Skinny guy.. How to put on weight and muscle??

[chris maurice]

Im around 6 feet right now. 135 pounds. my bmi says im mildly thin. I would really like to put on some weight and add some muscle to my body. Im not like really thin or skinny. Im average but i would really like some muscle on.

 

I also have problem with eating. i dont eat much. I know thats the first thing i need to get down.

 

So any advice? thank you.

[Samhain]

The very very basics, are yo eat a lot of calories but train hard too, at the gym, weights, push ups, pull ups, at least 100 a day if it's a day you aren't hitting the gym.

 

The best way is to eat as much carbs as you can while training several times per week (this isn't a long term plan as working out at the gym on a daily basis is as bad for your body as it can be good). Start out by eating double of everything you usually eat, and eat something every 2 and a half hours at least. If you are training hard at the same time as eating hard all of that "fat" will be burned into muscle.

 

If you're at a point where you are bulking up but want to lose stomach fat, do the no carbs and eat only protein for 2 weeks (this is what boxers do when they want to lose a few lbs for a weight in and then bulk up again afterward) as eating no carbs and only protein for 2 weeks, when you eat a lot of carbs again you gain weight extra quick.

 

You basically have to over eat, but overtrain too at the same time.

[Samhain]

The recommended daily amount of calories for a man is 2500, if you aim to consume at east 4,000 calories per day but training hard on a daily basis at the same time, you will pile on weight which is then turned to muscle. Anything below 2500 calories wont be burned to muscle because that's the guided amount that your body naturally needs. There has to be extra, for there to be something to turn to muscle.

[chris maurice]

Hey thanks so much for the reply.. I got one problem though. I struggle to eat alot. Is there some vitamin or something i can take to help me eat more and/or create an apetite.

[Samhain]

Only thing I can honestly suggest is smoking weed lol.. Other than that it's basically about appetite, but the more you eat the more you will want to eat. You have a small appetite now because your appetite actually shrinks/grows depending on your usual daily eating habits. If you start out slowly eating more and more over a gradual process your appetite will grow too. Then it will be easier for you to work on bulking up.

[Samhain]

Maybe try by eating higher fat content foods than you usually would. And try and atleast double your carb count. So more bread, pasta, cereals .. to try and start to widen your appetite to start out with

[oldshirt]

Look up Strong Lifts 5 x 5 and/or Starting Strength.

 

 

Starting Strength by Mark Ripptoe is a great book and a solid program.

 

 

He also stresses skinny guys need to eat eat eat. But it has to be quality, nutrient rich food, not junk food.

 

 

Do NOT smoke weed. Weed makes you happy to just sit there doing nothing and eating chocolate.

 

 

You need to lift HEAVY weights in full body lifts like Squats, deadlifts, bench, rows etc.

 

 

Take it easy on the cardio. Cardio burns up calories necessary for growth and strength. If you are lifting heavy enough and hard enough, that should take care of your cardio anyway. Don't believe me - do a full set of 350lb deadlifts and tell me what your heart is doing. Now do a full workout of squats, deadlifts, bench press, rows etc and if you do it heavy enough and hard enough, you are getting plenty of cardio.

 

But you have to fuel those workouts with quality fuel. The problem skinny guys have is you have to eat mindfully, not just when you feel hungry. You need to have a diet planned for you by nutritionist and follow it and eat what is prescribed to you based on your body and your goals, not just follow your hunger and what you feel like eating.

 

 

Another problem skinny guys have is they are afraid to lose their 'abz'. The catch here is to gain muscle mass you are going to have to be in a state of caloric excess and that means that you will also put on some fat along with the muscle. Skinny guys are like chicks and freak out if they put on some fat on their 'abz.'

 

 

Here's the thing though, 'abz' on a scrawny guy is like big tits on a fat chick (- credit Mark Ripptoe) abz on a scrawny guy are wasted just like ripe hooters on a fat chick...... it doesn't matter.

[oldshirt]

Im around 6 feet right now. 135 pounds. my bmi says im mildly thin..

 

 

 

I was 5' 11" 145 lbs when I graduated high school.

 

 

6', 135 lbs isn't mildly thin. That's scrawny.

 

 

You don't mention your age but if you are over 18 your first step should be to see a Dr and make sure you don't have some kind of endocrine or metabolic disorder. Then he/she should recommend a dietitian that will take a thorough look at your current actual food intake (unless you do have a disorder, you are eating a lot less than you think you are) and then recommend a prescribed diet for you.

 

 

Then you need to find an actual strength or body building coach at a body building or powerlifting gym. Do not get a fitness trainer down at the local chain gym with a bunch of gym gerbils in spandex jogging on treadmills while reading fitness magazines.

 

 

Fitness trainers at box gyms will have you doing way too much cardio for mass growth.

 

 

An actual bodybuilding/power lifting or professional athletic strength coach will be able to prescribe and supervise a mass growth based workout based on your body type and goals.

 

 

Avoid Crossfit type gyms and workouts as well as they are also geared more towards fitness and conditioning rather than mass growth.

 

 

Make no mistake, eating enough calories and protein and lifting heavy enough to put on muscle mass IS HARD WORK. And putting on muscle mass is not fast either. If you honestly put on 20-30 lbs of lean muscle mass in the next year, you will have done a good job.

 

 

But it will be worth it.

 

 

I'll be blunt, I did have a girlfriend when I was a 145 lb senior in high school so I can't say that girls never talked to me when I was that skinny. But once I hit about the 165lb mark by my mid 20s it was like flipping a switch. I not only had a girlfriend but I also started getting hook ups and FWBs/FBs etc.

 

 

Visible muscles on men are analogous to tits on women. Once you start getting some visible muscle development, men start treating you with more respect and deference and women start to actually want to hook up with you.

[WomenWubber]

Eat and lift weights brah.

[oldshirt]

Hey thanks so much for the reply.. I got one problem though. I struggle to eat alot. Is there some vitamin or something i can take to help me eat more and/or create an apetite.

 

 

 

If you do a legitimate strength program like Starting Strength or Strong Lifts 5 x 5 and lift hard and heavy, your appetite will naturally increase to fuel the increased demand.

 

 

However as I said in my earlier posts, you will need to be evaluated by an actual dietitian or nutritionist and obtain a prescribed diet based on your body and your goals.

[chris maurice]

Thanks for all the replies guys. I'll try to respond to all the replies here.

 

So im 22. i have an ectomorph body shape. lol hope thats how its said. I made bad eating habits. i never really did eat a lot and its affecting me badly. when im home i dont even have breakfast, i'll eat something lik 10 or 11 in the morining then like 3 in the afternoon and a lil sumn in the night. really not much.

 

and im an athlete. im in a lot of sports especially football, cricket and running. so i burn a lot a lot of calories. also i never lifted weights before so im really excited to start. I have never weighed more than 140lb. Im really hoping to change that.

 

No one in my family is large like fatter or big. normall just a lil tall and average. Idk if genes has anything to really do with it but i know if i put in the work i can really attain a better size and body.

 

Thanks so much for all the reply tho guys. you guys have no idea how much you helped a brother out lol

[chris maurice]

I have never seen or spoken to a trainer, or a dietitian or nutritionists. There are dietitions and nutritionists where i work tho. I'll have a talk with them and see if i can establish a good eating diet that would help gain some size and muscle.

[oldshirt]

I have never seen or spoken to a trainer, or a dietitian or nutritionists. There are dietitions and nutritionists where i work tho. I'll have a talk with them and see if i can establish a good eating diet that would help gain some size and muscle.

 

 

 

Good plan. I would still start out with a trip to the Doctor to make sure you don't have some kind of metabolic disorder or some kind of actual physiological problem first.

 

 

But yes, since you have never been a good eater you will likely need a prescribed diet based on your body type and metabolic needs.

 

 

I'd bet the farm you actually eat a lot less than what you think you are. You are probably also a stress-starver which is the opposite of a stress-eater and you forget to eat when you are busy or under stress.

 

 

You will need to follow a prescribed diet and basically force yourself to eat the prescribed foods in the proper amounts and at the times prescribed. You may even find yourself in the bathroom puking or crapping the first few weeks as your digestive system adjusts to the increased workload.

 

 

You can't do it without the heavy lifting though. Again, I stress the importance of finding an actual certified athletic strength coach or body building or power lifting coach in an old-school power lifting or body building gym. They will be able to prescribe the proper mass-gaining exercises and workouts.

 

 

You may be a little intimidated going there amongst all the huge monsters lifting 400lbs beside you while you are struggling with an empty bar but they all started somewhere too but you will catch on and make faster progress in that environment.

 

 

If you go the "Y" or to some garden variety chain fitness center, the trainer there will try to get you to use rubber bands and big rubber balls and do speed drills on an elliptical.

 

 

If you are not being prescribed a steady diet of squats, deadlifts, bench press, rows and overhead presses and are being told you need to work on your cardio and endurance - find another gym.

[loveweary11]

G

 

 

 

 

You may be a little intimidated going there amongst all the huge monsters lifting 400lbs beside you while you are struggling with an empty bar but they all started somewhere too but you will catch on and make faster progress in that environment.

 

 

100%. I used to be a little intimidated in that situation too.

 

Now, I use the heaviest dumbbells of all the "regular" guys at the benches.

 

My path was different. I didn't end up gaining weight much at all. Felt the over eating was gross and unhealthy (for me).

 

I ate as appetite dictated (it definitely went up) and boosted test to achieve a one of those hot soccer/football player bodies.

 

Ended up lean and looking like that, but juuuust a little bit bigger than them.

 

If you're trying to impress the ladies, rather than trying to get big for yourself (I'll freely admit mine was for sex appeal), you should go my route, not getting addicted to getting too huge.

 

Overall, more women like the hot soccer/futbol look than the huge guy look.

[EasyHeart]

Squats and milk. That was the recipe for gaining muscle back in the day, and nothing has really changed since then.

 

For the weight training, learn how to do the basic compound movements (squats, bench, pullups, shoulder presses), with a focus on squats. It's easy to get overwhelmed in the information age with a thousand different people telling you that they have the one-true-secret of building muscle, but 99% of it is nonsense. You gain muscle by lifting heavy weights with a few basic lifts.

 

Liquids are an easier way for people with small appetites to increase their calories because they don't fill you up as much as solids. Milk (and I mean full-fat milk. Organic if you can afford it) is the best choice because it's cheap, easy to get and has a nice balance of fat, protein and carbs.

 

But be careful in trying to gain weight. The only thing worse than being skinny is being skinny-fat. You don't need to start gorging yourself; that's just going to make you flabby. A pound of body weight is about 3500 calories, so that means you can gain 10 lbs. just by eating 100 extra calories per day. 8 oz. of milk has about 150 calories, so if you want to gain weight the only thing you really need to do is lift weights and drink an extra glass of milk every day.

 

Be realistic. With your body type, you're never going to be a massive body builder or gain 30 pounds of muscle in 3 months. The most important thing about weight training is consistency. There is no such thing as working out for a few weeks and "getting in shape". You need to lift 2-3 times a week every week. Every single week. You won't notice drastic changes, but over time you can change the shape of your body. If you add 5 lbs. of muscle in a year, you probably won't notice a big difference. But if you add 5 lbs. per year for 5 years, you'll have an extra 25 lbs. of muscle by the time you are 27. An extra 25 lbs. of muscle on your frame will make you look muscular.

 

Squats. Milk. Patience. Consistency. Those are my suggestions.

 

Good luck!!!

Edited December 2, 2015 by EasyHeart

[thefooloftheyear]

Gaining muscle is easy for some and difficult for others...

 

Heck, there are people that load on food, lift like crazy and even cycle steroids and GH....And don't put on much muscle..

 

A 6' 135 lb guy isn't going to ever look like Phil Heath..There is this pesky thing called genetics that is the determining factor...You cant out train, out eat, out roid, whatever the genetics you were born with..All humans have muscle belly insertions and other determining factors that govern size..

 

When I wrestled competitively I carried 165 lbs at a super ripped(6/7%)BF..I am 5'6 ish"... That should give you perspective...I now weigh 220 and I am still "pretty" lean at 14% show abs and 32" waist size..

 

Sounds like you are a classic ectomorph...You can put on some size, but its going to be difficult and small gains will take very long time to appear..Yes, you need to dedicate yourself to your diet...Eat calorie dense foods...

 

Speaking of junk food. there was a guy I knew years ago that was very knowledgeable about workout/diet...His advice to the OP would be to load up on junk food and pizza until you get some base size, then gradually peel that back and convert to higher quality.....Train hard and heavy..Its not something Id recommend, but I seen it work with a few people he helped out...His thinking was that you just couldn't get as much calorie density from "good" food...You would have to eat 3X as much..

 

Like I said, I wouldn't do it, but I witnessed it work

 

Lots of good advice given....Good luck to you..

 

TFY

[hasaquestion]

Im around 6 feet right now. 135 pounds. my bmi says im mildly thin. I would really like to put on some weight and add some muscle to my body. Im not like really thin or skinny. Im average but i would really like some muscle on.

 

I also have problem with eating. i dont eat much. I know thats the first thing i need to get down.

 

So any advice? thank you.

 

I'm genetically similar to you. Runner build, but I've been working out for a long time. 5'11ish, 160 lbs, without lifting I'd probably be 130.

 

I see people recommending focusing on the basic compound lifts, and stuff like the Stronglifts 5x5 program. Functional training like that is definitely the way to go. The squat is king. However I think its important for a beginner to understand a few things:

 

1. Proper form is extremely important. If you don't nail the form it doesn't count. Doing half-reps, or 90% reps, of any compound movement is going to make you less flexible and cause problems down the road.

 

2. Mobility is extremely important. Don't walk into the gym and walk out. Walk in, row 250 meters or something to get warmed up, do some warmups to get loose and flexible. Then hit the weights. Then stretch and maybe roll out after.

 

When you first start lifting you will see a lot of improvement fast. And it can be tempting to keep throwing weights on. But its key to focus on getting your form down and creating a stable long term foundation. The extra attention to form and mobility early on will pay off in the form of 'gainz' later. I can send you specific advice in terms of lifts and stretches via private message if you like. Good luck!

[chris maurice]

I'm genetically similar to you. Runner build, but I've been working out for a long time. 5'11ish, 160 lbs, without lifting I'd probably be 130.

 

I see people recommending focusing on the basic compound lifts, and stuff like the Stronglifts 5x5 program. Functional training like that is definitely the way to go. The squat is king. However I think its important for a beginner to understand a few things:

 

1. Proper form is extremely important. If you don't nail the form it doesn't count. Doing half-reps, or 90% reps, of any compound movement is going to make you less flexible and cause problems down the road.

 

2. Mobility is extremely important. Don't walk into the gym and walk out. Walk in, row 250 meters or something to get warmed up, do some warmups to get loose and flexible. Then hit the weights. Then stretch and maybe roll out after.

 

When you first start lifting you will see a lot of improvement fast. And it can be tempting to keep throwing weights on. But its key to focus on getting your form down and creating a stable long term foundation. The extra attention to form and mobility early on will pay off in the form of 'gainz' later. I can send you specific advice in terms of lifts and stretches via private message if you like. Good luck!

 

Hey. thank you very much for the advice. i have recently started gym and taking protein as well. a protein named Combat. i do try to get the form down well because ik its important. id really like for you to send me that thank you.

[Mumbles]

Just to add to the above comments. I 100% agree, be very very careful with form. This is general advice but given my own circumstances I think it doubly applies to ectomorphs (like me).

 

What happened to me is that after 6-9 months of dedicated training, after years of 'fooling around' I somehow ended up with muscle strength that was greater than my ecto frame was able to safely support - its difficult to describe what I think happened.

 

In any event, over the course of that nine months I was comfortably able to load up more and more weight and probably tripled or more the loading I originally started with. End result? I gave myself a rotator cuff injury.

 

This is a serious and painful injury that will immediately and adversely affect your ability to continue to train and gain muscle. After being forced to take 6 months off I am now back in the gym, but taking things super cautiously.

 

The good thing, if there is one, about being a weightlifting ecto is that you probably have a relatively narrow waistline. Given this, you need, again relatively, small gains in shoulder width, chest size and quads/hams to completely transform the way you look.

 

Without drugs, and often even with, we ecto's will never be 'big' in todays commonly used meaning, but dedicated and -consistent- work will produce lumps and bumps in all the right places and gain an large effect on the ladies as a result :)

 

I'm 5'10 and my goal is a modest 175-185lb...with abs

 

Edit: Oh, one other thing. I found a high protein diet worked for me. Meat, fish, eggs, plenty of milk with protein powders if you are really struggling to eat enough (I did). But heres a big thing I found for myself that you don't often see in bodybuilding advice written by meso's or endo's ... don't train too much. Overtraining is a big problem for ecto's, it will keep you small if you simply can't pack enough food into your body every day ... as most of us can't even when eating enough to almost make you feel sick.

 

I trained a maximum of 4 times a week, more often 3 (as I do now) and for an hour at most, walk in to walk out time. If I still had lactic pain in say, my biceps when it was bicep day then I'd skip them and throw in another body part. Overtraining will have your body 'eat' what muscle you have and you won't achieve your goals.

Edited December 9, 2015 by Mumbles

[hasaquestion]

Just to add to the above comments. I 100% agree, be very very careful with form. This is general advice but given my own circumstances I think it doubly applies to ectomorphs (like me).

 

What happened to me is that after 6-9 months of dedicated training, after years of 'fooling around' I somehow ended up with muscle strength that was greater than my ecto frame was able to safely support - its difficult to describe what I think happened.

 

In any event, over the course of that nine months I was comfortably able to load up more and more weight and probably tripled or more the loading I originally started with. End result? I gave myself a rotator cuff injury.

 

This is a serious and painful injury that will immediately and adversely affect your ability to continue to train and gain muscle. After being forced to take 6 months off I am now back in the gym, but taking things super cautiously.

 

I'm guessing it has less to do with your body type and more to do your shoulders having been a weak point to start. Rotator cuff injuries are common because many people in civilization's shoulders are more underdeveloped/immobile than the rest of their bodies and can't take the strain. I know PTs recommend you do push-ups with your arms tucked close if you think you might have underdeveloped rotator cuffs.

[fitnessfan365]

The most important factor in gaining size is CALORIE INTAKE. Quite simply, you need to eat A LOT. There was a client that I trained a few years ago who was @ 165. His goal was to put on 15lbs of muscle to get to 180. He didn't start gaining a pound a week until he started consuming 4,000 calories a day.

 

Aside from eating a ton of good clean calories, lifting heavy w/compound exercises - squats, deadlifts, lunges, bench press, overhead press, weighted dips and pull-ups, etc will do the trick. Full body workouts w/one lower body, one push, and one pull 3x per week would be my rec. However, make sure that you know proper form on all major exercises before attempting.

[Countryredneckbae]

Eat alot of carbs

[Mumbles]

Eat alot of carbs

 

I'm not sure about this - I think it might vary quite a lot between people.

 

I know that for sure a -lot- of ecto's suffer from lack of calorie intake and therefore if nothing else eating tons of carbs will help boost that, I mean, there are only so many steaks and pounds of fish one can struggle to get down. However, for me, carbs just make me fat and sleepy (weird that one).

 

Strangely, I found that meat fat didn't really bother my body as much as say a plate of potatoes would. Its all calories again for sure. So I didn't need to bother with the 'lean cuts', I could just go for the full flavoured full fat variety of meat and just chug it down - so long as I didn't accompany that meal with a nice crusty italian loaf or bowl of mashed potatoes I was fine.

[hasaquestion]

The most important factor in gaining size is CALORIE INTAKE. Quite simply, you need to eat A LOT. There was a client that I trained a few years ago who was @ 165. His goal was to put on 15lbs of muscle to get to 180. He didn't start gaining a pound a week until he started consuming 4,000 calories a day.

 

Aside from eating a ton of good clean calories, lifting heavy w/compound exercises - squats, deadlifts, lunges, bench press, overhead press, weighted dips and pull-ups, etc will do the trick. Full body workouts w/one lower body, one push, and one pull 3x per week would be my rec. However, make sure that you know proper form on all major exercises before attempting.

 

Good stuff. My favorite warmups are these:

 

*High knees - Serves the dual purpose of getting blood flowing through your muscles and warming up your glutes.

*Butt kicks - Also gets blood flowing, warms up your quads.

*High kicks - warms up your hamstrings.

*Inchworms - just an all around bada** movement. Stretches glutes and hamstrings and it gets me ready to go.

*Touchdowns - Also stretches the glute-hamstring train, not exactly sure why I do it but like the inchworms it definitely works.

*Spider man with hip lift and overhead reach - The mother of all stretches! This warms up your hips and thoracic spine and its a great way to prepare to squat.

*Lunges while pushing up

*Good mornings - great for your hamstrings

*Pass throughs - warms up your shoulders

*Leg swings - just to loosen my hips a bit more

 

Since most of my workouts are approximately "leg days" this list is the core of my warmup. I add or remove movements depending on the day but that list gets me ready to go. As you can see there's a lot of hip/hamstring stuff there. That's part of what personally works for me - its important to identify what you need the most and do that.

[fitnessfan365]

You have to remember the inside of your body though. A junk food diet may get you more calories, but it wreaks havoc on cholesterol and your arteries. What's the point of looking good on the outside if you're setting yourself up for high blood pressure, diabetes, cholesterol problems, etc..

 

That's why you should always eat clean as possible. Not saying to avoid junk food all together. Just 1-2x per week in moderation. Not the Super Size Me lifestyle of doing it every meal every day.