Everywhere you go, you can’t help but run into reminders on how skinny you are – even when none of it is intentional! I have a simple plan you can see through to hulk-up before you even realize what’s happening to your body.
As a kid, I always thought I’d grow into a muscled man; all I had to do was be patient and give it time. Besides, I was too focused on my grades to worry about biological and physical processes. It wasn’t until my late twenties that I realized no miracles were happening, and that I needed to buff up, fast.
So I started by eating whenever I could, and as much as possible. What I didn’t realize was that I have a very active metabolism. I thought I was eating a lot, but in fact, I was consuming just what my body was used to – obviously, that meant there was little to no change at all.
I decided to use the internet and find out what online trainers and nutritionists had to say to help me out. This was when I realized: the digital age means there is an information overload, and that makes it challenging to pick what plan to choose. Besides, most of the information isn’t accurate or helpful!
After consulting a legit trainer and nutritionist and doing the right kind of reading, I discovered the right and healthy to go about bulking up. Actually, it wasn’t as difficult as I expected it to be. And I’ll tell you how to do it yourself without resorting to unsavory means.
How To Bulk Up For Skinny Guys
Before we get to the possible meal plans you can create for weight gain, there are a few tips and pointers you can keep in mind to make the journey easier:
Nutrition
No, I’m not talking about eating whenever you see food then assume you eat a lot. You need to gain more calories than you spend so you can gain more weight to work with during workouts. You can train all you want, but without the right nutrition (the right way), you’ll always be skinny. So:
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- •Eat frequently. Instead of filling your plate for the regular three meals a day, squeeze in more meals in between. For example, my method involves eating six meals a day – the regular three + snacking before them
- Eat more. By more, I mean more healthy calories. Junk food may have more calories, but they are unhealthy, and on the other hand, you may be stuffing your guts with meals that don’t reach the calorie content you need. You’ll see the best foods as you read
- Balance. You need the right protein-carbohydrate-fat balance (mine is 30-50-20, respectively). Complex carbs – not simple carbs – speed up your muscle building process; which is why you need them some more. Don’t forget to keep your foods whole, eat your vegetables with every meal, and hydrate
Exercise
My advice? Focus on strength training and mix it up with bodyweight training. Cardio workouts often work against you if you’re trying to gain weight and bulk up. With cardio, you end up depleting the calories you’re working so hard to add!
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Check out these exercises designed to help you gain weight.
[su_button url=” https://charmingmale.com/best-exercise-to-gain-weight/ ” target=”blank” style=”flat” background=”#ee232a” size=”6″ wide=”yes” center=”yes”] Best Exercises to Gain Weight [/su_button]
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Recovery
Sometimes it’s easy to think you’re making even more progress when you work out every day. I’ll be the one to tell you that it’s never a good idea to skip the off days. Especially for a beginner, rest every alternate day to give your muscles time to recover and rebuild.
Meal Plan For Skinny Guys
A meal plan begins when you know the right foods to include in your bulking diet. There are proteins, carbohydrates, and fats you can find in whole foods without compromising your health. They include:
Proteins
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- Eggs
- Legumes
- Meat like pork and steak
- Dairy
- Cheese
- Fish
- Chicken, duck or turkey
- Vegetarian protein
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Carbohydrates
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- Oats
- Whole grain bread
- Yams
- Quinoa
- Legumes and lentils
- Sweet & regular potatoes
- Rice
- Whole grain pasta
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Healthy fats
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- Peanut & almond butter
- Nuts (peanuts, macadamia, walnuts)
- Olive oil
- Coconut oil
- Avocado
- Almonds
- Whole milk, yogurt, cottage cheese
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Example of a day’s meal:
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- Pre-breakfast snack – Smoothie (berries/mangoes, nuts, milk, and water)
- Breakfast – Eggs (4 whole or 8 egg whites), oats, milk, and fruit
- Morning snack – Bananas, nuts or three scoops of peanut or almond butter), protein shake
- Lunch – Half cup rice, 2 baked potatoes, 200g steak, half an avocado, grated cheese, and vegetables
- Afternoon snack – Chicken sandwich, cheese slice, 50g fruit & nut mix, and a protein shake
- Dinner – 1 cup pasta, 300g chicken, 1 cup veggies, I corn cob with 1 spoon of butter
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Final word
It’s easy to get lost in all the online advice you’ll find regarding the perfect way to eat to bulk up. Of all the information I had access to, I have to admit these secrets from a former skinny guy got me so far. But it is pretty simple – consume 500 more calories than your daily expenditure, track your calorie intake, keep it healthy, and avoid processed foods.
