Skinny Guys: How to Gain Muscle and Weight

Millions to billions of dollars are made from new diets, weight loss programs, medicines and surgeries, all to help obese people lose weight; yet almost nothing exists to help skinny people get bigger in size. Here are some tips on how to gain some muscle on your body.

Workout

This may seem obvious to some, but it's not that obvious to others. Many people believe that it is better to gain fat and “turn” it into muscle by working out. However, new studies are showing that burning fat and building muscle are two separate processes, and that they do not directly correlate to one another. Therefore, start working out as soon as possible.

High Weight, Low Reps

To gain muscle mass, one must do a high amount of weight with a low amount of repetitions. This helps in building muscle, while doing a high amount of repetitions with low weight tones the body and makes you “cut.” For example; instead of doing 12 reps of 50 pounds, try doing 4-6 reps of 80 or 90 pounds. Start the set with 60% of your max, and by the end of the set (do around 2-4 sets, 3 is a good amount), you should be doing 80-90% of your maximum.

Proper Form

This is extremely important. Many people ignore this and get frustrated when no results appear. You MUST exhibit proper form if you want to gain muscle and not end up hurting yourself. Do the exercises and lifting slowly, and do it properly as instructed on the machine. Also, use proper muscle groups. If you are curling, try to only use your biceps; don't lean back and use your entire body's momentum to lift the weight. This will make the workout much more strenuous and effective and will help you gain weight a lot quicker.

Work Out Muscle Groups and Rest

In most cases, it is better to work out muscle groups rather than every muscle on every day. Resting is when muscle is actually built, so you want to rotate what you work out. Also, try to do related muscles on the same day (e.g. doing chest and triceps on the same day, since they are used together in workouts pertaining to them). Also, make sure you rest at least 2 days of the week. As mentioned earlier, this is when muscle is being built, so make sure no to overwork yourself.

Eat A Lot

Seems simple, right? It's not as easy as it looks. Many skinny people have quick metabolisms. To counter this, one must eat more than what he regularly consumes to change his metabolism. If you take 1500 calories a day, try taking 1800 or more. Make sure you are eating healthy too; simply eating fatty foods just to gain weight will do you no good. Consume a lot of protein such as meat, eggs and beans (supplements such as whey protein can help out in this; however be wary of creatine and other stronger supplements as they might be harmful to you) but be sure to get a good mix of fruits, vegetables and dairy too.

Cut Down on Cardio

Running help you lose weight and might interfere with you on gaining mass. Try to cut down on running/jogging/other cardio activities until you reach the level you want. Do running exercises before and after a workout as a warm up and cool down.

Stick to Your Schedule

Make a schedule of when you're going to work out and follow it like a machine. Getting lazy once will throw off your entire week, and can be very counterproductive. Don't train at 1 a.m. and expect to get results; do your work in the day and don't skip out on your time table. Also, do the appropriate amount of reps and weight you have set for yourself. Make achievable yet difficult goals, and as you accomplish them, add more to your list.

Stay Confident

You have to believe in yourself. Going in with a hopeless attitude of “I will never get bigger” will definitely not help you gain mass. You must believe in yourself and in what you are doing. A long jumper does not approach the track thinking “can I make this jump?” Stay positive and don't let other people get you down; this is about you, and not about them.

Research

Last but not least, make sure you research. Science is changing rapidly, and theories and thoughts about certain weight lifting methods and foods can change rapidly. Know what is healthy and what is not; don't go in with a blind eye and start squatting 300 pounds as you can seriously injure yourself. If you can't hire a personal trainer, then do you own research and learn about foods, supplements, and lifting. Nothing comes easy in life; you got to work hard to get to the point you desire

Hopefully these tips will help some of the skinner guys gain weight. Remember, stay persistent and work hard, and you will get the results you want before you know it!