Skinny-guy rules to gaining muscles

April 5, 2015 11:55 AM

Its far easier for guys with more flesh to build that excess flesh into muscles but for skinny dudes, its a whole different ball game.

Weight lifting

Half the time, skinny dudes want to get buff, six packs and all, but its never as it seems.

Some have tried and got frustrated when they weren't seeing immediate results.

If you are one of those,you are probably doing a lot of things wrong.

Heres what you would be needing to know to achieve your dream bod.

How to work out

Perform these exercises three days per week, resting at least a day between sessions. Vary the sets and reps, too.

On Day 1, complete five sets of five reps for each lift, resting two minutes between sets.

On Day 3, do four sets of 10, resting 90 seconds.

On Day 5, do three sets of 15 reps with 60—90 seconds' rest in between.

1. SquatSet up a barbell on the supports of a squat rack. Step underneath the bar, squeeze your shoulder blades together, and let the bar touch your upper traps.

Grab the bar with your hands as close together as is comfortable. Nudge the bar off the rack, take three steps backward, and stand with your feet a bit wider than shoulder-width apart and toes turned slightly outward.

Take a deep breath and bend your hips back as far as you can, keeping the arch in your lower back. Then bend your knees and lower your body as far as you can (try to squat to where your thighs are at least parallel to the floor).

Explode back upward to the starting position. That's one rep.

2. Clean and PressSet a barbell on the floor, crouch down, and grab it with hands shoulder-width apart. Your lower back should be in its natural arch.

Explosively stand up and shrug the bar, coming up onto the balls of your feet. As the bar rises to chest level, flip your wrists over so that your palms face the ceiling and your upper arms are in the bottom position of a shoulder press. From here, press the bar straight overhead.

Reverse the motion to return the weight to the floor. That's one rep. If you feel your back is rounding when you pull the weight off the floor, perform the exercise by starting with the bar at just above knee height, and "muscle" the weight up from there.

3. Pullup Grab a pullup bar with an overhand grip, hands outside shoulder width. Allow your body to hang. Pull yourself up until your chin is over the bar, and then lower yourself back to the starting position. That's one rep.

Depending on how many reps you need to do, you can add weight using a belt or holding a dumbbell between your feet (you may need to do this on the five sets of five day).

You can also use an elastic exercise band to help you perform more reps (such as on the 10- and 15-rep workout days).

How to eat for muscles

1. Write down what you're currently eating and tally up the calories. Add servings to your meals and maybe even another meal or two in the day so that you're eating 500 additional calories per day.

2. Try to get 0.6 to 0.8 grams of protein per pound of your body weight each day. So if you weigh 150 pounds, you should be consuming 90—120 grams of protein.

3. Embrace healthy unsaturated fats, such as those in nuts, seeds, and certain oils. With approximately 120 calories per serving, you'll get plenty of muscle-building fuel without having to choke down huge portions.