Muscle Gaining Tips for Skinny Guys
When it comes to the perfect physique, we all have our own different ideas of what the perfect physique actually looks like. For some of us, the perfect physique is lean and ripped, whereas others prefer more of a bulky look. If you are sick and tired of being skinny however, there’s a strong chance that one of the main objectives will be to bulk up and add some quality muscle mass to your frame. That’s why for today’s article, we’re looking at muscle gaining tips for skinny guys. You see, some guys out there can just look in the general direction of a barbell and gain 10 pounds of muscle, yet others can spend hours in the gym each week, pumping iron, and barely see any muscle growth at all. If you’re serious about bulking up however, here’s a look at a series of muscle gaining tips for skinny guys.
- Increase your calories – If you are skinny and are looking to build muscle, you are going to need to increase your daily caloric intakes. If you aren’t gaining weight this tells you that your current average daily caloric intake is simply too low. In order to build muscle, you need to consume more calories than your body needs to maintain itself in its current state. This is known as a caloric surplus. If you aren’t getting enough calories, you simply aren’t going to build muscle. The problem is that if you consume too many, too quickly, you may also find yourself gaining more fat as opposed to muscle, and nobody wants that. Aim to eat around 300 calories above maintenance to begin with. To figure out your basal metabolic rate, there are plenty of basic online calculators on the web to utilize.
- Focus on compounds – To begin with, we’re looking for maximum levels of muscle hypertrophy. When it comes to muscle gaining advice, virtually all experts out there will tell you to focus on compound exercises to begin with. Compound exercises work multiple muscles at the same time, and are therefore ideal for muscle gaining because they require your muscles to work harder to execute the lift. Exercises such as barbell rows, bench presses, squats, dead lifts, and pull ups, are all great examples of compound lifts.
- Finish off muscle groups with isolation movements – When you begin a workout, always start with your heavy compound movements to fatigue the muscles as much as possible. Once your compound work is done however, you can really finish off the muscle in question by isolating it. Isolation exercises isolate one specific muscle group, rather than working several at once, and they are great for working on your flaws and imperfections. If your biceps for example, are smaller than the rest of your upper body, bicep isolation exercises like concentration curls are perfect for working just the biceps. To build a symmetrical and aesthetic physique, isolation exercises are essential.
- Be sure to rest – One common mistake that people make when training to gain mass is thinking that more is more. In reality, sometimes less is more. People find themselves spending hours in the gym each day, training 7 days, and sometimes training twice per day with no days off. We do our growing when we rest, as that is when our muscles repair themselves. If you are spending too much time in the gym your muscles simply don’t have time to recover. Ideally you should train 4 – 5 days per week, giving yourself at least two full days off to recover and grow.