Many people don't understand the plight of us scrawny guys. But the ectomorph body type forces us to be thin. It's a blessing in older age but a curse in youth.
Women just aren't attracted to scrawny guys. Kill that scrawnyness and everyone will respond to you differently. Diesel has a good guide to bulking up. But I don't think Diesel has suffered the scrawny guy plight. Scrawny guys have different a metabolism. Scawny guys ask these big guys "How do you bulk up?" and the big guys gives their gym program. The gym is important, but the diet must be the focus for the scrawny guys. The challenge is not in the gym; it is in the kitchen.
No matter how much you work out, no matter what supplements you take, you will remain scrawny. But you can control your body's nature rather than it controlling you. Here's how:
The most difficult trial is the diet. You must:
1) Eat the correct food.
2) Write down and calculate the calories (Do not wing this!)
3) Eat six to seven times a day.
1) Your foods need to be rich in protein at every meal. Whey protein, eggs, lean beef, chicken, fish, pork, etc. Stay away from the processed stuff (like deli meats or those slices of meat you get in those stupid packages). It is not that the processed stuff is bad, it is that your body will gain more protein from the real meat.
All this meat will also trigger testosterone to soar in your body. It is the key to muscle growth (and perhaps some other changes in yourself as well!)
I can't stress this enough. You need to plan out your meals. This will be hell (because I like to grab stuff and throw it in Mr. Microwave.) Once you start gaining mass, your body will say, "What is this? This does not apply to my DNA's blueprint! I will slowly remove this extra mass." You must be consistant since you will be fighting your body's natural urge to be thin.
So make sure that when you start, you can keep going on this plan for months. Make sure you have some decent meals that taste good or you WILL get off your plan (and you will become thin again).
2) This is very important. People think they will 'wing it', not write anything down and do it 'mentally'. Writing down stuff seems like too much work. Yes, it takes time. Yes, it may take more time then it takes for you to study for your classes. But if you are serious, then you might as well do it right. Why do all this work if it leads you to a unending circle?
It is a simple matter of mathematics. If you take in more calories than you burn, you will get bigger (and by eating the correct foods, you will not gain fat. Besides, as scrawny as you are, would you notice any fat if you had any?)
Here's a guide of the amount of calories you need PER DAY if you want to lose your scrawniness:
100 lbs....2000 cal.
110 lbs....2200 cal.
120 lbs....2400 cal.
130 lbs....2600 cal.
140 lbs....2800 cal.
150 lbs....3000 cal.
160 lbs....3200 cal.
170 lbs....3400 cal.
180 lbs....3600 cal.
190 lbs....3800 cal.
Keep in mind that its not just rates of calories you're measuring, but also protein and fat. But if you stay away from the bad stuff (which you know what that is) and keep towards the good stuff (the lean meats), the calories should be a good guide to what you're aiming for.
3) Your body wants to be thin. Don't let it! Eat, eat, eat. Eat at least every three hours. Eat when you wake up, eat before you sleep. Eat six to seven meals a day. Make sure there is protein at each meal.
This will be no easy task. If you can do this, everything else will be simple. This is the MOST DIFFICULT part. Record your results, your nutrient count and your changes weekly.
It may be a problem for some to eat six to seven meals a day. This is when supplements will help. But supplements are not a magic potion for mass gain. Don't even bother with supplements if you can't even do the diet right (which is MORE difficult than you imagine). If you have a choice of spending your money on the correct food or supplements, spend it on the correct food. You can do all this without supplements.
OK, now the easy stuff.
Diesel's guide to bulking up is good (but the emphasis must be on diet, not working out, ESPECIALLY if you are scrawny). I work out about 3-4 times a week. Usually, it is divided into legs one day, biceps and back another day, chest and triceps another day.
Stick to free weights. If you have not worked out before, take some time to understand the equipment and the proper uses.
This you may find embarrassing. But what is more embarrassing is doing the exercise improperly. You will not improve your muscles and you will look stupid. I see guys who go the gym everyday and do exercises incorrectly. Obviously, they will get nowhere.
I usually do a very low weight practice set to begin with. Good form is critical. I throw on enough weight to do like ten reps. Then I throw more weight on to do like five reps. Then throw on more weight to do like two reps. Then I unload a lot of it and superset to failure.
It is also fun to do it backwards. One time I was benchpressing and had two guys spot me. Four ten pound weights were on each side. Not much weight but after 30 reps or so it becomes heavy. The two guys then took one ten pound weight off the bar. It felt so much lighter that I did more. Then when I couldn't lift it any more, the two guys took another ten pount weight off each side. In the end, I was only lifting the bar. Then, the girls Pook were eyeing earlier came in at that time to see poor Pook struggling to lift up the bar with two guys spotting him! Doh!
But actually, don't worry about how much you are lifting. Lift only what is heavy to your muscles. You will not take the weights outside the gym to show the chicks. You will only take your muscles out so focus on them.
Again, you MUST record what you are lifting. Yes, take a notebook and record how heavy weights you lifted and the reps you did. Why? Because you want to IMPROVE. Record, record, record!
With all this activity, your body will be tired. Let it get its proper rest. And eat, eat, eat!
You will gain definition, mass, and will transform yourself from scrawny guy to well-built guy with awesome physique that the girls will drool over.
Everyone now looks at me and say, "Pook, you are so lucky." And I tell them, "Perhaps... But the smarter I work, the luckier I get!"
Women just aren't attracted to scrawny guys. Kill that scrawnyness and everyone will respond to you differently. Diesel has a good guide to bulking up. But I don't think Diesel has suffered the scrawny guy plight. Scrawny guys have different a metabolism. Scawny guys ask these big guys "How do you bulk up?" and the big guys gives their gym program. The gym is important, but the diet must be the focus for the scrawny guys. The challenge is not in the gym; it is in the kitchen.
No matter how much you work out, no matter what supplements you take, you will remain scrawny. But you can control your body's nature rather than it controlling you. Here's how:
The most difficult trial is the diet. You must:
1) Eat the correct food.
2) Write down and calculate the calories (Do not wing this!)
3) Eat six to seven times a day.
1) Your foods need to be rich in protein at every meal. Whey protein, eggs, lean beef, chicken, fish, pork, etc. Stay away from the processed stuff (like deli meats or those slices of meat you get in those stupid packages). It is not that the processed stuff is bad, it is that your body will gain more protein from the real meat.
All this meat will also trigger testosterone to soar in your body. It is the key to muscle growth (and perhaps some other changes in yourself as well!)
I can't stress this enough. You need to plan out your meals. This will be hell (because I like to grab stuff and throw it in Mr. Microwave.) Once you start gaining mass, your body will say, "What is this? This does not apply to my DNA's blueprint! I will slowly remove this extra mass." You must be consistant since you will be fighting your body's natural urge to be thin.
So make sure that when you start, you can keep going on this plan for months. Make sure you have some decent meals that taste good or you WILL get off your plan (and you will become thin again).
2) This is very important. People think they will 'wing it', not write anything down and do it 'mentally'. Writing down stuff seems like too much work. Yes, it takes time. Yes, it may take more time then it takes for you to study for your classes. But if you are serious, then you might as well do it right. Why do all this work if it leads you to a unending circle?
It is a simple matter of mathematics. If you take in more calories than you burn, you will get bigger (and by eating the correct foods, you will not gain fat. Besides, as scrawny as you are, would you notice any fat if you had any?)
Here's a guide of the amount of calories you need PER DAY if you want to lose your scrawniness:
100 lbs....2000 cal.
110 lbs....2200 cal.
120 lbs....2400 cal.
130 lbs....2600 cal.
140 lbs....2800 cal.
150 lbs....3000 cal.
160 lbs....3200 cal.
170 lbs....3400 cal.
180 lbs....3600 cal.
190 lbs....3800 cal.
Keep in mind that its not just rates of calories you're measuring, but also protein and fat. But if you stay away from the bad stuff (which you know what that is) and keep towards the good stuff (the lean meats), the calories should be a good guide to what you're aiming for.
3) Your body wants to be thin. Don't let it! Eat, eat, eat. Eat at least every three hours. Eat when you wake up, eat before you sleep. Eat six to seven meals a day. Make sure there is protein at each meal.
This will be no easy task. If you can do this, everything else will be simple. This is the MOST DIFFICULT part. Record your results, your nutrient count and your changes weekly.
It may be a problem for some to eat six to seven meals a day. This is when supplements will help. But supplements are not a magic potion for mass gain. Don't even bother with supplements if you can't even do the diet right (which is MORE difficult than you imagine). If you have a choice of spending your money on the correct food or supplements, spend it on the correct food. You can do all this without supplements.
OK, now the easy stuff.
Diesel's guide to bulking up is good (but the emphasis must be on diet, not working out, ESPECIALLY if you are scrawny). I work out about 3-4 times a week. Usually, it is divided into legs one day, biceps and back another day, chest and triceps another day.
Stick to free weights. If you have not worked out before, take some time to understand the equipment and the proper uses.
This you may find embarrassing. But what is more embarrassing is doing the exercise improperly. You will not improve your muscles and you will look stupid. I see guys who go the gym everyday and do exercises incorrectly. Obviously, they will get nowhere.
I usually do a very low weight practice set to begin with. Good form is critical. I throw on enough weight to do like ten reps. Then I throw more weight on to do like five reps. Then throw on more weight to do like two reps. Then I unload a lot of it and superset to failure.
It is also fun to do it backwards. One time I was benchpressing and had two guys spot me. Four ten pound weights were on each side. Not much weight but after 30 reps or so it becomes heavy. The two guys then took one ten pound weight off the bar. It felt so much lighter that I did more. Then when I couldn't lift it any more, the two guys took another ten pount weight off each side. In the end, I was only lifting the bar. Then, the girls Pook were eyeing earlier came in at that time to see poor Pook struggling to lift up the bar with two guys spotting him! Doh!
But actually, don't worry about how much you are lifting. Lift only what is heavy to your muscles. You will not take the weights outside the gym to show the chicks. You will only take your muscles out so focus on them.
Again, you MUST record what you are lifting. Yes, take a notebook and record how heavy weights you lifted and the reps you did. Why? Because you want to IMPROVE. Record, record, record!
With all this activity, your body will be tired. Let it get its proper rest. And eat, eat, eat!
You will gain definition, mass, and will transform yourself from scrawny guy to well-built guy with awesome physique that the girls will drool over.
Everyone now looks at me and say, "Pook, you are so lucky." And I tell them, "Perhaps... But the smarter I work, the luckier I get!"
