Adding Muscle Mass for the Skinny Guy

If you’ve been a skinny guy for most of your life, chances are you’ve experienced some frustration. Being skinny isn’t exactly seen as attractive, but it’s hard to smaller men to bulk up. The normal techniques aren’t necessarily as effective so knowing the best way to build muscle mass for your body type can be discouraging. However, it’s very possible to see results and gain greater strength.

It’s important to realize that you have to start where you are. You aren’t going to be able to go into the gym and start lifting weights like a guy that’s twice your size. It’s not only unrealistic, but can actually be counter productive to your ultimate goal. If you push yourself too much in the beginning, you can actually suffer from over training and have trouble recovering from your work outs. It’s best to start out smaller and gradually work yourself up as your body adjusts. The best way to build muscle mass is to build up resistance as you progress. Start with standard weight lifting such as the bench press or dumbbells. As you become more used to each set, you can more accurately gauge where your limits are. Once you have a feel for that area, make sure that you are mixing up each work out to keep your body from reaching a plateau. Avoid working out for long periods of time as well. Even people who are used to intense workouts don’t really benefit from more than about an hour of targeted weight lifting.

The other thing to keep in mind is to work with your body’s natural rhythms. Your body actually builds muscle after your workout is over. Stress on the muscle causes small tears in muscle tissue. Healing and rebuilding this stress is what actually builds muscle mass. This healing process facilitates the best way to build muscle mass and by overworking yourself, you can actually interfere with this process. Allow your body time to rest and heal. Also, keep your body fueled with good nutrition and enough water. There are simple formulas you can use to track the amount of calories you need. This depends not only on your current body weight, but also on your level of activity. Taking in too few calories can leave you fatigued, while an excess can lead to body fat instead of muscle gain.

If you start out a little bit thin, it’s still possible to achieve good results in weight training. For the best way to build muscle mass, be careful not to over do it in the beginning. Find your limits and then try to push them a little bit at a time. By carefully working your body, you can bulk up and get rid of the stigma associated with being a small guy.