Skinny guys believe that building muscle mass is impossible due to their genetics. More often than not, they’re not training, eating, and recovering properly. Here are 5 tips for putting on muscle mass fast.
When training for muscle mass, not all diets and workout methods are suitable. You need a plan of attack if you want any chance of gaining weight and building muscle.
Below are 5 critical tips skinny guys need to apply when building muscle mass fast.
Tip #1 Train Based On Fiber Type
One question to ask yourself is, “what fiber type am I?”
Most guys or women never stop to think about what muscle fiber type they are when training.
It could very well be possible that your workouts could be suffering if you’re training for a muscle fiber type that is not your own.
It makes sense that you want to get the most out of your workouts by training according to your muscle fiber type.
How do you figure out your muscle fiber type?
Here are some simple rules to follow when determining your muscle fiber type.
Fast Twitch
- Better at sprinting as opposed to long-distance running
- explosive power
- Vertical jump higher than 23 inches
- Less than 7 reps on 80% of your 1 rep max.
- Longer rest periods between sets
Slow Twitch
- Better at marathons or long-distance running
- Vertical jump under 17 inches
- More than 7-9 reps on 80% of your 1 rep max
- Shorter rest periods between sets
Now that you know your muscle fiber type, it’s best to pick a muscle-building program that’s designed specifically for you.
It makes no sense to train the opposite of your muscle fiber type, you want to accentuate your strengths so that your muscle building can work for you rather than against you.
Tip #2 Mass Building Diet
Calories, Calories, Calories!
This is probably the BIGGEST mistake skinny guys make when trying to build muscle mass.
To figure out how many calories you need in order to put on muscle mass you need a formula that works specifically for you.
Below is the formula for packing on muscle mass, but if you want a free calculator to figure it out for you; click the image below.
The formula:
Figure out your maintenance calories by taking your body weight and multiply by 12
Example: 150 x 12 =1800
Take your 1800 calories and add 500 more to it which =2,300
This is the number of calories you need every day to put on muscle mass.
- Protein will be 1 gram x your body weight
- Carbohydrates will be 2 grams x bodyweight on upper body workout days and 0.5 grams on non-training days
- Carbohydrates will be 3 grams x bodyweight on lower body workout days and 0.5 grams on non-training days
- Fats make up the remainder of the calories on training and on non-training days
A good rate of gaining weight is between 0.5- 2lbs per week. If you have not put on weight using this formula, simply add another 250-500 calories more.
Tip #3 Cardio
Performing any kind of cardio activity for a skinny guy is probably the worse thing you can do for building muscle mass.
Cardio burns calories and that’s the last thing you want to do.
Cardio should only be used if you’re starting to put on more fat than you want.
Here’s a good rule for skinny guys to go by: If you run, walk. If you stand, sit.
You want to do as little to burn calories as possible. It’s hard enough to consume high calories so you don’t want to waste it doing cardiovascular activities.
Tip #4 Compound Movements
To get BIGGER you have to get stronger.
Compound exercises utilize multiple joints with free weights. This means maximal muscle recruitment, high nervous system activation, and more of a stimulus for growth.
Compound movements such as:
- Squats
- Deadlifts
- Barbell Bench Press
- Shoulder Press
are very powerful in building strength.
Another fantastic way to use compound exercises is to train horizontal push/pull movements and vertical push/pull movements.
This is how Arnold Schwarzenegger used to train.
Push/Pull exercises are training muscle antagonist/agonist muscle groups.
For example, when Arnold used to bench (pushing movements) he would super-set with chin-ups (Pulling movement).
Tip #5 Recovery
When it comes to recovery, there have been conflicting arguments as to when you should consume your protein shake or first post-workout meal.
How many times have you read or heard, “As soon as the weight hits the floor you’ve got a 30-minute anabolic window to chug down a protein shake for making muscle gains?”
If you have been training for any length of time I’m sure you’ve heard that you only have a 30-minute window of opportunity or what is commonly called, “the anabolic window” to making muscle gains.
Supposedly the anabolic window is a period of time after your training when your body is primed to accept nutrients better and shuttle them towards muscle.
Is there any truth to this or have we accepted it as truth because we’ve been told through fitness coaches, friends, or muscle and fitness magazines?
After an intense workout, your body begins to go catabolic. These catabolic processes are critical to activating the maximum anabolic state.
When given the chance to work properly it can become what I consider to be a “magical hormone.”
In the absence of insulin, cortisol helps mobilize body fat, it allows catecholamines to be more effective at mobilizing fat and intramuscular glycogen stores.
You want cortisol to be able to do its job post-workout.
Studies have shown that your results in the gym strongly correlate with how high your cortisol levels are during training than any other training, more strongly correlated than testosterone and growth hormone.
There is a lot of evidence that cortisol being a catabolic trigger, is hormetic. Your body needs this slight damaging process so that when it recovers, there is a bigger effect.
You need to have the hormetic effect of the training set in for at least an hour, and just let the body naturally recover and perform the necessary healthy processes to better prepare you for the next day's training.
Plus, as an added benefit this gives your body time to clear triglycerides from the blood that were released during training, allowing you to lose more body fat while still becoming bigger and stronger.
Supplements Needed:
- You’ll need to consume a carbohydrate drink before and midway through your workout. I recommend something like Allmax Carbon, Virago, etc.
- In your Intra carb drink (Allmax Carbon) put 10 grams of BCAA’s and 5 grams of creatine. This will help aid in muscle recovery and soreness. After your workout consumes another 10 grams of BCAA’s with another drink of your choice, preferably a carb drink.
- Protein Powder for Shake mixed with 5 grams of Leucine. (Consume 1 hour after training)
- An hour after your protein shake will be your first BIG meal consisting of carbs and protein only. Not fat.
- In the morning and evening consume fish oils.
Conclusion
Using the 5 tips above, I can pretty much guarantee you’ll gain at least 10 pounds or more in your first 30 days.
Eating by consuming the right amount of calories and macros are going to be the most challenging part if you don’t have a plan.
To make it easier, I would suggest you get “My Fitness Pal” for your smartphone and track everything.
This will help you to track and know if you are getting enough calories in the day to pack on muscle mass easily and effortlessly.
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