For years you’ve had the struggle of being the skinny guy in the group. Whether you feel frustrated for being the easy target it when it comes to competitive events or simply not being able to fill out your clothing to the fit that you want, you’ve probably come to the point where you feel the need to change all this.
There are different body types which require different body goals. For this particular article, we’ll be looking at people who are considered to have an ectomorphic body frame. Common characteristics for these include:
- Being tall and lean in shape
- Someone who find it difficult to gain muscle and fat
- An increased metabolism
- Have the body shape to a marathon runner
Sound familiar? It can be a large struggle to gain weight as a skinny guy, particularly if you have high metabolism, which has been the cause for your slim figure up to this date. But here’s some useful advice to help you bulk up and begin your journey towards getting stronger and muscular.
Hello egg whites
It’s pretty common knowledge that if you’re looking to increase your muscle mass, you’re going to need protein in your diet. How much protein you need to incorporate in your diet can vary from person to person but a good estimate is around 1g per pound of your body weight.
Simply put, protein influences the growth of your muscles because it’s composed of amino acids that impact their size and promote muscle hypertrophy. Even if you’re having a rest day for the week, continue to have protein as it can help in your recovery period; the body will continue to build muscle regardless of if you’re still working out.
There are many foods that you can have that contain high levels of protein. A common source for regular gym goers are egg whites, but you can also find them in seafood, chicken, and dairy products such as milk and beans.
Bulk up with carbs
The main purpose of your carbohydrate intake is to make sure you have enough energy to sustain your workouts and go for high intensity workouts for longer periods.
Before a workout, try to have a carbohydrate heavy meal like a bowl of pasta or rice, and then finish it with a meal that has a mixture of carbs and protein to help restore the carbohydrates used and replenish your muscles.
A good example of a post-workout meal would be chicken and rice with some mixed vegetables (other options include quinoa, bulgur, seitan and tofu).
Remember that a good healthy diet should continue even on your days off. But, as a person with a slim/skinny build, you shouldn’t fear gaining a little fat as this will influence your overall body transformation as you look to bulk up.
Increase your nitric oxide intake
It’s common for newbies at the gym to be sceptical about taking digestive health supplements. When you’re looking to be a regular at your local fitness group, you tend to have an impatience for wanting results and therefore look for quick wins with supplements.
Nitrous oxide in particular is a great supplement that can be used to increase your performance during workouts and increase your muscle mass.
Other benefits of the supplement includes decreasing your recovery period by improving blood flow and helping you to maintain healthy cell growth. From a healing perspective, this can be highly beneficial as sometimes it can be common to feel a twist or tear while you’re working out which heavily impacts cartilage tissues that take the longest to heal.
The doubt that tends to be caste over digestive health supplements is they can come with side effects and influence your general wellbeing. As such, there are regulators and resources out there that can help you to choose the right supplement. Scams reviews is a website that can help you compare different supplements and choose which one is best for you depending on their ingredients and price.
Consider a protein shake during your workouts
Looking after your body through what you eat is important before and after your workout. However, it can be just as important during your workout (or in between sessions) to help you with a burst of energy to maintain your intensity.
One way to achieve this is by having a protein shake during your workout. It’s of course important to keep hydrated during your workout, but absorbing more carbohydrate and protein quickly can be achieved by having a shake during your workout.
It’s also a great way to avoid feeling a bit nauseous if you’ve had a large meal beforehand; a shake can feel more settling in your stomach whilst gaining a similar amount of protein and carbohydrate intake from a normal meal.
Make notes of your workouts and what you’re eating
This cannot be stressed enough when it comes to keeping track of your progress. Having a food and workout journal will provide you with a better understanding of your progres and what’s working for you. Similar to counting your calories, you can determine whether you’re eating right and training correctly based off the notes you make and what you’re eating.
If you find that after a couple of weeks or months your weight is remaining relatively the same, this means you aren’t consuming the required protein and carbohydrates through your diet to increase your weight.
The meals recorded in your food diary will give you better insight into what meals work well for your body and which don’t.
Reaching your goals
The steps provided above are sure ways you can see results in your body transformation. By increasing your carbohydrate and protein intake, keeping a record of what you’re eating and how you’re training, and adding nitrous oxide to your diet you can influence your muscle mass increase.
The most important thing is to build in a routine and stick with what works for you. Before you know it, you’ll begin to see the changes in your body you’ve always wanted.
image sources
- How-to-build-muscle: Photo courtesy of CrossFit Inc
