If you find the title relatable, you are probably a guy who has eaten everything in sight, trained with vigor and checked all the boxes of the experts’ suggestions in the hope of packing on some size. However, the results have only brought you frustration, and there still is no hope of building muscles.
This is the everyday life of an average skinny guy who has to deal with harsh criticism due to their physique. You may be desperate to build a muscular body, either for playing your favorite sports or impressing your fellows. Whatever your reasons for developing muscles, it's essential to understand that you can't achieve your dream body if you keep your ears on everybody's opinions.
Your body might not be cut out to build the amount of muscles you want. Maybe your metabolic rate is way too high to enable your body to build that muscle. If you are riddled with jealousy looking at your friends or gym mates, then you are surely going to give yourself a tough time.
It’s essential to focus on the silver lining. The best thing about high metabolism is that you can gobble down all the food you want without packing an unwanted layer of fat. Working out will help you gain weight, but it will come at a snail's pace. This will allow you to put in extra time in the gym as your recovery would be faster.
Now that's something that you have an edge of. Having less than stellar genetics is alright. If it's anything, it's a challenge. Take it as one.
There are a plethora of wannabe gurus out there who will give you the typical skinny guy advice or provide you with the same old prescription to gain weight. Eat more calories, train harder but infrequently, take lots of naps; you hear it all every day. And it probably exasperates you more every time.
That’s not what you need. You need to be fully aware of the unique needs of your body. Once you're knowledgeable enough, you wouldn't need anyone else's suggestions.
We understand how pesky it can get to gather all the required information about the right food at the right time. This is precisely why we are here - to guide you every step of the way. We have the perfect skinny guy diet plan to help you reach your goals.
Related Article: Gain Lean Muscles: Workout, Nutrition Plan & More
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Diet Principles for the Skinny Guy
There are some basic diet principles that every skinny guy should follow to gain weight and build muscles:
1. Eat Frequently Enough
This is one of the typical pieces of advice you get, which makes sense, but to a specific point. If you face the challenge of putting on some muscle, you need to eat more frequently.
However, when it comes to eating more, you need to ensure that you only eat healthy food. You need to eat three squarely balanced meals with two snacks that should be enriched with nutrition.
2. One Gram Per Pound of Bodyweight of Protein
Despite popular opinion, you do not need to feed your body with excessive protein to gain lean muscle mass. These are not carbohydrates that your body would store. It is anyhow going to be excreted.
Your body just needs one gram per pound of bodyweight of high-quality protein per day. You can take these from meat, turkey, eggs, low-fat milk, fish, greek yogurt, potatoes, etc.
3. Two Grams Complex Carbs Per Pound of Bodyweight
Taking complex carbs is another essential fuel that your body needs. Start with two grams and then gradually increase to three or four grams after four weeks. If you do not witness an increase in your weight or need a calorie boost, then increasing the intake of complex carbs would be the right decision.
You might upscale the intake to four grams but immediately cut back from it if you experience an increase in fat. Carbs also play an integral role in muscle recovery, which is a fantastic benefit for hardcore training. Gravity Transformation explains how eating carbs can help you build up muscle.
4. Eat Healthy Fats
Taking fats is vital, but you must only take in healthy fats. For example, foods such as avocados, olive oil, shrimp, or nuts are all forms of healthy fats that you can savor to increase muscle growth.
Just one gram of fat is more than enough to double the number of calories as carbs or protein. So, eat them but don't get excessive.
5. Cheat
Yes, having a cheat meal is allowed, but this doesn't mean going all out. You shouldn't consume junk and unhealthy fats just because your metabolism is fast. Packing on fat is just going to be harmful to your body. So, you have to be very careful with your cheat meals.
Staying fit and healthy comes with several stumbling blocks, but you cannot let yourself fall out of track. Choose a day or two to have a cheat meal. Choose one meal for each day and eat as much as you want. You will just be on the fence but won't jump off it.
6. Pre and Post-Workout Nutrition
When it comes to being super diligent with what you eat, you surely can not leave pre and post-workout nutrition out of it. Since your main goal is to change from skinny lean muscle to muscular, these meals are integral.
Your body needs the fuel to access the energy throughout the workout easily. So you need to replenish it with the required energy nutrients. If you deprive it of that, it will start burning fat and muscle for fuel which is strictly forbidden in your case.
After you've worked out, your body is again hungry for nutrients for muscle repair and recovery. Get yourself a serving of easily digestible carbs and protein within 5-60 minutes of your post-workout. Don't eat fat immediately after exercising as it can slow down the absorption of carbohydrates.
Related Article: Pre-Workout Versus Post-Workout: What's the Difference?
7. Supplements
Supplements cannot replace the benefits of a healthy diet, but they come in handy when enhancing and escalating the effect of diet. When it comes to bulking up, taking the right supplement with the right kind of diet at the correct time can make a substantial difference. Pre-wrokout supplement is another amazing choice provided by DMoose that can be a complete game changer for your workout.
There are several supplements that we have added to our diet plan that can aid in achieving muscle growth and result in serious gains.
Achieving a Goal from 120 to 150 Pounds
- Morning meal - 3/4 cup oatmeal mixed with low-fat milk, 2 whole eggs
- Mid-morning meal - 2 slices of whole wheat bread with 2 tablespoons of jelly, 1 cup of cottage cheese
- Midday meal - 1 large potato, 4 ounces of chicken breast or salmon
- Pre-workout meal - 1 scoop of whey protein, 1 apple
- Post-workout meal - 1 scoop of whey protein, 1 banana
- Evening meal - 1 cup dry rice, 4 ounces of chicken, fish, or beef
When it comes to purchasing a whey protein powder, it's essential to choose the best one with the ideal blend of ingredients. Whey protein by DMoose is a top-quality supplement that works as a fantastic pre-workout and post-workout energy boost. It improves muscle mass, improves workout performance, and enhances recovery.
Achieving a Goal From 150 to 180 Pounds
- Morning meal- 2 slices of Ezekiel bread with 1 tablespoon of natural peanut butter, 3 whole eggs
- Mid-morning meal- 1 cup of Greek yogurt, 1 ounce of nuts, 1 banana
- Midday meal- 2 slices of whole wheat bread, 6 ounces of turkey meat, tomato, lettuce, 1 apple
- Pre-workout meal- 1 scoop of whey protein, ¼ to ½ cup of oatmeal
- Post-workout meal- 1 scoop of whey, 1 cup of blueberries
- Evening meal- 1 large sweet potato, 6 ounces of chicken, fish, or beef
Achieving a Goal From 180 to 200 Pounds
- Morning meal- 1 cup of oatmeal mixed with low-fat milk, 3 whole eggs
- Mid-morning meal- 2 slices of whole wheat bread with 2 tablespoons of natural peanut butter, 1 cup of cottage cheese
- Midday meal- 2 cups of rice, 6 ounces of fish
- Pre-workout meal- 1 scoop of whey protein, 1 apple, 1 ounce of nuts
- Post-workout meal- 1.5 scoops of whey protein, 1 banana
- Evening meal- 2 cups of whole wheat pasta, 6 ounces of ground beef, 1 salad with 2 tablespoons of olive oil-based dressing
Related Article: 5 Things You Should Keep in Mind When Taking Whey Protein
Related Article: 5 Things You Should Keep in Mind When Taking Whey Protein
Final Thoughts
Every skinny guy suffers from the hurdle of increasing weight or building muscles. Due to their fast metabolism, it is super difficult for them to gain muscle mass quickly. You need to include specific nutritional factors in your diet to pack muscles. Eating more protein, healthy fats, complex carbs, and supplementation can play a massive role in making the process easier. Following a proper diet plan and workout can drastically change the game of getting a muscular body.
Reading List
Article Sources
- Bosse, John D., and Brian M. Dixon. "Dietary Protein to Maximize Resistance Training: A Review and Examination of Protein Spread and Change Theories." Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, vol. 9, no. 1, Sept. 2012, p. 42. PubMed, https://doi.org/10.1186/1550-2783-9-42.
- Kerksick, Chad, et al. "International Society of Sports Nutrition Position Stand: Nutrient Timing." Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, vol. 5, Oct. 2008, p. 17. PubMed, https://doi.org/10.1186/1550-2783-5-17.
- Phillips, Stuart M. "A Brief Review of Critical Processes in Exercise-Induced Muscular Hypertrophy." Sports Medicine (Auckland, N.Z.), vol. 44 Suppl 1, May 2014, pp. S71-77. PubMed, https://doi.org/10.1007/s40279-014-0152-3.
- Tipton, K. D., et al. "Timing of Amino Acid-Carbohydrate Ingestion Alters Anabolic Response of Muscle to Resistance Exercise." American Journal of Physiology. Endocrinology and Metabolism, vol. 281, no. 2, Aug. 2001, pp. E197-206. PubMed, https://doi.org/10.1152/ajpendo.2001.281.2.E197.
- Aragon, Alan Albert, and Brad Jon Schoenfeld. "Nutrient Timing Revisited: Is There a Post-Exercise Anabolic Window?" Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, vol. 10, no. 1, Jan. 2013, p. 5. PubMed, https://doi.org/10.1186/1550-2783-10-5.
