As you know, there are three body types: hypersthenic (endomorph), normosthenic (mesomorph), asthenic (exomorph). The first is powerful, prone to excess weight, the second is medium-standard, the third is, as they say, “thin-sounding”, with thin bones and muscles, a small layer of fat. However, not only asthenics, but also normosthenics and young people who naturally have a fast metabolism complain about a thin body.
It is often believed that a thin physique is due solely to genetics and cannot be corrected. Let's dispel this misconception: in fact, to gain weight you need to eat more and exercise wisely!
How to gain weight for a skinny guy at home?
The main weight gain occurs at home, or rather, at the table. Because to gain weight, you need to take in more calories from food than you expend. Plus, most of those calories should come from protein.
Some here will argue that they eat a lot. This means that either you have health problems and the calories are not absorbed (it’s time to see a doctor!), or you still don’t eat enough. Install an application on your smartphone that will calculate your calorie intake for the day, taking into account weight gain. Then enter into it what and when you eat. And you will see that you eat less than you need to gain! In the meantime, your body receives fewer calories than it expends, it simply has nothing to form a new kilogram of muscle or fat from.
If you have health problems
How can a man gain weight if he has stomach diseases or chronic digestive diseases? Consulting a doctor will clarify all questions. He will also suggest gentler ways to switch to a new type of diet.
Please ensure that the milk powder in the gainer is replaced with pure protein. The absence of gluten and the addition of creatine monohydrate will improve the absorption of the drug. Don't try to gain weight very quickly, as this may worsen chronic digestive problems.
Fractional meals, adherence to the regime and the correct schedule for gradually increasing physical activity will enhance the positive effect of using a gainer. Strength exercises performed regularly under the supervision of a trainer will lead to the desired result, albeit more slowly, but without the risk of deterioration in health.
Is it possible to gain muscle with a thin physique?
Of course, thin men often have fast metabolisms or very active lifestyles. But this, again, only means that they do not eat enough calories to “block” their consumption!
Yes, asthenics have thin bones and long, not bulky muscles. But this does not mean that such a muscle will not become thicker and denser, and the bones will not be covered with moderate fat (sometimes this is also necessary). Yes, you won’t become a huge pumped up “bruiser” like the bodybuilders on the catwalks. However, you will be able to look not thin and weak, but strong and sculpted.
Of course, we (like numerous experts in the field of healthy lifestyle) advise you to gain muscle mass. Moreover, muscle is much healthier for health than fat. And, of course, with a muscular body a man looks much more aesthetically pleasing than if he “eats” the same number of kilograms of fat.
Gainer effectiveness criteria
Deciding which weight-gaining product to choose is a very responsible decision. It must be high in calories. Another condition is the optimal ratio of carbohydrates and proteins.
Make sure that the gainer is not overloaded with sucrose, corn syrup or dextrose. A reasonable amount of vitamins also plays an important role, since their excess can lead to allergic reactions and stress on the liver.
If weight gain pills contain creatine, this is an additional plus. Drink enough water so that this compound actively works to build muscle proteins in the body.
A weight gainer for thin men may include high-quality whole grain oats, an optimal dose of fat and fiber. The last criterion is important for those who have a tendency to constipation from using protein powders.
Weight correction products use whey with a rapid release of proteins and casein with a slow rate of protein absorption. They also contain natural ingredients such as avocado or sweet potatoes. They may contain enzymes for efficient digestion and absorption of nutrients
How to gain weight for a thin man: diet
- Eat more and more often. Surprisingly, the task is not the easiest: most thin men do not want to eat more than they already eat. The hardest is the first week. You literally have to convince yourself to eat more. Fitness training and sleep help a little, after which a semblance of an appetite appears.
In a couple of weeks you will feel better: your stomach will stretch and get used to this amount of food. Be patient, soon you will remember what hunger is! Nutritionists recommend eating 5-6 times a day every 3-4 hours. Portions should be quite large. This makes it easier to stretch the stomach and “accustom” it to an increased volume of food. First, try adding 500 kcal per day to your usual diet.
- Eat quality foods. Yes, yes, the task is to quickly bring the diet to about 3500 kcal per day - and not at the expense of sweets and lemonades! With them, with their abundance of fat and sugar, it will be easy to pour in/stuff in an extra 1000 kcal per day. But, alas, with them you will gain fat and diabetes, not muscles. Therefore, eat whole foods that need to be cooked: meat, fish, cereals (or side dishes made from cereals), potatoes, pasta, eggs, dairy products. Keep sweets, soda, alcohol, chips, processed foods, and fast food products to a minimum: they only destroy the body, preventing you from gaining muscle.
- More protein! Protein from eggs, cottage cheese, meat, poultry, fish and other animal products is what muscle cells (myofibrils) are made from. Protein should be present in every meal! Please note that crushed food is easier to digest. Make homemade sports shakes using milk or liquid fermented milk products. In a blender, mix this product with bananas, pitted dates, oatmeal, dried apricots, and peanut butter. Or use sports nutrition: powder cocktail, bars, etc.
- Eat carbohydrates. Protein is used to build muscle, but this process requires energy. As well as fitness training, which will be discussed below. It is irrational for the body to obtain energy from protein, and eating more than 30% of its calorie content is dangerous. Therefore, include in your diet foods rich in complex carbohydrates (cereals, durum pasta, bread), fruits and vegetables.
Menu options for the day
Standard option
It looks like this:
- Breakfast. Omelette, bread with butter and cheese, vegetables.
- Snack. Fruits, nuts, cottage cheese.
- Dinner. Buckwheat with meat, vegetable salad.
- Snack before training. Fruit smoothie with added protein.
- Post-workout snack. Protein food with healthy sweets.
- Dinner. Garnish of carbohydrates, fish, vegetables.
- Before bedtime. Cottage cheese.
Additional option
- Breakfast. Oatmeal with milk, boiled eggs, grain bread.
- Snack. Bun with poppy seeds, apples.
- Dinner. Rice with vegetable puree, bread, half a chicken breast.
- Snack. Vegetable puree with the other half of the breast.
- Dinner. Potatoes with vegetables, fish.
- Before bedtime. Cottage cheese.
Workout Tips for Skinny Guys
Workouts will help you build a toned body. “There are general recommendations for this situation,” says Mikhail Bobrov, personal trainer at X-Fit in Russia . - But it is worth remembering the individual lifestyle characteristics of each person and his body. We must take into account age, daily routine, nutrition, amount of physical activity and stress in everyday life.” This personalized approach means that you use general recommendations, but tailor them to your condition and activity.
- Basic exercises with weights. Squats with a barbell or on one leg, deadlifts, lunges, leg presses, bench presses and dumbbells lying down, reclining, push-ups, including parallel bars, pull-ups on the horizontal bar, similar exercises in simulators involve many muscle groups at once. Due to this, a general hormonal background is created in the body for the growth of myofibrils. Spending a lot of effort on isolated exercises on small beams at this stage is pointless. But a thin man can use them at the end of the workout to improve, for example, his abs, biceps or calves, which are weakly loaded in other exercises.
- Split training. Muscles grow during recovery up to 72 hours; loading them during this time means interrupting growth. Therefore, every other day, train your legs, then your back, then your upper shoulder girdle - we wrote about how to properly build a scheme. While you train part of the muscles, the other rests and grows for at least three days.
- A clear regimen of approaches and repetitions. You should include 6-10 exercises in your workout. Each set is 1-3, no more than 12 repetitions per set. Rest between sets – 1 minute. In this case, the weights should be high enough so that you do the last repetition in the approach with difficulty.
“You can start in the classic mode: training once every three days,” says Mikhail Bobrov. — Next, when a number of adaptations have passed, you can add 1 more workout if you have time to recover. You can alternate the number of classes: the first week - 4 trainings, the second - 2.” It seems that you train less often than traditional “fitness every other day” for weight loss, but this is because the weights should be really heavy!
How to gain weight for a 15-18 year old guy?
At this age, it is too early to worry about being thin - the body is simply not yet formed. The hormone testosterone is just beginning to be produced, thanks to which the tissue we need grows. “The growth of muscle mass in the body of a young man during puberty is just beginning, and rapidly,” says Mikhail Bobrov. — At this age, I would not recommend strength training with free weights or on machines with limited amplitude. It is better to engage in functional training, giving preference to training with your own body weight: calisthenics, hanging loops. And also team sports and swimming.”
At this age, all body systems are formed, and the greater the variety in physical activity, the stronger, healthier and more attractive the body will be. The main thing is to alternate loads and not forget about recovery. Against this background, muscles will grow in accordance with biological age.
Advice from nutritionists and fitness trainers
Some expert advice will help you cope with difficulties:
- You need to train on an ongoing basis, recording your own achievements.
- Muscles need good rest, and the body needs good sleep. You should take care of this: if you feel tired, it is better to take a break to recuperate.
- Constantly create the right menu, adding your favorite foods to your diet.
- Spend more time outdoors.
And, of course, to achieve your goal you simply need a good mood and the support of loved ones. It is very important to spend more time with dear and loving people!
How to gain muscle for a skinny guy 18-25 years old?
This will take at least 5-6 months. Establish a sleep schedule - at least 8 hours a day. Sleep will regulate the production of the hormone somatotropin, which stimulates the growth of myofibrils, and prepare the nervous system for working with heavy weights.
“Young men of this age are not deprived of a large amount of testosterone, which plays a key role in gaining high-quality muscle mass,” explains Mikhail Bobrov. - You can take weights. I recommend starting your training by studying movements and technique. Once the technique is perfected, you can take free weights, use machines and work in a strength format. Gradually, as muscle mass and strength increase, add weight to the apparatus.”
Keep up with your cardio
Excessive cardio exercise inhibits the growth of muscle fibers. But it is not recommended to completely exclude them from the set of recruitment activities. They are useful because they speed up metabolic processes, prevent obesity, and stimulate appetite. Since the caloric content of food intake increases during the gaining stage, you need to maintain a balance of incoming calories and cardio training.
The optimal option is three cardio per week in the form of 15 or 20 minutes of running, jumping rope or aerobics. Fitness club cards will give you unlimited access to the gym, where you can work out at a time convenient for you, either with a personal trainer or on your own.
How to gain weight for a thin man aged 26, 30, 40 and older
“At this age, you need to start by adjusting your diet and sleep and rest patterns,” Mikhail Bobrov is sure. — Get examined by a doctor, understand whether there are contraindications to exercise. I advise you to check with an endocrinologist if there is significant weight loss.” If there are no special health problems, use a ready-made training program. Otherwise, you need an individually designed program taking into account physical limitations.
If you are over 40 years old, take care of your joint health. Use less traumatic exercises, perhaps on simulators where the trajectory is set and there is less risk of breaking your back or straightening the joint too much. To increase the strength of connective tissue and restore myofibrils, our expert recommends using myofascial release, massage, mobilization techniques, and short-term static stretching after training.