5 Tips for Skinny Guys that Want to Build Muscle

If you’re really skinny you probably have a hard time building bigger muscles. You might even feel like your efforts are a waste of time because you “just can’t get any bigger“.

But come on, do you really think you’re that special guy on this planet who was cursed into never being able to put on some mass?

We completely disagree. You need to eat a lot of high-calorie quality food and train better instead of harder and avoid some common mistakes skinny guys usually do. It will take some time and dedication, but by following these five simple tips you can beat your genetics and bulk up!

1. Eat, a lot

You can forget about muscle gains if you don’t eat big and consume all the wrong food. Food should come in first place and exercise in second.

Remember, protein-rich foods are your best friend – you need to eat at least 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight and proteins should make up at least 35% of your overall caloric intake.

This is important for increasing your muscle mass and accelerating recovery as well. Consider an increased intake of some nutrient-dense calories before and after your workouts, when your body needs more energy. This means complex carbs and healthy fats, not junk food!

The goal here is not to gain more body fat and worsen your health. Avoid foods which contain empty calories with little nutrient value.

Think chicken, turkey, lean beef, eggs, salmon, tuna, dairy, rice, potatoes and beans. Measure your weight on a daily basis and if you’re not gaining, you’re not eating enough. Remember, without a solid caloric surplus you will not gain any mass. Here’s a list of the best foods for putting on quality mass – The Top 10 Foods For Building Muscle.

2. Eat more often

Getting all the extra calories you need by eating the traditional three meals per day could be nearly impossible.

We strongly recommend consuming around five to six smaller meals in one day, which means you’ll have to eat a lot more often, maybe every two to three hours. This will provide your body with a constant nutrient flow and fuel your workouts.

It takes some time to get used to it, but you can try out different meal plans and find what’s best for your needs – but don’t skip the caloric breakfast in the first hour after waking up and the late-night meal or snack that will keep feeding your muscles while you sleep. And if you have a physically demanding job, you’ll need to eat even more.

3. Get enough rest

While training hard is important, not getting enough rest can significantly stall your progress. 

Your muscle tissue doesn’t grow during the workout – it gets broken down instead. Rest allows your muscles to heal, recover and get bigger and stronger, while the levels of growth hormone are at the highest during sleep.

That being said, the best muscle-building results come from having 4-5 days of training followed by a few rest days. Your body needs some time to repair itself after intense workouts – if you don’t give it enough rest, not only will you be unable to build muscle mass, but the quality of your performance will suffer as well, together with an increased risk of injury.

4. Take supplements

Muscle building supplements are there for a reason. For people that have trouble gaining some muscle, there are a few supplements that can really help. Before we go any further, you should know that supplements are just that – a bit of help to get you to your goal faster. They are not a replacement for REAL FOOD, and you simply cannot grow on supplements alone.

With that being said, the best supplements for muscle growth are whey protein, casein, creatine, glutamine.

If you’re particularly skinny, you might also need a natural quality testosterone boosting supplement to get you going.

As you already know, testosterone is the hormone that makes muscle building possible and a lack of it turns muscle to fat. Testosterone boosting supplements will support the growth of muscles and increase your strength and performance in the gym. You can read this if you are wondering if they work.

5. Do more compound exercises

A compound exercise involves the use of more than one major muscle group at a time and naturally builds more muscle mass.

For example, deadlifts work almost every muscle in the body and that provides maximal muscle fiber recruitment and an increased stimulus for muscle growth, which in turn allows for more weight to be lifted.

Furthermore, compound exercises make a bigger impact on the release of anabolic hormones. So if you’re looking for optimal growth, include more compound movements in your muscle building training. Here is a list of the best compound exercises that will help you put on some muscle on your bones.

And finally, having defined goals will maintain your motivation and provide a tool for measuring your progress.  Decide what exactly you want to achieve, set a reasonable time frame and start out by making crucial nutrition changes.

It will take some hard work and a great deal of self-discipline, but push yourself to the limit and you’ll have great results in no time!


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