Authored by Andy Chasse’ in Exercise
Published on 07-12-2009
Skinny guys need love too! Muscle-building for all the skinny ones out there is just as easy as it is for anyone else. With enough food going in and enough high-intensity work in the gym, the pounds will pack on before you even realize it.
Rather than sticking with the term “skinny guys” throughout this article, let’s switch to something a little more scientific. There are three distinct body types. Endomorphs tend to hold fat easier than most and are generally wider and bulkier. Mesomorphs gain muscle easily and are naturally fit. Finally, ectomorphs are the “skinny guys.” Ectomorphs might have a six pack that never disappears but they have very little muscle to show for it. So how can this be fixed? Easily. There are a few key steps that must be followed in order to optimize the potential for muscle gain in ectomorphs.
1) Eat, eat, and eat. Seriously, don’t stop eating. Ectomorphs rarely need to be afraid of fat gain. Eat as many times a day as possible. Eat big meals and snacks and more big meals. Stuff your face until you’re so full you literally can’t take another bite. This isn’t a joke – most people simply just don’t eat enough. The skinny guys wonder why they don’t gain weight from the time they wake up in the morning through their workout and on until it’s time to pass out in bed. Eat like you mean it!
2) High-intensity gym sessions. Tear up that generic musclemag you’re reading write now and take a gander at the screen for a second. Those high repetition endurance-based isolation workouts aren’t going to get the job done here. Isolation movements are solely intended to isolate a specific muscle. Just like the name implies, right? Here’s the problem, though – skinny guys have no muscle to isolate. Focus on the big compound movements such as the bench press, squat, deadlift, and overhead press to build a solid foundation. Isolation exercises may prove beneficial in attaining optimum symmetry, but they are not going to make a very large difference without a strong base.
3) Ditch the cardio. But that’s blasphemy, isn’t it? Not for the ectomorph. Step number one states that lots of food has to go in to gain quality muscle. Cardiovascular activity takes those hard-earned calories and throws them right back out the door. Ectomorphs innately have a hard time putting on fat. Because of this, there’s no reason to perform a high amount of cardiovascular exercise. Sure, a short run here and there isn’t going to hurt anything. It is definitely important to keep the heart happy and healthy. But extended runs or rides multiple times each week are not at all beneficial to the goal of muscle-building for the skinny guy.
When these three important elements are all taken into account, muscle-building is an easy task even for the ectomorph. Remember that above all else, food is the most crucial part of the mass gaining equation. You can’t pack on pounds without a caloric surplus, so eat with a vengeance!
