How do I bulk up as a skinny guy?
People have told me I'm built like a twig! I wanna gain muscle and get big. I know diet and excercise are important but I don't know what I should be eating or what exercises I should be doing. Where do I even start?
Number one, you need to lift heavy. And it should be heavy with good form, between 8 and 12 reps. That's where you're going to get the most hypertrophy, which is just a fancy word for muscle building. If it's getting too heavy where you can't get 8, lighten it up a little bit. And if it's getting too easy where you can do more than 12, increase the weight.
Number two is going to be the tools or equipment that you use. You want to buy yourself some bigger kettlebells, some bigger dumbbells, and a barbell. Barbells and dumbbells are going to be the two main things that are going to build muscle the fastest. Utilize the barbells and then utilize a couple of heavy kettlebells or dumbbells.
Number three is compound movements. Aim for bigger movements. That means your squats, your deadlifts, your push-ups, and I would not waste time doing isolation exercises because that's not going to put on mass. You want full-body exercises that increase hormone response. They increase the utilization of all of your muscles at one time, so you'll get your most bang for your buck by doing the compound movements which are squat, bench deadlift, push-up, single leg squat, single leg deadlifts, wheel rollouts, front plank, etc. So, stick to those. I call those our "big rocks," the meat and potatoes of your programming.
Number two is going to be the tools or equipment that you use. You want to buy yourself some bigger kettlebells, some bigger dumbbells, and a barbell. Barbells and dumbbells are going to be the two main things that are going to build muscle the fastest. Utilize the barbells and then utilize a couple of heavy kettlebells or dumbbells.
Number three is compound movements. Aim for bigger movements. That means your squats, your deadlifts, your push-ups, and I would not waste time doing isolation exercises because that's not going to put on mass. You want full-body exercises that increase hormone response. They increase the utilization of all of your muscles at one time, so you'll get your most bang for your buck by doing the compound movements which are squat, bench deadlift, push-up, single leg squat, single leg deadlifts, wheel rollouts, front plank, etc. So, stick to those. I call those our "big rocks," the meat and potatoes of your programming.
Thanks for all the tips, everyone! im definitely planning on trying some of these new workouts, but i was wonderig if anyone has any nutrition tips? I find all that stuff really confusing, so what has worked for you guys to eat while building muscle?
Foods that will help build muscle overall are lean proteins like chicken, turkey, eggs, lean beef, fish, whey protein powder, Greek yogurt, etc. Complex carbs like sweet potato, brown rice, vegetables and fruits are good, and you should also eat healthy fats like avocados, nuts, olive oil etc.
To build muscle, aim for lower reps at a higher weight. You should consider something called microloading. So if you use barbells, you have the option of loading any weight you want on the side, so you can move your weight up by a pound, or half a pound, or two pounds. So if you're able to bench press four sets of six at 50 pounds and it feels kind of heavy, next week move up just a little bit to 51 or 52 pounds. And you'll see progress really quickly if you keep microloading like this. Unfortunately, that's not an easy option with dumbbells because they usually only use five-pound increments or two-pound increments. And that may be too big of a jump to make for certain individuals.
You could definitely also try pull-ups, push-ups, lunges and squats. Use either weights that are around you or just your own body weight to help yourself get stronger. If you don't have access to weights, get creative!
You could definitely also try pull-ups, push-ups, lunges and squats. Use either weights that are around you or just your own body weight to help yourself get stronger. If you don't have access to weights, get creative!
I also used to be a skinny guy and I think it took me a while to really internalize that I couldn't just keep eating the way I had been eating if I wanted to gain muscle. Even if you work out a bunch, you're not going to bulk up if you don't give your body enough calories and protein to build with. You're going to need to eat more protein and eat consistently, which you may not be doing right now if you're a skinny guy.
Another thing I found helpful was keeping track of my weight and reps for different exercises so I could really measure my progress and make sure I was pushing myself to steadily achieve more and improve over time. I used to do reps until "failure" but I realized that the point of failure would change depending on the day (maybe I didn't get enough sleep so I was tired or I had something on my mind that would distract me). Actually measuring my progress helped me stay consistent.
Another thing I found helpful was keeping track of my weight and reps for different exercises so I could really measure my progress and make sure I was pushing myself to steadily achieve more and improve over time. I used to do reps until "failure" but I realized that the point of failure would change depending on the day (maybe I didn't get enough sleep so I was tired or I had something on my mind that would distract me). Actually measuring my progress helped me stay consistent.
What do other wikiHow readers have to say?
Other wikiHow readers have submitted their own tips on topics similar to this one.
Reader Tips from How to Gain More Muscle Mass and Strength
Everyone is different. Some people have a really easy time putting on more muscle, while other people just don't have a body type that makes the process easy. Try not to get frustrated and just focus on being productive at the gym. The results will come!
It's very easy to get caught up trying build your upper body to get those iconic biceps and pecs, but don't neglect your lower body! A lot of the definition in your core and back is going to come from those lower-body exercises.
Reader Tips from How to Eat to Gain Muscle
Be consistent with your meals to see progress. Try to limit the amount of meals you eat during the week that don't have a lot of protein or other nutrients.
Slowly increase all your nutrients over the space of a month. Make sure everything you're eating is high quality and high value, because every meal counts.
Keep a food journal to track what you're eating each day. This shows you how many nutrients you're consuming and where you can improve.
Reader Tips from How to Get Buff
People like to act like all you have to do is lift a lot of weights to get buff, but diet is arguably more important than any of the exercises you do. You need to eat a healthy, calorically-dense diet to build the mass you need to convert it into muscle.
Buffness is not only a physical state but a state of mind. Be confident, love who you are, and carry yourself like you're the strongest person in the room. It will seriously translate to a real change in the way people percieve you.
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