounds at 6’2”. I was long and lanky with arms and legs like twigs. I looked like a spider monkey.
Seriously, take a look at this photo of me in football gear – It looks like I have negative stomach fat. Compare that to the more recent photo of me on the right.
I gained over 50 pounds between the two photos. I’m now a lean 200 pounds.
If you are a skinny guy trying to gain weight and build muscle, this article is for you
As a former skinny guy, I will show you exactly how to workout and eat to gain weight.
It was a long road, but I’m now at a point where I’m happy with the muscular mass I’ve obtained.
It took a lot of hard work to pack on those 50+ pounds. Over five years, but it should have taken less.
I could have got the same results in two or three years if I only knew what I know now.
This article is the ultimate guide for skinny guys that want to build muscle and gain weight quickly.
I’ve distilled over 10 years of personal experience and all the advice I wish I had when I started weight lifting as a skinny teenager.
Gaining Weight for Skinny Guys: How I Gained 60 Pounds of Muscle
Back when I was a skinny kid trying to build muscle I didn’t have a clue about what I was doing.
I didn’t know a damn thing about training or gaining weight.
All I knew is that I wanted to look like the guys on the Men’s Health magazine cover. So, naturally, I did the workouts in those magazines.
Like most young bucks, I did curls for girls and sit-ups almost exclusively, with the occasional bench press when I was feeling edgy.
After a little while training with dumbbells in my parent’s basement I gained some muscle, and got noticeably stronger, but I wasn’t tearing my shirt sleeves to shreds like I expected.
What was the deal?
I did what the muscle magazines said to do: I worked out 4 times a week, I ate chicken and ‘complex carbs’ like brown rice and whole wheat bread, but didn’t see any significant results. Nowhere near the results they promised.
How could this be?
Well, now that I’m older and wiser (arguably), I’ll tell you.
Why You Don’t look Like the Bodybuilders and Fitness Models
I don’t want to burst your bubble, but it’s better you hear this sooner than later… All bodybuilders and fitness models use drugs. Every. Single. One.
The shredded chap on the magazine cover, your favorite fitness YouTuber, and even the athletes that claim to be natural – they are all on drugs.
Drug use is apparent when they have a ‘photoshopped’ look. If they have enormous muscles and six-pack abs that pop while at 5% body fat, you can bet they’re on the juice.
The drugs build lots of muscle mass quickly and allow one to maintain an unnatural amount of muscle with very low body fat percentage.
Alas, this is the game at that highest level. Hey, it’s even the game at your local gym.
I bet a signed dollar there’s at least one guy at your gym juicing. It just is what it is. But now that you know that, you’ll have realistic expectations about what is possible to build naturally.
Now that we got that out of the way, I will also say this: You can still sculpt a stunning physique that drops jaws without drugs.
It will take a lot of effort, but it’s very doable. And once you get the hang of it and start seeing the results for yourself, it’s a hell of a lot of fun too.
In fact, skinny guys have the best genetics to build a great physique.
Still with me?
Good. Lace up Cadet, it’s time to get busy gettin’ big.
The Secret Advantage to Starting Out Skinny
A lot of skinny guys think they are doomed to be skinny forever. This simply is not true. In fact, skinny guys can build the best physiques.
Most people that want to build muscle and look good are either skinny, skinny-fat, or fat-fat. If you’re skinny, you have an advantage compared to these other two groups of guys.
When you’re skinny, you only have to worry about building muscle. When you are fat or skinny-fat, you need to build muscle and lose fat. Fat loss can be tricky, and requires a calculated diet.
However, skinny guys can eat anything and everything they want without getting fat.
They just burn up those calories and turn them into muscles. You can chow down on a ton of food without getting pudgy. Your naturally fast metabolism will torch any extra calories before they are stored as fat.
Lucky you.
The Skinny Guy’s Guide to Gaining Weight
When it comes to gaining weight there are two things that matter most:
Eating and Lifting.
You must eat to grow, and you must lift to grow in the right spots.
Eating big is the single most important factor for gaining weight and building muscle. So, naturally, that’s where we will begin.
Eat Big: How to Gain Weight
You must eat big to get big.
You need to turn yourself into an eating machine. A little bit of knowledge goes a long way.
It will serve you to learn a bit about nutrition to gain the size you seek.
Calories are King
You must eat more calories than you burn each day otherwise you won’t gain a thing. Skinny guys eat way less than they think they do.
The formula for weight gain is simple: Eat more calories than you burn. You must be in a calorie surplus to ensure your body is in an anabolic state.
Calories are the energy contained in food. Anabolic is a fancy word for ‘muscle building’.
Keeping your body in and anabolic state requires a surplus of calories. This is the LAW of Weight Gain.
How many calories should you eat each day to gain weight?
You can find out with a simple calculation:
Take your bodyweight and multiply it by 25. The result is your daily calories intake.
So, if you’re 120 pounds, eat at least 3000 calories a day (120 x 25 = 3000).
Track everything you eat with MyFitnessPal app. I’ve used it successfully and so have millions of others.
Get a food scale to portion out your food so you know how many calories are in it.
Weight yourself every morning at the same time and write down the number on the scale. (Get yourself a body-fat measuring scale for valuable data.)
If you’re not gaining weight after a week, increase daily calories by 10%.
That being said, a calorie is not just a calorie.
You can make the most of your meals by eating the right stuff…
The Three Macronutrients
There are three macronutrients that provide calories: Protein, carbohydrates and fats.
All three macronutrients are important for building muscle and overall health.
Protein – Plays a critical role in building muscle and healthy body tissue.
When you eat protein it breaks down into amino acids which are used to produce crucial molecules within your body – like enzymes, hormones, neurotransmitters, antibodies to boost your immune system and create blood cells.
Daily protein intake must be high enough to sustain all these critical body functions to keep you healthy and strong. Plus have enough left over to build muscle.
Make sure you get a large serving of protein with each meal.
Protein Sources – Beef, chicken, turkey, cottage cheese, eggs, fish, nuts, lentils and beans.
Carbohydrates – Carbs are a quick-burning energy source.
They are easy to consume in large quantities and are necessary to bulk up.
Carbs bring water into your cells and provide efficient nutrient delivery to muscles.
Carbohydrates digest quickly and are an easy way to add extra calories to your diet.
Carbohydrate Sources – Rice, oatmeal, bread, grains, quinoa, and potatoes.
Fats – Dietary fats are necessary for hormone production.
Hormones determine how much muscle and fat on your frame.
The ‘male’ hormone, testosterone is the key component in developing masculine features, strong bones, reduced body fat and building muscle.
Dietary fat is necessary for your body to increase testosterone naturally and ensure healthy levels to build muscle mass.
Don’t shy away from dietary fat because it’s ‘fat’. You need fat!
Processed foods and refined carbs make you fat, but as a skinny guy, you don’t need to worry about getting fat.
So just eat whatever you can get your hands on.
Healthy Fat Sources – Animal meat, grass fed dairy products, whole milk, butter, olive oil, coconuts and whole eggs.
Weight Gaining Meal Plan for Skinny Guys
As a general rule you should eat as much as you can throughout the day.
Eat a meal every 3 hours you’re awake. Adjust the amount of food and meal timing to suit you.
Meal 1: Scrambled eggs with cheese, bacon, oatmeal. 2 glasses of whole milk.
Meal 2: Protein shake and a protein bar.
Meal 3: Two turkey or roast beef sandwiches, a big bowl of pasta salad, a pile of steamed greens. 2 glasses of whole milk.
Meal 4: Protein shake and greek yogurt with chia seeds.
Meal 5: Steak and eggs with baked potato and big green salad. 2 glasses of milk.
Meal 6: Peanut butter jelly sandwiches and a bowl of cottage cheese, or a tuna fish omelette. One Protein shake.
Yeah, I realize that’s a lot of food. More food then you’ve probably eaten in your life.
How on Earth could you consume all that in a single day?
Well my friend, the answer is simple. You will be hungrier than you’ve ever been in your life once you start training with purpose.
Sample Meal Plan for Gaining Weight
You can even eat more than that if your stomach can handle it.
You want to ensure a constant stream of calories in order to keep your body anabolic.
Weight yourself every single morning and if you’re not gaining weight in a week you need to eat more.
If this is the case, add 10-20 grams of protein a day and 400-500+ calories.
Eat a donut and a pack of beef jerky. That’s 450-550ish calories and extra protein from the jerky.
Track your weight every morning in a notebook and keeping adding protein and calories until you gain weight.
How fast can you bulk up? Gaining 1-2 pounds a week is a reasonable goal.
Weight Gain Tips
Here are ways to eat the right food and get the calories you so desperately need.
Save the Tasty Foods for Last
I always eat my tastiest foods last. There’s always room for dessert. That’s because you can’t get enough of the sweetness.
That’s why I always eat the hearty stuff first, then when I can’t take it anymore, I eat something sweet.
Eat Real Food
Fill up on all natural foods. Meat, cheese, fatty fish, grains, nuts, seeds, fruits and vegetables should make up the bulk of your diet.
This ensures you get the required nutrients to grow.
Eat First Thing in the Morning
Eat whole eggs cooked in butter then sprinkled with cheese and wrapped in a tortilla.
Liquid Calories are Your Friend
Protein shakes, smoothies, fresh pressed fruit and vegetable juices are a great way to get extra calories.
Learn about Nutrition
It’s in your best interest to have a basic understanding of nutrition. Know what’s in the food you eat.
Know how many calories, macronutrients, vitamins and minerals are in everything you eat.
Spend a few months ready labels and researching what’s in the food you consume.
Make it a game where you don’t eat it unless you know exactly what’s in it.
Count Calories and Macros
If you’re skinny and want to gain weight there’s a very good chance you’re eating way less than you think you are.
Track everything you eat until you reach your desired weight (or desired look). It’s the best and fastest way to get there.
The MyFitnessPal app is a great way to track your daily calories and Marcos. It’s what I used to track meals while cutting for my bodybuilding competition.
Eat Animal Fat
Animal fat contains fat-soluble vitamins and helps your body produce testosterone and other hormones.
Hormones are critical to maintaining a healthy weight. Testosterone in particular is great for building lean muscle mass.
Eat Big before Bed
Eat a big meal before bedtime. Go to bed satisfied and let your body do what it does best – heal and grow.
Be Patient
We live in a microwave society. Meaning we want what we want and we want it now!
Patience is a virtue and it will serve you well in the pursuit of gains. Just stick to the process every day for long enough and you’ll get what you want.
Protein Intake
Eat at least one gram of protein per pound of your current body weight.
Ideally, you can spread your protein intake evenly throughout the day, but if not it’s no big deal.
Bulking Mistakes that Make Gaining Weight Hard
I was guilty of these things and self-sabotaged my bulking efforts as a result.
I know I’m not alone when I say that. Plenty of people have fallen in these traps. Maybe you could turn it around, too, if you’re going down the wrong road.
Eating too Clean
The muscle magazines tell you that eating chicken breast and rice is the recipe for sick gains.
Eating this bland would drive one mad. What’s worse is that low fat diets such as chicken breast and rice is too lean to make gains.
What the bodybuilding overlords don’t tell you is that their cover models ingest (or inject) copious amounts of steroids. You can’t eat like them and expect to grow without using the drugs they use.
You need dietary fat to build muscle.
Fat is a precursor for testosterone production. And testosterone production is required to build muscle mass.
The bodybuilder’s diet are void of fat because they don’t need dietary fat to produce hormones naturally. They inject chemicals instead.
A good strategy here is to eat as much wholesome food as possible. This ensures good health by getting enough nutrients (adequate protein, vitamins and minerals, etc.).
Then, once you’ve reached your nutritional requirements, eat whatever else you want to eat.
Eat donuts, a giant hot fudge sundae, have a root beer float.
You need the calories.
Overtraining
You want to train hard and heavy 4 days a week. This gives you frequent stimulation to build muscle and adequate time to recover.
4 days a week seems to be the sweet spot for most people to avoid burn out.
Too much Cardio
Limit cardio to a 10 minute warm up.
Lift weights and chill…and eat. That’s your mantra for the next couple months (or until you reach your weight gain goal).
You can go for a walk for cardio but limit other activity that burn up your precious calories.
Not Tracking Your Numbers
This is a perfect way to waste time. Don’t let your limited time slip through your fingers.
Not measuring your food, counting your macros and tracking your bodyweight will slow down your progress. You’ll be flying blind and it will only take longer to get the results you want. (Not to mention make the entire process more frustrating.)
Track your bodyweight and food intake daily.
Everything measured can be improved. You need data to make decisions.
Weigh yourself every morning as soon as you wake up and after you use the bathroom. Track your daily macros and calories.
After a week our so you’ll know whether you’re eating enough or not.
Not Eating Enough Food
The food you eat contains the building blocks for muscle. Therefore, the amount of food you eat will determine if you build muscle or stay skinny.
Skinny guys need to eat A LOT of food to gain weight.
Most guys are skinny simply because they do not eat enough. Either because they have small appetites, a fast metabolism, or both.
You burn calories just by living. You’re burning calories right now reading this article. You burn calories around the clock, 24/7/365, even when you’re asleep.
Your body require calories for energy in order to function. Repairing cells, building new tissues, thinking…it all cost energy, and calories you consume provide that energy.
For this reason, you constantly need to eat or else calories end up as metabolic fuel with nothing left over to build muscle.
How Do You Know if You’re in a Calorie Surplus?
The only way to know for sure is to weigh yourself everyday. If you are gaining weight, you are in a calorie surplus (good!).
If you’re losing weight or staying the same weight, you need to eat more.
It’s as simple as that.
How many calories should you eat if you’re skinny and trying to build muscle?
Answer: All of them.
Every single one you can get your hands on. You should be eating constantly. Anything and everything edible in sight, just put it in your pie hole.
Skinny guys are not big eaters. So stuffing your stomach to max capacity might be difficult, it may even uncomfortable in the beginning.
When I first started training, I barely made any gains because I didn’t get enough calories and protein to build muscle. I should have been eating double, even triple what I was eating.
After a lot of trial and error I realized what was holding me back. I didn’t grow despite spending hours in the gym each week for three main reasons:
#1. I didn’t have a proper training program.
#2. I didn’t know how to eat to build muscle.
#3. I didn’t train with intensity
I thought going to the gym regularly was enough to turn me into Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Boy, was I mistaken.
Although a workout routine is necessary to build muscle, it’s only part of the formula.
Training is the easy part. Training with high intensity, constantly, and disciplined eating is where the muscle-building magic happens.
But, before the magic can happen, you need the desire and the know-how to make it happen.
Gaining Weight for Skinny Guys: Bulking Mistakes
You cannot build muscle without eating the right stuff.
Nutrients are the brick and mortar for constructing your physique. Make sure you get plenty of foods from many different sources.
Eat nutritious and fulfilling meals to ensure all your nutritional bases are covered.
Make sure you’re getting quality meat like beef, chicken, and fish. Eat as much meat as you can.
in addition to that, eat pasta, cheese, yogurt, fruits and vegetables in unlimited amounts.
After you eat the ‘good’ food it’s time to splurge. Eat pizza, ice cream, cookies, cake, oatmeal cream pies, whatever – Just get those extra calories in and make sure you fill up on the nutritious stuff first.
You will burn off most of the ‘bad’ stuff you might have heard about, and if for some crazy reason you start to get fat, you can just reduce your food intake and you’ll stop adding body fat.
Even if you lift weights constantly, you won’t gain any muscle if you don’t eat.
I wasted years in the gym because I didn’t understand the importance of nutrition.
My growth was stunted and progress was slow all because I didn’t eat!
Weight Gain Mistakes: Not Eating Enough Calories
When I tried gaining weight, I should have been eating two or three times the amount of protein and calories.
I wasn’t eating even close to what I needed to build muscle.
A day of eating for me was a bowel of cereal, school lunch (pizza, bread stick and chocolate milk or whatever trash was served that day), and whatever my mom made for dinner on a given night.
I was maybe eating 2000-2500 calories a day. While I was physically active in sports practice for two hours a day and lifting weights and training 4-5 days a week.
I should have been eating 5000-6000 calories a day to grow.
I was hungry every morning around 10 a.m. and hungry again before school ended to the point my stomach growled.
I’d go through a good part of the day on an empty stomach. Being hungry will KILL your progress in the gym.
My muscles were literally starving.
I could have built 20-30 pounds of quality muscle my first year of lifting. But instead I gained maybe 10 pounds in two years.
I trained hard 3 – 4 times a week, but because I didn’t eat enough, I didn’t grow and my energy was low all day.
I wasted years, literally years, in the gym all because I didn’t understand the importance of nutrition.
If your stomach is growling as a skinny kid, you can kiss your gains goodbye. You should be ‘full’ constantly.
Don’t make the same mistake I did. Eat BIG to get BIG!
Muscle Building Diet Tips For Skinny Guys
Stuffing yourself to the max all day can be challenging. Some days are harder than others.
I’ve picked up a few tips over the years that will help you get all your daily calorie needs to build muscle!
Snack on Snack on Snacks
Snack on bagels and peanut butter, protein bars, nuts, and crackers. Anything you can munch on to get extra calories.
If you’re hungry between meals, you need to snack. High-calorie snacks like bagels and peanut butter are perfect because they have a lot of protein, carbs and fat.
Just carry a bag of bagels and peanut butter around with you and try to finish all the bagels each day.
Front Load your Day
Eat 50 grams of protein with 30 minutes of waking up. Eat 100 grams before noon. This will make it easier to ensure you’re meeting your nutrient demands.
Old School Weight Gaining Secrets
These three methods were used by old school trainers to build muscle fast!
They were so effective athletes increased 2-3 weight classes from one year to the next.
Heavy Cream and Ginger Ale
Elite European athletes drank a mixture of heavy creme and ginger ale to make incredible muscle gains in record time.
This was a popular technique used in the 1940′ and 50’s to increase muscle and strength quickly.
Here’s what you do:
Mix of 6oz of heavy cream and 6oz of ginger ale in a glass and drink 2-3 times a day.
Legendary bodybuilding coach Vince GiRonda had his clients drink it at 10AM, 2PM and again at 4PM as a “pick me up” between meals.
Eating one hard boiled egg every hour you are awake keeps your body anabolic all day.
Boiling and peeling dozens of eggs a week is a pain in the ass so get yourself an egg cooker.
Liver Tablets
Liver is thought to harbor animalistic power and primal force. Ancient warriors would eat the Liver of a fresh kill for power.
Today you can have that same power with Liver Tabs. Old time strong men would take 100 liver pills a day to build raw strength.
I recommend taking 5 with every meal and gradually bumping it up to 10 per meal.
The Benefits of Building Muscle
If you’re reading this, you’re here because you think bulking up has benefits.
You’re 100% correct. Bigger is better as a general rule in America, all you have to do is look and listen to what’s going on around you to see this is true. It’s my goal to get you to experience this for yourself first hand.
The benefits of having a muscular physique are numerous. If you’re reading this, you probably have something that personally motivates you to build muscle.
For me, it was to get stronger for sports and to get attention from females. In addition to that, you can expect the following benefits from bulking up:
- Increased athletic performance
- Increased libedo and better sex
- Improved overall health (better digestion, circulation, lung function, and much more)
- Increased testosterone levels
- More energy and increased productivity
- More Confidence
- Increased sense of Well-Being
- Personal development and sense of accomplishment
- Food tastes better
- Clothes fit better
- You look and feel awesome
All these benefits can snowball into bigger and better things and improve every aspect of your life. When you look good and feel good, good things happen.
People with better bodies have better attitudes and better attitudes lead to all kinds of beautiful things:
Better money, better women, better fun, etc., etc.
So, if you’re a skinny guy struggling to gain muscle, there is hope! In fact, the deck is stacked in your favor to build a muscular, chiseled physique. You just need help tapping into your muscular potential.
Building Muscle for Skinny Guys: Weight Training
Weight training is required to build muscle.
Weight training works by overloading your muscles with more stress than they are used to. This stress actually damages your muscles.
But your body, being the resilient bastard it is, rebuilds muscle larger and strong to sustain the same stress next time.
there’s a right and wrong way to build muscle. The wrong way leaves you tired, worn out with no gains to show for it.
The right way build muscle fast and you will notice weekly or monthly improvements in your physique.
Weight Training for Skinny Guys
Skinny guys should train using compound exercises with a barbell.
Compound exercises are movements where more than one joint must bend in order to perform the lift.
Examples of compound movements are:
- Squat
- Barbell Row
- Bench Press
- Deadlift
- Military Shoulder Press
- Power Cleans
- Upright Row
- Machine Pull Downs
Bodyweight exercises like push ups, pull-ups, dips and handstand push-ups are also acceptable and encouraged.
Barbells allow you to lift more weight compared to dumbbells, thus activating a great neuro-muscular response when lifting.
This engages more muscle fibers and works muscles harder. This results in more intense workouts and more muscle growth.
Compound exercise are the Holy Grail for building muscle. They are efficient, powerful muscle builders because they allow you to lift the most weight and engage the most muscle fibers.
In addition to compound movements, there are isolation exercises.
Isolation exercises require only one joint to bend during the exercises. Examples of Isolation exercises are:
- Bicep curls
- Tricep extensions
- Leg extensions
- Lateral shoulder raises
- Leg curl
Isolation exercises are secondary priority to compound lifts. They are not necessary, although can be added into your workouts as needed. But only AFTER you completed all your compound lifts.
How to Build Muscle for Skinny Guys
Skinny Guys need a unique combination of strength and hypertrophy training.
Strength training conditions your muscles and nervous system to move heavy weight.
Hypertrophy training puts you muscles under tension long enough to build muscle.
Strength training means you lift as heavy as you can for 1-5 reps each set.
Hypertrophy requires 6-12 reps is best.
Skinny Guys Should Lift Heavy
‘Heavy’ is a relative term. Heavy weight to you might not be heavy to me and vise vera.
A heavy weight is an amount of weight you struggle completing the desired number of reps with during a set.
If you can only do 5 or 6 reps and couldn’t possibly do another rep then that is a heavy weight.
Lifting heavy can be intimidating, but use a weight that’s right for you and you will gradually increase you confidence and strength and be able to lift more weight.
Training Frequency
You typically want to allow 48-72 hours between training the same muscle group.
Lift 4 days a week. Total body workouts to maximize growth hormone production and response.
You need training frequency as a beginner because you will recover quickly.
Take advantage of your youth and recovery power by lifting frequently. You’ll be glad you did.
That means training hard, with heavier weight and different exercises to keep your muscles guessing.
Your muscles will adapt to the new stimuli by growing to endure it next time.
You have to push your body to grow muscles and it will out of necessity. But you need to stay one step ahead.
Always pushing a little further than the day before. and your body will catch up.
Skinny Guy Workout Plan to Build Muscle and Gain Weight
The good news is that your leanness will serve you well into your 20’s, 30’s and beyond.
Skinny guys should workout 4 times a week.
A 4-day split like Monday/Tuesday/Thursday/Friday works well for most people.
It gives you a rest day Wednesday and weekends off to enjoy.
Monday Workout = Squat/Bent Over Barbell Row/Bench Press.
Tuesday Workout = Deadlift / Standing Shoulder Press/ Dips (add weight if you can do more than 8 dips with just your bodyweight)
Thursday Workout = Squat / Pull Up (or Pull down)/ Bench Press
Friday Workout = Deadlift / Bent Over Barbell Row / Lunges
Perform 3 sets of 8 reps for each exercise.
Do 2-3 warm up sets for each exercise. Then perform 3 heavy working sets for each exercise (working sets are the sets that count.
What counts is pushing your muscles harder than they’ve been pushed before.
Rest 2-3 minutes between sets. Take 5 deep breaths to fill your lungs with oxygen. Breathing is important when lifting.
Take ‘Recovery Breaths’ between sets
Oxygen fuels your muscles and every body function realize on ample oxygen.
Take big, deep breaths before each rep and in between sets.
Increase the Weight Each Workout
Remember, when training to focus on perfecting your form and improving each and every day.
Increase the weight used each workout. If you bench pressed 125 pounds for 3 sets of 8 reps on Monday, then add 5-10 pounds when you bench on Thursday.
This is called linear progression, and it’s how you constantly make progress and build muscle.
Keep increasing the weight in this fashion until you can no longer physically do so.
Consistency Over Time = Results
Continue this workout for 12 -16 weeks straight without missing a training session.
Skinny Guy Workout Plan: How to Find Your Starting Weight
You’re probably wondering, “If I’ve never lifted weight before, how much should I lift?”.
Use your first workout to establish your starting weight. To find your starting weight, perform an exercise with just an empty barbell.
For example, squat with the empty barbell for 5 reps. If that was easy, add 10 pounds and do 5 more reps.
Keep adding 10 pounds and doing 5 reps until you can barely do 5 reps.
This is your starting weight. Congratulations – you just finished set one of your first workout.
Keep this weight on the bar and do two more sets. Rest 2-3 minutes in-between sets to catch your breath and load the bar with more weight.
Do this same method to find your starting weight with the other exercises in this program.
Spend time perfecting your form. Make sure every rep you do is in full range of motion.
ALWAYS lift in a sturdy squat rack and snap in the safety bars.
The Simple Magic of Linear Progression
Linear progression is the steady increase of weight used each workout. Make it a goal to add 5-10 pounds each workout for each exercise.
You’re body adapts quickly to stressors. When you lift, you damage your muscles and little micro tears are created in your muscle fibers.
Your body doesn’t like this and goes into survival mode by rebuilding the muscle and making it stronger so next time that stressor is encountered, no damage will be done to the muscles by increasing the size and number of muscles.
This is why you MUST continualy increase the weight lifted. To ensure your body is constantly repairing your muscles and making them stronger (and bigger) than before.
Your work capacity goes up because of your strengthened muscles and you’re able to lift heavier weight. You’ll also notice your body start to transform from skinny to muscular.
As you progress your ability to increase the weight will slowly diminish. Try to push through without compromising form. Linear Progression is how you get bigger and build muscle.
As you train and recover your need to increase the intensity in order to continue to grow.
If you are unable to lift heavier that the previous workout you need to get more sleep and eat more. Rest and nutrition are super important to building muscle and repairing damaged muscle after tough workouts.
Weight Gain Tips for Skinny Guys
Rest and Recovery
Get 8-10 hours of sleep each night.
Your body repairs and grows while sleeping. Recovery is important. You must sleep and eat enough to fully recover from workouts.
If you don’t you will wear yourself down and lose your will to continue because your energy will be so depleted.
Sleeping also allows your Central Nervous System to get stronger. Your CNS helps improve mind-muscle connection and muscle control.
Build Mind-Muscle Connection
Mind-muscle connection is how you build the rock-hard, chiseled look.
When you can focus solely on a muscle and control it completely with your mind. to feel it working to feel it flexing and stretching.
Mind-Muscle connection will take your training to another level. One way to build mind-muscle connection organically is to lift more and build muscle.
Your body and your muscles are an extension of your brain.
The more mass and nerve ending you have the more sensation and control you will have over that muscle. This is why you need to focus on contracting your muscles HARD when lifting. It teaches you to control your muscles at will and will elevate your gain potential.
Train often using the same basic barbell exercises. This will build mind muscle connection with is absolutely critical to gaining size and density.
Track Your Workouts
“Everything that measures grows.”
I don’t know who said that but they are absolutely right.
Track Your Body Weight Daily
Data is how you should make decisions. Track your weight and you’ll know how your body responds to your diet and workout.
Tracking your progress is important because you may need to make adjustment to your diet.
Step on the scale every week to make sure you are gaining weight. If the number isn’t higher than the day before, then you need to eat more.
Weight yourself at the same time every day. First thing in the morning is best. Jot down your weight and compare it to last week. Minimizes the variance or inaccurate weight measures.
Your bodyweight fluctuates throughout the day due to multiple factors. Water retention, hormone levels, and food in your belly could change your weight significantly. It’s not uncommon for my weight to fluctuate 5-6 pounds from morning to night.
Don’t rely on the mirror to track your progress. It can be deceiving. You’ll notice a post workout pump where you’ll looker bigger and more ripped then if you were to take a day off.
The caveat here is that you don’t need to track calories macros or anything really. just make sure you get enough protein and then eat a bunch of other stuff to get in extra calories.
Safety First
Always train safely. Set backs and injuries suck. They can derail your progress and keep you out of the gym.
Avoid injury by lifting in a safety rack, using proper form AT ALL TIMES and be fully present when lifting anything.
Being unfocused and distracted can be disastrous. you need complete focus when training.
Muscle Building Supplements for Skinny Guys
Supplement companies are out for one thing and one thing only:
Your money.
They will take advantage of your inexperience and sell you garbage.
The muscle building supplement industry preys on skinny guys especially. They know most are naive so they make promises of quick gains and impressive results if you just buy their product.
Don’t be fooled by the hype.
The muscle industry is build to make you desire something you cannot have with what they give you.
The result is you keep consuming what they give you but will never quite get the results they promise.
That’s their strategy to get you to become a customer for life.
Supplements that Actually Work for Building Muscle and Gaining Weight
That being said, supplements can help but ONLY if the base of your results will come from consistent and intense training, eating a lot of natural, whole foods and getting adequate recovery.
Then, and only then, will supplements help you build muscle.
Not all supplements are created equal. In fact only a few reputable companies exist and actually make good supplements.
Stick to the time tested muscle building supplements proven to work with decades of results.
Protein Powder – Get extra quality protein in your diet with protein shakes. get a quality protein powder like Naturally Flavored Optimum Nutrition protein powder.
Liver Tables – An old school secret. Liver is full of vitamins, minerals, protein and ‘anti-fatigue factor’ that will aid in building muscle and give you energy and endurance for workouts.
I wrote a full article about liver tablets here or you can just go get some Uni-Liver tablets from amazon.
Other Points about Physical Culture and Getting Huge
Most of what we’re exposed to about fitness and muscle is wrong. It’s a lie. The lies hide the truth because the truth doesn’t sell.
What sells is telling young men they can build muscles like Arnold and be drowning in cooze if they drink protein shakes.
The reality is a little different, but if you tell a Millennial or Zoomer it’ll take 5 years to build a top 1% physique naturally they’ll bail and take their money elsewhere and blow it on false hope.
Words of Wisdom From a Former Skinny Guy
I have made a ton of training mistakes. As a result, it took me a long time to build the body I want. I could have built a great body much faster if I knew what I know now.
Tracking my progress never occurred to me. I didn’t research proper form or programming. I lifted haphazardly – I just started doing a lot of dumbbell curls and bench press, like most beginners do.
If I had known better I would have taken advantage of the fact total body workouts release growth hormone. Had I learned about nutrition and simple biology I would have eaten MUCH more food.
I thought I could lift and muscle would just appear. I was naive and had no knowledge of proper training for muscle growth that was crucial for bodybuilding.
As a young man you have a muscle-building powercore inside of you. When you start training properly, you tap into the power core and your body goes into overdrive. Do everything right and you will reap major benefits. You’ll be able to do in 2 years what I did in 10.
When you start training, you body releases a rush of natural hormones that flood your system and build many pounds of muscle that you will keep for life.
Focus on making gradual progress week after week. Track your weight and workouts. Eat more or less as necessary.
You now know everything you need to to build muscle. Go get a gym member ship or build you own home gym and get started now!
‘Til next time,
-Hoz
thank you so much for this. I am glad you tool the time share and put it out for everyone to read. I am the same way. 42 yrs old now at 181 and i can say i needed to eat more……gonna kill it the next 12 weeks
Get it J!
Great way to start being skinny. Now I know that I need to eat more nutritious food and follow my muscle-building plans.