I've been lifting weights for a few years and have not managed to put much muscle mass on at all.

I would ask for workout plans from everyone but everyone has different body structures and not all plans are made for each body type. I'm an ectomorph so naturally skinny.

Any naturally skinny guys out there managed to pack on the muscle? If so, I would REALLY appreciate the workout you used. A weekly plan would be ideal and plus your diet too.

Thanks guys, much love

Hi Golddust,

Im a little surprised that if you have been lifting for a few years you cant put on mass.

ill give you my story:

3 years ago: I was 6ft 1 and 12 stone (168lb)
so really skinny

I signed up to a gym at that point and spent 1 year doing weights and cardio twice a week about 90 mins a time (3 sets of 12 on most tasks) but i didnt see as much improvement.

I then decided that it was time to use protein supplements (i didnt want to at first as i considered it cheating).

2 years on from that and im now a healthier 13 stone 7 (189lbs) and can honestly say i have never felt fitter and healthier in my life.

so I would think you are not taking enough protein in your diet?
it seems that was my problem so maybe you should either eat higher protein foods or get some protein supplements.

I was definately a ectomorph too (i had to google that btw )
But now i can safely say im a Mesomorph, it took time but protein was the key for me.

Good Luck!

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Incongruent: If you are not a Wizard, dont dress like Gandalf.
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Hey thanks for the reply!

I know for sure that I do not have enough protein in my diet, let alone eating enough calories a day.

Main reason being is because I don't know exactly what to eat. I do take a protein shake after a workout but they are no use if I don't eat the right food.

I may not be training hard enough. I'll post my workout that I did on Monday and then tell me if it's good, bad and how yu could make it better.

Dumbbell bicep curls - 8.5kg - 1st set: 10, 2nd set: 6.5, 3rd set: 4.5

Tricep Kickbacks - 6kg - 1st set: 12, 2nd set: 10, 3rd set: 6

Lateral Shoulder raise - 5kg - 1st set: 12, 2nd set: 10, 3rd set: 8

In every set i worked to failure so I think my reps are within a good range, not too many and not too few.

Hey Golddust,

WALL OF TEXT!

Ill be honest; it doesnt look like enough. Im no pro weight lifter or full on fitness freak so if someone says otherwise i would listen to them, however:

that workout looks really short, you have to build up a sweat (warm up exercises)
I normally do my cardio first to get the blood pumping
11 mins on running machine [2min 6kmh, 9min 10kmh, 2min 12kmh]
10 mins on cross trainer (level 12 i think)
8 mins on a bike (level 6 i think)

that is before i touch any weights, it is quite long for a warmup so use a search engine and type: light cardio before lifting weights
that wont be as long a warm up but will still be good.

also you need to split your workout days:

Back and Abs
Tricep and chest
Bicep and shoulder

this way you rest the muscles that you just used for 2 further sessions so regardless of if you train everyday/other day, you have a rest before you start those muscle groups again.

ok, back to your routine;

its not enough for each muscle group. if you switch to a certain muscle group each session you need to add lets say 1 more routine (so 4 that use all the same muscle group)

so shoulders:
dumbell shrugs: 16kg (if you can do more then great)
3 sets of 12 (30 sec break inbetween each set)

Lateral raises:
5kg 3 sets of 12 (30 sec break inbetween each set)

shoulder press machine:
10kg (more if you can)
3 sets of 12 (30 sec break inbetween each set)

front raises:
5kg 3 sets of 12 (30 sec break inbetween each set)

im not going to go into all the others but stick 4 bicep routines in here too for the same day and you can then go: back,bicep,back,bicep,back,bicep,back,bicep so you get a short break while switching (you can just have 3 of each type to start out if you like, 6 per session)

if you have a smartphone look for an application that may help you find new exercises with the equipment available to you, i wont suggest one as it may break forum rules.

now onto the diet:
I dont diet, at all. i eat junk food and whatever i want, i would say at this stage you shouldnt worry about it as much, but:

the protein shakes, if you take it after a workout, the proteins will concentrate on "repair" not building mass.

if you take it before (an hour or two) it means the proteins are there while you workout (i dont like to take it 10 mins before incase i spew during workout ) so build mass.

so in conclusion, the two main things you need to do:

you need to warmup first

you need to get more exercises for the muscle groups, separate them into 3 sessions so you are hurting afterwards.

the other points are useful but if you make too much change at once its not a good thing.

REMEMBER: Its about technique more than anything at early stage, make sure you are doing them in full, pulling up half the way and stopping is no good, drop the weight so you can do them technically correct is more important.

ALSO: breathing is super important, inhale on the lift/action and exhale on the lowering (the muscles need the oxygen).

give it a go for 2 weeks (at least 2 full cycles of muscle groups) and see what you think.

_________________
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Incongruent: If you are not a Wizard, dont dress like Gandalf.
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above post was really good info!!

If you working out and not working on the diet, your not going to go anywhere.

Every day you should be taking a multi vitamin and some fish oil (come in pills to)

Drink Whey Protein shakes, one in the morning when you wake up, one immediately after you work out (protein synthesis is at its highest right when you get done working out and Whey is very quickly absorbed)

Foods u gunna need to build muscle properly:

cottage cheese (high protein)
Chicken Breast (high protein low fat, make it the staple of every meal if u can)
Turkey (lower in fat then chicken, high protein)
Beans (high protein)
Eggs (i hate them but there awesome sources of protein and Omega)
Brocolli, Spinache, Carrots .... all those vegatables.. Gunna give you those vitamins needed.


now.. this is optional: creatine. Its safe and effective, and your going to bulk up when your on it. IMO take it 1-2 hrs before your work out.


Its all about food man. Dont stop snacking... eat almonds, put olive oil on your veggies, drink milk or soy milk or almond milk. Eat peanut butter (the real stuff not skippy), get some Oats in your system..good carbs and fiber.

Basically start eating very healthy, and stick to it. You WILL gain size.

I'm 6ft 4 was 170 now 190 and I haven't been doing this very long. Have lost what little fat I had, and all toned up.

mmm... when you work out, be sure to have days off for your muscles to recover, and get plenty of sleep!!!

Hey, I've been working out for awhile, and I only recently started gaining serious mass, and it was when I started doing something that seemed counter-intuitive to everything I'd been taught/shown. Get Huge In A Hurry By Chad Waterbury, if you look you can find a free pdf file. It's worth it. Huge In A Hurry seemed as counter-intuitive to me then as the Mystery Method seems to me now.

I was also skinny. You don't get any muscle mass by some magical training program or suplements. You do get big however by eating lot of food.

Just eat carbohydrate/protein high meals 6 times a day (SPAM for breakfast, then meat, lot of potatoes, rice, pasta etc....)

As far as training goes.... Just train 3-5 times a week (45 minutes trainings are enaugh) and go for dumbell excercises, not machines.

http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/vinced3.htm

A typical thing most people make the mistake to pass by.

To build muscle requires two things: a solid workout plan and a solid diet plan. And if you say you are an ectomorph and are positive that you have a fast metabolism, I would say you wouldnt need anything more than perhaps a half hour of low intensity (power walking) cardio a week.

As for a diet eat six times a day two-three hours in between meals.

what you do is that you measure your macronutrients which is protein, carbs, and fats in grams.

So for someone who weights 170 and is trying to gain mass the diet looks like this

P: 210
C: 350
F: 50

Spread this out over your meals with the exception of your pre and post workout meals where, 25% of your daily total of carbs should be consumed before and after the workout, and when post workout you consume a high GI carb, so anything white such as white rice, pasta, white bread, white bagels, etc. The reason is that a high GI carb uptakes into the bloodstream faster and can reach the muscles quicker after the workout is done to maximize recovery.

Also, all these foods shuold come in healthy forms, there is a difference between the protein in a protein shake, and the protein in chicken or steak. A protein shake a day will not suffice to bring you the gains you need, and the most anabolic thing someone can do for themselves isnt expensive supplements, an insane workout plan, or steroids, its the food you consume.

And NaturalE posted a pretty good description of a workout plan and training split.

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Pain is Temporary, Pride is Forever

look up Vince DelMonte and his musclebuilding program.
Basically he used to be a very skinny guy but now he's ripped and won several competitions.

Layne Norton is a way better source than this guy will ever be.

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Pain is Temporary, Pride is Forever

Diet and a regular 8 hours sleep is probably 60% or more of it but in terms of gaing mass the things that helped me were:

High weight Low Rep exercises with good form using Free Weights! not bars or machines but dumbells etc (my routine is maxing out at 8 reps so that 9 is impossible... if you make it to 10 reps your using too little weight)

Get a spot, preferable someone who knows more and is further along in their training then you so they can push you and help correct your form

MAKE SURE you are working your back and legs not just your upper body so many people platue and its simply because they dont work their back or legs the whole body is essential for lifting and those two groups are HUGE muscle groups they release alot of hormones and all the good shit when you work out that tells your body you're getting bigger

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With this program just train on the weekdays and rest on weekends

-Legs
1. Run hills for your legs and when i say run hills i mean find a hill, sprint up and down it until you almost die. (jk do about 3 sets of ten every day til it gets easy then work up either add another set or add more reps.) do them normally, also do them backwards, and try skipping up on one leg or jumping up with both of them.
2. squat with no weights. Start with three sets of ten every other day. add 5 when it gets too easy or the week is up. work up to one hundred (not three sets of 100 just 100 total) you want to eventually do 100 straight or do ten sets of 30.
3. Jump rope on dirt or grass. It is important to jump on a soft surface or else youll get shin splints(no concrete) Start with 3, 2 minute sets. Work up to ten minutes of jumping. 10 is enough for a good workout. While you jump make sure your heels never make contact. Always stay on your toes! this will build some bad ass calves.
-Upper Body
1. Do push ups. (Play call of duty? the try playing search and destroy and do a set of ten push ups for every death. ) Start with 3 sets of ten and progress in the same way as squats. Work up to 3 sets of 20 then change to 2 sets of 50 then eventually do 60-40, 70-30... etc until you reach 100 push ups in a row. It is important to switch up the type of push ups to keep the body from getting used to the exercise. One week do normal pushups, next week do diamond, next week do knuckle, the next to elevated, slap pushups, hindu pushups, whatever.
*most people think that big biceps will lead to big looking arms, but actually big triceps make your arms look big... so do pushups!

2.Pull ups... now personally ive never gone past 20. So work up to 20 and never stop doing these.

3.crunches. Do these every day. work up in the same was as squats and push ups.

Well thats it!

If you do this, since youre real skinny, youll be lean, light, and POWERFUL. You dont need a gym. Gyms are for pros. youre an amateur. work out like an amateur. trust me if you follow this plan youll get strong by the end of the year, and any guy who ever beat on you will never mess with you again after the second year.
*optional Practice martial arts. This will improve you in so many ways that even a gym cant give you. look up proper punching technique and wrap up your hands real well. invest in some gloves and a heavy bag and start punching. Your forearms shoulders back and endurance will sky rocket.

-Nutrition
1.drop all soda and juices energy drinks and anything not water.
2. drink only water and milk(and milk only in the mornings or after a workout)
3. replace all white breads with wheat bread. Its only 30 cents more at the store.
4. eat more beans, peanuts, and fish.
5.eat a sandwich an hour before a workout and also 10 minutes after working out. or else youll die. (jk but its really important to fuel then replenish your energy)
6. your pee should be clear at all times. if its yellow them drink more water.
Well thats it! good luck!
sleep properly and eat vegetables when you can and REST ON WEEKENDS or youll injure yourself and possibly die.

Look man ima give you exactly what i did this past summer to pack on 25 pounds in 3 months. I have always been skinny, around 150 to 160 all my life. this past summer i did a lot of research and i am now 180 lb solid ass pounds in muscle.

Monday Chest/Back

Bench Press
Incline Bench Press
Decline Bench Press
Pull ups
Bent Over Rows
One arm dumbbell rows

Tuesday Shoulders/Biceps

Hang cleans
Military Presses
Upright rows
Chin Ups
Straight Bar curls
alternating rotating dumbbelll curls

Wednesday Legs/triceps

barbell squats
deadlift
legpress
standing calf
close grip bench press
skull crushers
dips

Thursday Chest/Back

Bench Press
Incline Bench Press
Decline Bench Press
Pull ups
Bent Over Rows
One arm dumbbell rows

Friday Shoulders/Biceps

Hang cleans
Military Presses
Upright rows
Chin Ups
Straight Bar curls
alternating rotating dumbbelll curls

Saturday Legs/triceps

barbell squats
deadlift
legpress
standing calf
close grip bench press
skull crushers
dips

Some people are going to say this may be over working your body. Look ive put several of my friends (guys and girls) in work out programs and they have all seen really good results. Now with every work out listed above you do three sets of 8 to 12 reps and rest 2 to 3 minutes. after 4 to 5 weeks of doing this routine change it up by either adding more weight to it or doing different work outs that can replace bench and curls ect. and the most important thing is that you have to eat eat eat eat and eat some more. eat 5 to 6 meals a day. multiply your weight time 18 and thats how many calories a day you have to eat. you say youre a skinny guy well then you must have a fast metabolism. some people are going to tell you that you have to eat low fat and blah blah blah. look, this past summer i ate everything that came at me, literally (except fast foods, none of that mcdonals wendys bullshit) youre skinny therefore you need to eat shit tons, just eat whatever, eat every two hours even if its a small snack. i was able to gain 25 pounds and im still cut. sure i probably gained a few pounds in fat but everyone that didnt see me al summer long definately noticed the difference. and by the way i didnt take any supplements, i gained my weight all natural. one last thing, if you want to pack on weight stay away from the cardio. doing cardio while youre trying to gain weight is not going to help you.

best regards,

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i read all this stuff, most of it is misleading imo. I have taken a few courses and I have met some elite athletes.

1. you do not want to run, breaking down muscle is easier than building it up. Running will breakdown muscle. If you want a warm up just jump rope for 5 mins or something
2. EAT EAT EAT, it is the single most important thing. I'm sure u heard 70% nutrition 30% working out 100s of times. The easy part is working out, eating is the hard part. you want to eat every 2-3 hours and you want to eat a decent amount. I had to buy a weight gainer because I couldnt do it, my metabolism was too high.
3. A full body workout is better than a isolate workout to gain muscle. (none of you guys are going to agree with me on this, whatever) you should focus on compound workouts like, squats, deadlifts, pendlay rows, pull ups, bench press, power cleans (this is hard, maybe when ur more experienced) I wouldn't recommend isolating muscle groups. once you gain enough weight/muscle then you can covert to isolate stuff. google a full body workout plan theres lots
4. the guy who said do unweighted squats and push ups... thats really bad advice, that will NEVER put on any weight for you, it will only increase the amount of capillaries (blood vessels) you have which will increase your endurance. you will gain no muscle.
The nutrition aprt is good, but you should rember this: It is better to meet your calorie requirement eating junk than to not by eating healthy zen like food. In the end its not protien, its calories that count.