As someone who started out small and skinny, got chubby, and then became really skinny, I know what it’s like to have a hard time building muscle. At age 13, I weighed 90 lbs. and I was skinny as a rail. I still get embarrassed when I look at photos of me from back then. Today I am not hugely muscular by any means, but I do weigh 70 lbs. heavier.
It has taken me 10 years to add that 70 lbs. Some of it came in large spurts and some was gained very slowly. And even though I have the knowledge for building the most muscle possible, I haven’t been maximizing my training for muscle growth. At a certain point, I became more concerned with increasing strength and other athletic abilities rather than focusing mainly on muscle size. Having said that, I have gained an appreciable amount of muscle and I’ve received many comments on it. I don’t say this to brag but rather to assure you as the reader that I can deliver on the promise implied in the title of this article.
160 pounds may not seem like a lot but then again if you’re really skinny like I was, it might. At 5’8’’ and 160 lbs. I don’t get looked at as the “skin and bones” guy any more. Now I get looked at as “athletic” or lean and muscular. Throughout my 10 year journey I have learned many different methods of building muscle. With this article I’m going to share the best methods that will not only help you build muscle but will also get you stronger. It doesn’t matter if you’re starting at 70 lbs. or 120 lbs. and it doesn’t matter how weak or strong you are, if you follow the program and believe that it will work, then it will work.
The 3 Pillars of Physical Health
If you’re anything like I was, you’re excited and ready to jump straight into the workouts. That’s great, but before we get there, we have to make sure that every piece of the puzzle is addressed. The puzzle pieces that I am talking about here are what I call the 3 pillars of physical health which are: Exercise, Nutrition, and Recovery. Think of it as a pyramid with Exercise and Nutrition as the bottom two pillars forming the foundation and Recovery sits on top.
Having the right plan for each of these pillars is necessary in order to achieve your goals in a fast and healthy way. And if you don’t pay enough attention to even one of them, you may not even get close to your goal. When it comes to skinny guys building muscle, there are two pillars that are usually not given enough attention. These pillars are nutrition and recovery.
Many skinny guys (especially the younger ones) are ready to charge into their workouts like a Spartan warrior. And many do work hard like a Spartan warrior. Unfortunately, these eager dudes often neglect proper nutrition and recovery thinking that if they work hard enough in the gym, everything will work out the way they want it too. That’s just not true. Odds are that you won’t get fat but you also won’t build as much muscle as you’d like.
Eat Your Way to Bigger Muscles
Nutrition is important to any workout routine because first and foremost our food fuels our bodies. If you don’t eat enough of the right types of foods you won’t have the energy to work out or recover from working out. That applies to every goal. Now for those wanting to lose or gain weight, attention to nutrition becomes so much more important.
If you burn more calories than you consume, you are going to lose weight. If you burn less calories than you consume, you are going to gain weight. It’s that simple. So the simplified answer of “How to Build Muscle for Skinny Guys” is to workout the right way and eat more calories than you need. Of course, these calories need to be “healthy” calories which is a subject I’ll go over more in detail in my article, “Muscle Building Diet Plan.”
Some Well Deserved R & R
The third pillar is Recovery and it requires just as much attention as the others. That is, if you want the best results possible. Recovery not only has to do with sleep but it also has a lot to do with Exercise and Nutrition. That’s why I place it on the top of the pyramid because the other two are the foundation of recovery.
That’s not to say that sleep is unimportant. In fact, the opposite is true. If you want to build muscle you should at least be getting 7 hours of sleep at night, and that’s the minimum. 8 or 9 hours of sleep is what you really want to shoot for.
To learn more about Recovery for How to Build Muscle for Skinny Guys check out my article, "Best Workout Recovery” coming soon. To get started on your muscle building journey, click on any of the articles below. Remember that you should have a solid plan for each of them before beginning.
How to Build Muscle for Skinny Guys Workouts
Muscle Building Workouts Level 1
Muscle Building Workouts Level 2
Muscle Building Workouts Level 3
Nutrition
Other
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