Did you spend hours in the gym with no results? Did you spend the last year blindly following the muscle magazines only to look the same as you do now? Did you spend the year filling your body with mysterious supplements that only make you sick? Did you watch your friends train less than you but get twice as big? Sound familiar doesn’t it? I thought so.

So the question is, how are we going to get a different result? The answer is simple. By doing something differently. Would you agree the best way to get the same thing is to do the same thing? And would you agree that the best way to get a different result is to do something different?

Give me a amen if you have decided that 2009 is going to be different. Give me a amen-hallelujah if you are prepared to be a different person and prepared to do something different this year. Commit to having your best year, and I’ll take care of you, providing you with the best skinny guy transformation program.

My Own Skinny Guy Experience

Trust me, I know. I was a skinny beanpole all through high school and university and gained the nickname “Lanky”. I gawked at my room mates how displayed copious amounts of rock-hard brawn on there frame. I was inspired by the spectacular ‘before and after’ pictures in bodybuilding magazines. I read every piece of bodybuilding literature I could, got misguided by a slew of personal trainers, experimented with every legal supplement I could purchase, but despite my efforts, my 12 week pictures looked nothing like the supplement advertisements. The cruel scale needle stayed the same like it was cast in stone. Perhaps I was doomed to be skinny for life…

Skinny Guys Must Play By A Different Set Of Rules

As a weight training enthusiast, figuring out the most effective workout routine can become an endless source of confusion and frustration. Every single fitness expert and magazine has a different training theory or training angle which becomes more confusing than a trip for Jessica Simpson at Home Depot!

Most skinny guys end up using routines designed and touted by those freaky monsters seen in the hardcore rags who have more than a little chemistry lab going on inside of them. Programs that include hitting the gym more than five times a week, focusing on 1-2 exercises per workout, 12-24 sets per exercise and overemphasizing isolation-type exercises. None of these components of a program helps improve the underlying foundation of a hardgainers success. Training to get bigger and more muscular, that is – your best body ever, must revolve around getting stronger and I mean really, really stronger. Increasing your strength remains the rock-solid foundation for defeating your skinny genetics and getting a head-turning physique for 2009.

Since the vast array of exercise machines came on the market, along with infomercials, instant result programs, and fancy dressed supplement ads, people are no longer willing to spend the time in the gym to build the solid strength foundation that is critical for long-term progress. Since you’ve read this far, you won’t be making that mistake this year!

Six Reasons Skinny Guys Must Focus On The Forgotten Factor: Strength

• Strength training is incredibly taxing on the body’s central nervous system. Increasing your central nervous system’s work capacity through heavy and/or explosive movements; you directly increase the ability of your muscular system to produce increased levels of strength.
• Strength training releases more growth hormone and testosterone. Using greater resistance loads than normal will release a greater abundance of these muscle building hormones necessary to maximize your genetic potential which will result in new muscle growth all over – especially on those lagging body parts!
• Strength training creates a platform to achieve more sets and reps. When you build a stronger foundation, your ability to handle heavier loads in the higher rep ranges will dramatically increase, resulting in some impressive muscular hypertrophy.
• Strength training benefits the smaller muscle groups as well. The pure strength movements do not just benefit the larger muscle groups such as the chest, back and legs but the smaller ones as well. An example: A skinny guy increases the amount of weight he can do on the bent over row from 135 to 225. The heavier poundages will result in significantly strengthening the assisting movers of the upper arm – brachialis and the brachioradialis – allowing him to curl much more weight on his curling exercises.
• Strength training involves the maximal amount of muscle fibers. To defeat your skinny genetics you must use the maximal number of muscle fibers in each set. Do you think lifting weights at 60-80% of your threshold is going to stimulate the maximal amount of muscle fiber? Think of your muscles as lazy. They would prefer to sleep this entire next year. They would prefer to stay small. They have zero interest in growing larger. That is something you want to do. The only reason they will wake up (get bigger) is if they are attacked. If they are exposed to an assault (heavy weight) they have not experienced before. Out of survival, your muscles will grow bigger to prevent the same assault from occurring again.
• Strength training does not eat up your precious calories. Unlike the 1-2 hour marathon training sessions that involve 12-24 exercises per body part or workout, strength training is much less demanding calorically. It does not burn up the calories your muscles need to grow because of the longer rests and shorter sets.
• Strength training leads to progressive overload. If you are thinking, “But I don’t care how much I can lift. All I care about is not being skinny anymore and building a good physique. I’m not a power lifter or bodybuilder.” I would reply that strength training is a fundamental principle of muscle growth because it leads to progressive overload. The only way to make a muscle grow is to subject it to unaccustomed stress. Progressive overload basically implies that when a muscle is subjected to an usual amount of unaccustomed stress and effort, the muscle must respond by getting larger to manage and cope with the new stress.

Still Not Convinced That Strength Training Is The Answer To Your Best Body This Year?

How many people do you see with skinny arms that can curl 135 pounds? How many people do you see with no chest who bench press 275 pounds? How many people do you see with massive upper girdles that can dead lift 315 pounds? How many people do you see with chop-stick legs who can squat 400 pounds?I would say – not many. There are many more reasons why strength training will help you defeat your muscle unfriendly genes and get the body you deserve this year but I think you get the point. If ever in doubt, just take a look at the biggest guys in your gym. I bet they are lifting 3-4 more times the weight as you!

The 1 + 1 Skinny Guy Strength Program

Stage 1: 4 x 4 Strength Phase
Week 1-3

Stage 2 – 5 x 5 Strength Phase
Weeks 4-6

Stage 3 – 6 x 6 Strength Phase
Weeks 7-9

Stage 4 – 7 x 7 Strength Phase
Weeks 9-12

Weight Training Program Notes:

• You will notice Monday is a Quad Dominant day with Horizontal Pushing (Chest) and Horizontal Pulling (Rows). You will notice that Traps and Calves are opposite movements so have been paired up respectively.
• You will notice Friday is a Hip Dominant day with Vertical Pushing (Shoulders) and Vertical Pulling (Lats). You will notice Traps and Calves are opposite movements so have been paired up respectively.
• You will notice slight variation on some of the exercise selection. The exercise selection is not as critical as the load and set protocol. Feel free to tweak the exercises based on your personal preference. For example, if a Trap Bar Deadlift feels better for you than a normal Deadlift – go for it. If you know you will get better results with dumbell’s instead of barbells – don’t be afraid to follow your instincts and be involved in the training process.
• For some, the 6 x 6 phase and 7 x7 phase will be too much volume on muscle groups like biceps and triceps. Feel free to modify these to only 3-5 sets. The goal is to keep the weight the same the entire workout. If your weights start to drop than simply record the number of sets you were able to do and try to beat it next week.
• I am guessing 4 x 4 will be your first exposure to heavy lifting. Remember, next phase, you will be focusing on adding one extra rep to the same weight with one extra set hence the 1 + 1 Program. This program is based on increasing the amount of work you are capable of performing over a 12 week period.
  e.g. Let’s say you can do 185 lbs for 4 x 4 in phase one. Next phase, you will be aiming to do 185 pounds for 5 x 5. You might even be able to slip a few extra pounds on the bar, depending on the rate that you super compensate which will be bonus.
• For time efficiency, opposing muscle groups like Shoulders and Lats, Chest and Rows and Shrugs and Calves can be super set together. I would not recommend super setting your legs. This is your personal choice though.
• The 2 x 20 and 2 x 30 are unique additions I have added from my own personal experience. I have found, generally, that skinny guys responds better to higher rep ranges for the calves and traps.
• You will notice that Monday and Friday can be classified as your Heavy days and Wednesday is an opportunity to increase your body weight strength and prevent your metabolic system from de-training. These higher rep exercises will counteract and help balance out the dominance of central nervous system training occurring.
• The weighted abdominal work should come from Hanging Leg Raises, Weighted Ball Sit Ups, or Cable Crunches.
• You will notice this is a three day program which will be alternated every three weeks with a four day program. I might suggest taking a ? week off at the six week mark if any symptoms of overtraining are suspected. Take at least one week off from the gym at the completion of this 12 week program.

Cardiovascular and Flexibility Training Tips

• During phases 1 and 3 while you are doing only three day of weight training per week I would recommend the following:
  • At least two or three 20-30 minute cardio sessions placed either on your non-workout days on immediately after you weight training workouts.
  • Use the form of cardio that, in your experience, holds the most muscle on your body. For some, this will mean doing shorter interval cardio sessions. For some, this will mean going for a easy run or swim.
  • Incorporate the cardio work to enhance your muscle gain goals – not detract. For example, you might benefit from a easy swim workout after a heavy upper body day. You might benefit from a easy bike ride to loosen up from a heavy lower body workout. Use common sense when choosing your cardio activities. For example, don’t try out for the soccer team at the same time you are trying to transform your body!
  • Incorporate your cardio based on your nutrition intake. Remember, your muscles grow on calories so the more cardio you incorporate, the more overall calories you will need to counteract the lost.
  • Try to stretch at least ? the amount that you lift. Heavy lifting requires long and lengthened muscles to allow full range of motion. Shortened muscles perform weaker and slower and have a higher incidence of injury. If you are weight lifting 4 hours in the week, you should be stretching at least two. This means at least ? hour of stretching before or after you weight training workout. This is my personal recommendation, any less, and your body will screaming for a injury.

Take The Challenge

Give the 1 + 1 Skinny Guy Strength Program a honest effort for the next 12 weeks and commit to making 2009 the year that you defeat your skinny genetics and build a body you can be proud of without spending any more time in the gym than you have to. Believe that you can do it. It can be done and it will!

Carlos Larsen

No Nonsense Muscle Building & Your 6 Pack Quest

Muscle Building Meal Plan Breakdown:
50% complex Carbs (oats, veg, fruits)
30% protein (ex. chicken, eggs, fish)
20% fat (olive oil, nuts, avocado)

Calorie recommended
Bodyweight X 15-17 = minimum calories you need per day to build muscle.

Notice that I tell you exactly what to eat and what times but I do not reveal how many calories are in each meal or the daily carb, protein and fat percentages.

Consider this an upside down approach to nutrition and thinking.  I want you to discover the power of creating the right hormonal environment in your body to induce change in body composition.  The key principle to my nutrition programs is “balanced nutrition.”  Balance is the key to healthy nutrition and a sexy body.

I believe that my nutrition programs are so powerful because they create a desirable hormonal response in your body.  For the next 3 weeks I want you to think hormonally, rather than calorically.

Here is your advanced builder nutrition plan:

7:30 am Breakfast

Vegetable Omlette and fruit:

12 egg whites, extra large

1 1/2 cups of oatmeal

1/2 cup of yogurt, plain

1 table spoon of natural almond butter

11:30 am Mid Meal

5 oz cheese

1 cup of grapes

3 handfuls of peanuts

2:30 pm Lunch

10 oz salmon

1 cup of lettuce

1/4 cup of celery

1/4 cup of cucumber

3/4 cup of grapes

2 tsp of olive oil

5:30 pm Dinner

7 oz of chicken breast

2 cups of broccoli

1 1/4 cups of tomatoes

1/4 pear

2 tsp olive oil

8:30 pm Snack

2 cups of whole milk

1table spoon of natural peanut butter

1 cup of strawberries

2 scoops of natural chcolate protein powder

**Remember to drink at lest 500-750 ml of water with each meal.

Carlos Larsen

Over-training is very common amongst athletes and particularly bodybuilders, since they figure that training as much as possible is the fastest way to massive muscle gains.

This couldn’t be any further from the truth however…

Training too much, or at too high of an intensity will lead to over-training.

Now this doesn’t mean you don’t have to put plenty of effort in to see some decent results… Whether you are a bodybuilder, athlete, or just someone that wants to add some additional mass to your frame, you need to train hard and be consistent-that’s a given. In order to get the most out of your genetics, you have to progressively overload the muscles by increasing the weight and / or intensity of each weight training workout.

The problem is however, that many of us increase the intensity of our workouts or get insufficient amounts of rest, or even worse, a combination of both. The trick is finding the right balance between workout volume and intensity, and rest and recovery. And that is exactly what I’ll cover in this article.
The Effects of Over-Training on Bodybuilders

First, let’s take a look at some of the effects of over-training and how one can prevent over-training from happening in the first place.

The Effects of Over-training on the Nervous System

Over-training effects both the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems in the following negative ways:

If you are experiencing more than one of the symptoms outlined above, you may be in a state of over-training, and should evaluate your routine as soon as possible.

The Effects of Over-training on Hormone Levels

Many studies have indicated that over-training negatively effects the levels of hormones, as well as the hormone response in the body.  Since hormones play such an important role in the muscle building process, this can have a detrimental effect on your training progress.

Over-training has been show to:

The Effects of Over-training on the Immune System

perhaps one of the most alarming repercussions of over-training is it’s negative impact on the immune system-you’re bodies first defense against harmful viruses and bacteria.

Over-training can drastically decrease the levels of antibodies and lymphocytes in your body, making you much more susceptible to illness.  Simply put, this means that if you are in a state of over-training, you are much more likely to get sick.  Since you will have to skip workouts while you are sick, your muscle building progress will slow considerably.

The Effects of Over-training on the Metabolic System

Here is a list of how over-training can  effect the metabolic system.  These symptoms are the ones that are most commonly discussed, and are ones we can’t ignore:

Is it Worse to Over-Train With Cardio or Weight Training?

Any form of over-training is a bad thing, however, I’ve personally experienced both types of over-training and can honestly say that over-training in the weight room is much worse, and much more prevalent than over-training through cardiovascular training.

Here are some of the reasons why:

How do I Determine if I’m Over-training?

Determining if you’re currently over-training is fairly simple.   If you’re in tune with your body, you can often see the signs of over-training before they get serious.  If you are losing interest in workouts, are having trouble sleeping, and feel weak and irritable, you may be in a state of over-training and should take a week or more off.

If you are experiencing two or more of the symptoms outlined earlier in the article, this should raise a red flag.

Another variable you can use to determine if you are over-training is by tracking the performance of your workouts.

Has your physical performance improved compared to your last workout?

For example, let’s say last workout you were able to perform 8 pull-ups using your body-weight, but were only able to perform 6 pull-ups the following week.  This means that you have not “out done” your previous workout, have not fully recovered, and therefore are likely over-training.  You nave to re-asses your program and make modifications so that you see progress every workout.

How Can I Prevent Over-training?

n order to avoid over-training, you need to take a multi-facited approach.  Determining the correct training volume and intensity, eating the right foods, and getting the right amount of rest and recovery must all be taken in to consideration.  Now let’s take a look at each of those factors in more detail.

Correct Training Volume

Determining the correct training volume can be difficult, especially when you are first starting out.  You have to determine how much weight to lift, how many repetitions and set to perform for every single workout.

You need to use your own judgment in this case, based on your recovery ability and your recovery methods.  Remember that the goal is that you improve every single workout, and if this isn’t happening, you have to decrease the intensity of your workouts.

This is where many people go wrong though.  You begin your workout and realize that you have not fully recovered.  You can either continue to train at a lower intensity than the previous workout, or skip the workout entirely.

As hard as it may be, skipping the workout is the right way to go.  Just turn around and go home!  Your body is telling you that it needs more rest, and you must listen to it!

There is no point in training at a lower intensity, further breaking down the muscle tissue.   By doing this you will increase your risk of injury, and make it harder for your body to fully recovery for your next training session.

Proper Nutrition

Your diet plays a huge role in your muscle building program.  It helps regulate hormone levels, provides energy, and provides the raw building blocks that are used to create new tissue.

Here are some dietary recommendations that will limit the chance of over-training:

• Do not skip breakfast.  This is one of the most important meals of the day.  Skipping breakfast is very catabolic, and can promote muscle loss.
• Never let yourself get hungry.  If you’re trying to build muscle mass, you have to constantly feed your body quality foods so that it never has the chance catabolize muscle tissue.
• Unless you are trying to build muscle and lose fat, make sure you have eaten prior to your training session and are not hungry.
• Have the largest meal of the day within an hour after your workout.  Do this every single workout!
• Consider taking proven supplements like creatine, and antioxidants to increase performance and fight free radicals.
• Eat every 2-3 hours to ensure that your body remains in an anabolic state.
• Keep glycogen levels at full capacity to inhibit muscle tissue breakdown.

Rest & Recovery

Rest and recovery is essential when it comes to avoiding over-training.  Make sure that you get at least 7 hours of sleep each night, and that you are on a consistent schedule.  As for recovery time, it’s important that you have days off between weight training workouts.  Try to have one rest day between weight training workouts, and never train the same muscle groups on consecutive days.

I can’t count how many emails I get that look like this:

“Vince, I have a hard time staying motivated while I work out in the gym.  I can’t seem to stay focused and often feel like I’m wasting my time and not getting the best workout in.  Is there a supplement I should be taking or do you have any advice to fix this”

I understand how frustrating it can be to feel like you’re spending time in the gym, instead of investing time in the gym.  It’s a deflating feeling and can leave you with that depressing lump in your throat.

I have gone through short-term slumps where I just can’t get into it and it’s a crappy feeling especially when you’re not looking or feeling your best.

Here are some tips on how to crash through these quitting points!

1. Buddy Up.

Schedule your workouts with a workout partner who has similar goals as yourself and who inspires you and motivates you to work harder.  A good workout partner will push you slightly beyond your limits and keep the flow of the workout going by avoiding chitter-chatter.  The best workout partners can give you feedback on your technique, arrive to the gym on time and ensure you give each set 100% effort.

2. Treat Yourself To an Ipod.

If you alrready have an iPod, stock up on some brand new music that gets you fired up. I’m not afraid to admit that I might be too reliant on my own iPod but I don’t mind because it ensures I get an intense workout each time.  Music gets you into a rythym and flow earlier on to carry you to the end of your workout.  Popping on some ear phones also tells other members to leave you alone and blocks out back ground noise that can be distracting.

3. Have A Clean Pre-Workout Meal

When I’m training for size, I’ll have a 2:1 ratio of carbs to protein about 90-minutes away from my workout.  It might be eggs and oatmeal or pasta and tuna or cottage cheese and fruit.  Those are some of my favorite pre-workout meals.  Ingesting a clean and energy-boosting meal enforces the tone and healthy mindset I live by and gets me ready to push my body knowing that it’s fueled properly.

4. Bring Your Program To The Gym

Even if you have a great memory and plan ahead, bring the printable workout sheets of your program to the gym.  You should know exactly which exercises, reps and sets and weights you’ll be doing before you arrive to the gym.  Seeing the entire plan layed out on paper creates less chance of cutting your workout short.  While others are standing around trying to figure out which body part they should train, you wont’ waste a second in the gym and be motivated by knowing you’re working towards your goals.

5. Know Your Goals

Going to the gym to “feel healthy” is great goal but having more specific goals is far more motivating. What is the one specific goal you’re working towards right now?  Perhaps it’s too look buff for a upcoming vacation?  A business presentation?  A wedding? A competition?  Whatever the case, by focusing on your goal, you’ll train harder and see results sooner so that you’ll be able to continue to focus more.

6. Wear A Stop Watch

One of the biggest mistakes is not keeping your workout honest.  When I ran track, everything was measured with a stop watch so all of our progress was honest.  If you’re not tracking your rest periods then it’s easy to lose momentum and focus.  It can also lead to chitter chatter with other gym members that pulls you out of your zone.

7. Have An Espresso

I won’t lie, some of my best workouts have come after “a shot” or a big black cup of coffee one hour prior to training.  Caffeine stimulates the central nervous system by blocking adenosine, a neurotransmitter that normally causes a calming effect in the body and prevents you from feeling pain.  You’ll find your heart rate increase, pupils dilate and your muscles will feel tighter.  It also helps release glucose into your blood stream for extra energy. Voila… want to make that a double espresso?

They’re many more pro’s and con’s to using caffeine before a workout which we will not discuss today.  I find that 200 mg gives me the “caffeine buzz” and I’m a 205 pound male.   A single espresso has about 100 mg; a 6 oz of drip coffee has about 115-175 mg and a brewed coffee has about 80-135 mg (all these numbers depend on the strength of the roast) to give you an idea of how to experiment.

8.  Now It’s Your Turn…

Post your favorite tip or tick that you’ve used to have your best workout ever.  Feel free to elaborate on what I’ve already posted.

Written by Vince DelMonte

If so, how much?

If so, what kind?

Sick and tired of trying to bulk up but only adding more fat to your midsection?

Check out this 4 minute video lesson on how I incorporate cardio into a muscle building routine and answer all these questions.

Don’t worry, if you need to lean down, I have some great tips in this video for your routine too.

… I have six “action steps” that you can do later today or tomorrow when you hit the gym and you can learn how three of them that I have not seen discussed on any bodybuilding forum, magazine or article.

It has nothing to do with changing the program you are currently using. Just apply these tips to whatever workout you have next on your schedule. Click Play to learn them now!

You know who I am talking about, don’t you?!  ”That guy” or “that gal” who is at the gym 4-5 x a week but does not look any different than last month or even last year!

What the heck is happening here?

My first guest is that they are not giving their a body a REASON to change.  What is that specific reason?

“That guy” or “that gal” is NOT getting stronger from week to week.  Assuming you’re bulking up on clean calories then you should be getting more muscular and thicker if you are moving from the small weights to big weights.

Are you getting stronger from week to week?  I firmly believe that muscle size follows strength.

When was the last time you saw a guy who could bench press 300 pounds with a small chest and small arms?  When was the last time you saw someone dead lift 400 pounds without any density in their arms, traps, back and legs?

Are You Sick and Tired Of People Telling You How To Gain Weight?

It probably sounds like this:

“All you have to do is eat, eat, and eat some more to gain weight…”

“Weight gain is just a matter of eating…”

“You just gotta overload your metabolism to gain weight fast…”

“You can’t build a house without the bricks and mortar for gaining weight…”

Don’t throw me to the wolves quite yet. There is certainly truth to these statements and some of these analogies can prove quite powerful. I think I’m even guilty of preaching a few! But the problem with this advice is that it’s usually followed up with the same old regurgitated blah, blah, blah advice that only tells you what to do and does not reveal real-world, practical how-to action-steps.

If you are someone who has struggled their entire life, trying to pack on extra muscle mass and still consider yourself underweight, then you are not alone. I was once skinny and underweight myself…

People, predispositioned to skinniness, are commonly referred to as “hard gainers.” This is the cool way to label your scrawny frame despite the fact that your body turns into a Number 2 pencil when you wear yellow!

It’s Not Totally Your Fault You’re Skinny

In the skinny guy’s defense, the reality is that you have been cursed with traits like Lamborghini-type metabolism, giraffe like limbs, and the strength of a senior citizen. You have to fight with every bone in your body to do something about your small frame and to keep up to your male buddies who seem to grow muscle just by sneezing – those muscle freaks piss me off just as much you!

Even though you might think your genetic deficiencies have sentenced you to a life of frailty and surprised looks when you tell others you lift weights, I am living proof that hard gainers with very ‘muscle-unfriendly genes’ can fight back against their genetics and gain muscle weight. I defeated my skinny genetics just after college and I am about to show you four tips that helped me climb from a 140 pound weakling to a rock hard 200 pounds in six months.

Skinny Guys Must Play By A Different Set Of Rules

If you are underweight, then your first step to gaining weight is to understand that you must play by a different set up rules. I have said this before and will say it again,

“Taking advice from someone who can gain muscle weight easilyis like taking money advice from someone who inherited a fortune or is making money illegally.”

You must think outside the box and give up the excuse of being a “hard gainer.” It is time to stop listening to all the naysayers who have told you that is impossible to gain weight because of your genetics. Regardless of what you have been led to believe, you do have the potential to build an impressive physique that turns heads and even intimidates!

If you have read this far, I am guessing you are ready to longer resemble a microphone stand! You are prepared to overload your metabolism for muscle growth, to ensure you are never referred to as ‘underweight’ or ’skinny’ ever again. Start following these simple steps and don’t be surprised if you gain an extra ten pounds of muscle weight in the next four weeks.

Simple How To Gain Weight Action Steps To Start Growing Like A Skyscraper!

1. Double It Up

One of the most practical steps you can take is to double whatever you are currently eating in the kitchen right now. If you are eating one chicken breast per meal, then cook up two. If you are only eating two slices of bread, then make it four. If you are eating one handful of nuts, then make it two. If you are using only two scoops of protein powder, then make it four.

Most likely you are only a few dozen meals short of filling out your underdeveloped body parts and attracting the attention of that sexy girl at your gym. I assume you are already in the kitchen and have the food out. So would you agree, you really have no good excuse not to shovel down a greater percentage of calories by doubling it up?

2. Live Your Life Around Food

Sure, you know that you must eat every 2-3 hours, but how well do you execute? Set your clock on a countdown timer to go off every 2 and ½ hours so that you reinforce the habit of eating literally not a second late for each meal! Don’t turn off the damn beeper until you start chowing down.

Ensure you are eating your first meal within 15-30 minutes of waking up – absolutely no later. This first meal of the day should always consist of REAL food to flood your body with quality nutrients. I question anybody’s commitment to gaining weight if they are too lazy to wake up 15 minutes earlier to eat a real meal.

Lastly, don’t be surprised if you are not gaining weight if you do not find yourself spending more time preparing food, more time eating food and more time cleaning your kitchen. You should notice you are spending more time in the grocery store and you should also notice a larger grocery bill each week!

3. Use BIG Eating Equipment

If you want to bulk, then you have to eat like Hulk. Do you think Hulk eats out of a small plate, or a small bowel, or a small cup? If you are aiming to get big and huge, you are going to require large amounts of food, most likely close to double of what you are currently eating.

So get BIG eating equipment! Get a BIG cup, get a BIG bowel, and get a BIG plate. Surround yourself with BIG. Most of the time hard gainers are nothing more than “under eaters.” If you struggle to complete a meal, then a bigger serving on a bigger plate will look small!

4. Never Train Hungry

How many times have you woken up, whipped up a protein shake and than headed off to the gym? Or maybe you had a long afternoon and missed a few meals and then attempted a weight training workout after work?

I thought this was common sense to avoid, until a few of my skinny clients confessed that they were showing up for their workouts having only eaten a piece of fruit and some crackers within the entire day!

After dropping the 45-pound plate on my foot out of shock, they reassured me: they were not hungry.  I sometimes screamed back, “Yeah, that’s because your metabolism is in starvation mode and shut right down, you skinny pencil neck!”

I understand that training in the morning is the only time for some, however, I recommend to aim for a minimum of at least three solid meals in your system prior to training. Or eat the biggest meal of your day immediately after your AM workout. Would you take your car out on a long trip with a half empty fuel tank? Not unless you wanted the car to die and you push it the rest of the way. So why would you take your body through a grueling training session on an empty stomach?

5. Eat Nutrient Dense Foods

Focus on caloric-rich foods that are loaded with nutrients.  Avoid foods with empty calories, which means there is little or no nutrient value in the calories you are eating.  Why would you consume a 500-calorie plus meal that is loaded with fat and sugar which does nothing but make you feel sluggish and soft?  Instead, eat a high caloric meal loaded with slow releasing carbohydrates,  proteins, fats, vitamins, minerals and fiber.    Here are some of the best choices:

Carbohydrates – Oatmeal, rice, breads, yams beans, potatoes, fruits and veggies.

Proteins – Steak, chicken, lean beef, cottage cheese, whole milk, eggs and salmon.

Fats – Olive oil, flax oil, avocados, nuts and peanut butter.

Extras (high calorie cheat food) – Ice cream, raisins, dried fruit and trail mix.

6. Drink A Carb And Protein Drink While You Workout

How hard is to sip on a calorie-rich drink during your weight training sessions?  Simply mix up a 2:1 ratio of carbohydrate to protein with one liter of water and you instantly have a few extra hundred calories per day.  Now have an extra workout drink before your workout and extra workout drink after your workout and that’s easily an extra one pound per week.  Only use this technique if you are weight training at a very high intensity.

7.  Live the motto, “Never Stop Eating”

Did I hear you say, “But I’ll throw up if I eat all day?”  Maybe… Is it necessary?  Of course not.  But this is a part of pushing your body’s threshold.  Don’t worry, you will get used to it and your body will require more food as you gain more muscle on your body and your metabolism increases.  Just think that if you are not eating, then you are not growing, and if you are not growing then you are staying the same.  Is that what you want?

Conclusion

There you have it and as I promised, learning how to gain weight fast is quite simple.  Executing is a whole different story.  It will really come down to how truly committed you are to defeating your skinny genetics and gaining the muscular body you deserve!

Here is my promise to you. You have the ability to gain at least another ten pounds of solid weight in the next four weeks by simply applying the advice above. If you are truly committed to your goals of gaining muscle weight and no longer being known as underweight, then I believe you will rise to the challenge and take action! Are you with me?

To get FULL advantage over bulking up your body, I recommend getting Vince’s guide to No Nonsense Muscle Building. For skinny guys who are looking to bulk up or for chubby guys who want to cut down and tone up.