Body type, courtesy of genetics, can wreak havoc on your muscle-building efforts, especially if you’re a skinny guy. Genetics alone doesn’t dictate that you can’t gain muscle, it just means you have to work harder to get those big arms than the average heavyweight you might see walking around the gym.
The somatotype, the concept of human physics, coined in the 1940s by psychologist Dr. William Sheldon, classifies three main types of muscle gainers: the endomorph, the ectomorph, and the mesomorph. Skinny guys who work hard to gain muscle but just don’t are of the ectomorphic variety, meaning you have a long, lean frame that isn’t predisposed to store fat or build muscle efficiently. Most women would kill for this problem, but if you’re a man who wants to flex those biceps with pride, your status as a winner is problematic.
More calories inside than outside
Muscles grow with calories, and calories are the key to gaining or losing weight. If you want to gain muscle, it has to come from a surplus of calories consumed in excess of those burned during exercise and regular daily activity. On average, eat at least 500 to 1,000 more calories a day than you normally would, resulting in a gain of 1 to 2 pounds per week. An easy way to determine the exact caloric intake to maintain your current weight is to multiply your weight by 15 and then add 500 or 1,000 to that number. For example, if you weigh 150 pounds x 15 = 2,250; add 1,000, to equal 3,250 calories per day to gain 2 pounds per week. The exact pounds you need to add per day are specific to your starting weight and activity level, but should be discussed with your doctor first before implementing.
Add calories with healthy foods to build muscle
You can’t chew just any old thing to gain muscle. Keep a level head and consume foods meant to build muscle without causing health complications in your body. Muscle-building foods include those that contain protein and carbohydrates.
Protein is the basic building block of muscle, and adding a tasty serving of lean protein to every meal and snack increases muscle mass. Make sure at least 35 percent of your total daily calorie intake comes from a protein source, ranging from 40 to 60 grams per day if you weigh less than 200 pounds, before beginning your bulking plan. Eat a lean protein at least two hours before intense exercise and within two hours afterward for optimal muscle recovery. Examples of lean proteins to add to your daily meals: egg whites, skinless poultry, baked or grilled fish, low-fat dairy, and lean red meats.
Carbohydrates fuel every cell in your body and particularly your muscles. You need plenty of carbohydrates on a daily basis to perform normal activities and increase the intensity of your workouts. Eat healthy carbohydrates from fresh produce and whole grains to maintain energy without experiencing a sugar crash. Try to add a carbohydrate to each meal or snack and eat 60 to 80 grams, which is about 40 to 75 percent of your total daily caloric intake. Examples of carbohydrates to add to your daily meals: brown rice, oatmeal, green leafy vegetables, and berries.
Fat is part of the diet, but choose unsaturated fats like olive oil, nuts, and shellfish instead of butter, margarine, French fries, and fried meat. Eat no more than 30 percent fat of the total calories in your muscle-building diet. Fat insulates muscle cells to maximize muscle growth. However, too much fat can also cause arterial damage.
Additional considerations
Eat smaller, frequent meals up to six times a day. Fuel your machine and the muscles will build. But as you fuel your machine, you should also include strengthening exercises. Food is the energy base for muscle bulking, but without exercise you won’t build rock-hard muscle. During strength training workouts, lift the heaviest weight you can with high reps without compromising form. Alternate muscle groups every other day to allow for muscle recovery, which inspires growth. Add cardio to keep your heart healthy, but don’t emphasize cardio in every workout. The goal is to build muscle and bulk, not burn off the extra calories you just consumed.
Face it, if you’re a predisposed skinny guy, you may never be the desired mesomorph that builds muscle without storing fat. But your condition as a skinny man does not condemn you to a life of weak muscles either. With the right mix of determination, planning, diet, and exercise, he can transform into a lean, yet mass-building muscle machine.