If you’re unhappy with your slim physique and want to build muscle mass, then there’s only one good solution: do what it takes to bulk up and gain weight. Skinny guys everywhere aren’t completely stuck with their current fitness levels and body weight.

Instead, they can make a number of changes, including increasing calorie intake, getting plenty of extra protein, and hitting the gym for strength training in order to bulk up. It may take a while in order to bulk up properly, but before you know it, you’ll have the muscles and overall physique that you’ve always wanted.

How can you bulk up as a skinny guy? Follow these tips from our experts.

Eat Enough Calories of the Right Foods

According to fitness experts and personal trainers, there’s more to bulking up and gaining muscle than just hitting the weight room or going to the gym regularly. In fact, those two things make up a small portion of what it takes overall.

What does take up the larger part of this process? Your diet. Around 80% of what you’ll need to do in order to change your physique is related to what you’re eating — especially if you’re a so-called “hardgainer” who struggles to hold onto body fat or muscle.

Of course, you can’t just eat anything and call it a day. Instead, you need to carefully make sure that you’re eating the best foods and in the right amounts.

Focus on Your Macros

If you’re at all familiar with the world of diet and exercise, then you know what the word macros means. If not, here’s a quick overview:

Macros is short for macronutrients. These are the main building blocks of any diet and consist of three different categories: your grams of protein, carbohydrates, and lean fats. There are also micronutrients, which are the vitamins and minerals that round out your diet, but the main focus is on those macros.

In order to bulk up, you’ll need to pay close attention to your macros, eating plenty of protein that feeds your muscles, complex carbohydrates that give you a lot of energy, and the fats that you need to keep your body’s processes working properly. This combination of the three will give you the important foundation that you need to start and follow through with your muscle-building plan.

What Should You Include in Your Diet?

While focusing on the macros will help, you also need to ensure that you’re eating the right foods if you want to look like a bodybuilder. After all, some of the things that fit into the protein, fat, and carb categories may not contain enough micronutrients to keep you feeling healthy and get you through your workouts.

Some of the things to make sure to include in your daily meals are high in calories, like red meat (look for cuts of steak instead of ground beef), and avocados, which also contain some healthy fats. Other calorie-laden options include nuts, which have plenty of protein, and cooking oils, such as coconut oil. Almond butter is another good thing to include in your diet.

As far as carbohydrates are concerned, skinny people will want to eat those that fall into the “complex carb” category, like sweet potatoes. Oatmeal, whole grain bread and rolls, and noodles also contain the right kinds of carbs. Just avoid white bread and noodles that aren’t whole grains, as they have a lot of sugar in them.

In addition to focusing on foods that are high in calories and complex carbs, you also need to round out your diet with plenty of fruits and vegetables. You should have at least two different servings of fruit a day, such as a banana with breakfast or a piece of fruit alongside dinner.

Veggies, preferably steamed or sauteed, can be included as a side dish for any meal, but make sure that they only make up a small portion of the meal because they tend to be filling, and you need room for your protein allowance.

Attention, Skinny Guys: Eat Enough Healthy Food

Speaking of food, eating the right kinds of them isn’t enough. You also need to make sure that you’re eating a lot of calories. Since you want to bulk up, and your new exercise routine will burn additional calories, you can’t just keep eating the same amount that you’re currently ingesting.

In general, the amount of calories to add to your daily allowance is 500, but you may find that the number simply isn’t enough. In this case, you can raise it to 750 or 1,000 extra. Remember that you not only need to fuel your workouts, but also have enough extra calories left over to add to your body for the “bulking” part of things. This may seem like a super high-calorie diet, but you need those calories to fuel your lifts.

Add in Some Supplements

While there isn’t a magic supplement that will automatically give ectomorphs the bulked-up physique that they want, there are two that can help. Both have a proven track record of use by fitness enthusiasts and bodybuilders, so they’re safe when used as directed. These supplements? Protein powder and creatine.

Protein Powder

Protein powder is made up of crushed plants and meat derivatives that have been processed and turned into a powdery form. Most protein powder is sold at health food stores, although you may be able to find it at a standard grocery store in the vitamin and mineral section.

You can turn flavored protein powder, such as the kinds with either chocolate or vanilla added, into a protein shake by following the instructions on the container. If you prefer to make smoothies or shakes, include a tablespoon or two of the protein powder in the mix.

Either way, protein powder will give you the boost that your muscles need in order to grow larger. However, you shouldn’t have more than two protein powder-based drinks a day, as this can fill you up and make it tough to eat your standard meals. Even though the protein powder works, whole foods are much better for you.

Creatine

Creatine supplements come in many different forms, from pills to powders. All have the ability to boost your overall athletic performance, as they push more water into your muscles as you work out, helping them increase in size and allowing you to lift heavier weights than usual. Plus, creatine contains a natural hormone, called IGF-1, that helps with muscle growth. With that said, there are some downsides to taking a creatine supplement, so do your research before proceeding.

Sleep Matters

How much sleep do you get at night? If you want to bulk up, you’re going to need a decent amount of sleep. Too little rest can have a detrimental effect on your body, leaving you without the muscle growth that you want. Why? Well, your body repairs itself in your sleep, which helps your muscles repair the damage that you inflicted on them during your workouts. This in turn makes them grow larger.

In addition, as a part of your new diet and exercise regimen, you’ll need plenty of rest in order to be able to hit the gym as regularly as planned. And all of the foods that you’re now eating in order to bulk up might just be making you a bit sleepy. Aim for between six and eight hours per night and you’ll be fine.

Hit the Gym

If bulking up and achieving hypertrophy is your goal, then cardio is not your friend. Cardio workout plans are designed to help you lose weight and enhance your overall cardiovascular system (hence its name.) Doing too much cardio can help you burn off those excess daily calories that you’ve eaten, making you look leaner.

Instead, you want to hit the weight room for maximum muscle gain. Spend time lifting weights, making sure to get in plenty of workouts on your legs, arms, core muscles, and so on. The more you lift, the stronger you’ll get, and the more defined your muscles will become.

The best lifts to prioritize are compound exercises like:

• Barbell Squats: These engage multiple muscle groups in your upper and lower body at once
• Barbell Bench Presses: These strengthen your biceps, triceps, pectoral muscles, and more
• Barbell Deadlifts: These target your back, legs, and arms
• Bodyweight push-ups: These strengthen your entire body, including your core
• Bodyweight pull-ups: This move builds your upper body strength and can have a major impact on your overall physique

These workouts engage multiple muscle groups at a time, which can help you build lean muscle faster. Instead of doing high reps of isolation exercises with dumbbells, focus on the highest weight you can handle.

What To Expect When Bulking Up

It can take some time in order to bulk up, so don’t be upset if you don’t hit your goals right away. Be prepared to see your muscles slowly and gradually grow in size and your efforts in weight training and bulking up begin to take hold. In order to do this healthily, you need to be patient.

Final Thoughts

Skinny guys can indeed bulk up with the right diet and workout routine. They just need to know what to do and be prepared to see some small gains and things progress. By eating the right foods, getting plenty of sleep, hitting the gym, and remaining patient, you’ll be able to hit your goals and have the type of body that you always wanted.

Have any questions on this or anything else? Contact us!

Sources:

A Skinny Guy’s Guide to Bulking Up | Men’s Journal

How to Bulk Up for Skinny Guys | Discover Magazine

The Ultimate Skinny Guy’s Guide to Bulking Up Fast: How to Bulk like the Hulk | Nerd Fitness