Hello Friend,

If this is your first visit to SoSuave, I would advise you to START HERE.

It will be the most efficient use of your time.

And you will learn everything you need to know to become a huge success with women.

Thank you for visiting and have a great day!

No More Scrawny Guy!

Pook

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Many people don't understand the plight of us scrawny guys. But the ectomorph body type forces us to be thin. It's a blessing in older age but a curse in youth.

Women just aren't attracted to scrawny guys. Kill that scrawnyness and everyone will respond to you differently. Diesel has a good guide to bulking up. But I don't think Diesel has suffered the scrawny guy plight. Scrawny guys have different a metabolism. Scawny guys ask these big guys "How do you bulk up?" and the big guys gives their gym program. The gym is important, but the diet must be the focus for the scrawny guys. The challenge is not in the gym; it is in the kitchen.

No matter how much you work out, no matter what supplements you take, you will remain scrawny. But you can control your body's nature rather than it controlling you. Here's how:

The most difficult trial is the diet. You must:

1) Eat the correct food.
2) Write down and calculate the calories (Do not wing this!)
3) Eat six to seven times a day.

1) Your foods need to be rich in protein at every meal. Whey protein, eggs, lean beef, chicken, fish, pork, etc. Stay away from the processed stuff (like deli meats or those slices of meat you get in those stupid packages). It is not that the processed stuff is bad, it is that your body will gain more protein from the real meat.

All this meat will also trigger testosterone to soar in your body. It is the key to muscle growth (and perhaps some other changes in yourself as well!)

I can't stress this enough. You need to plan out your meals. This will be hell (because I like to grab stuff and throw it in Mr. Microwave.) Once you start gaining mass, your body will say, "What is this? This does not apply to my DNA's blueprint! I will slowly remove this extra mass." You must be consistant since you will be fighting your body's natural urge to be thin.

So make sure that when you start, you can keep going on this plan for months. Make sure you have some decent meals that taste good or you WILL get off your plan (and you will become thin again).

2) This is very important. People think they will 'wing it', not write anything down and do it 'mentally'. Writing down stuff seems like too much work. Yes, it takes time. Yes, it may take more time then it takes for you to study for your classes. But if you are serious, then you might as well do it right. Why do all this work if it leads you to a unending circle?

It is a simple matter of mathematics. If you take in more calories than you burn, you will get bigger (and by eating the correct foods, you will not gain fat. Besides, as scrawny as you are, would you notice any fat if you had any?)

Here's a guide of the amount of calories you need PER DAY if you want to lose your scrawniness:

100 lbs....2000 cal.
110 lbs....2200 cal.
120 lbs....2400 cal.
130 lbs....2600 cal.
140 lbs....2800 cal.
150 lbs....3000 cal.
160 lbs....3200 cal.
170 lbs....3400 cal.
180 lbs....3600 cal.
190 lbs....3800 cal.

Keep in mind that its not just rates of calories you're measuring, but also protein and fat. But if you stay away from the bad stuff (which you know what that is) and keep towards the good stuff (the lean meats), the calories should be a good guide to what you're aiming for.

3) Your body wants to be thin. Don't let it! Eat, eat, eat. Eat at least every three hours. Eat when you wake up, eat before you sleep. Eat six to seven meals a day. Make sure there is protein at each meal.

This will be no easy task. If you can do this, everything else will be simple. This is the MOST DIFFICULT part. Record your results, your nutrient count and your changes weekly.

It may be a problem for some to eat six to seven meals a day. This is when supplements will help. But supplements are not a magic potion for mass gain. Don't even bother with supplements if you can't even do the diet right (which is MORE difficult than you imagine). If you have a choice of spending your money on the correct food or supplements, spend it on the correct food. You can do all this without supplements.

OK, now the easy stuff.

Diesel's guide to bulking up is good (but the emphasis must be on diet, not working out, ESPECIALLY if you are scrawny). I work out about 3-4 times a week. Usually, it is divided into legs one day, biceps and back another day, chest and triceps another day.

Stick to free weights. If you have not worked out before, take some time to understand the equipment and the proper uses.

This you may find embarrassing. But what is more embarrassing is doing the exercise improperly. You will not improve your muscles and you will look stupid. I see guys who go the gym everyday and do exercises incorrectly. Obviously, they will get nowhere.

I usually do a very low weight practice set to begin with. Good form is critical. I throw on enough weight to do like ten reps. Then I throw more weight on to do like five reps. Then throw on more weight to do like two reps. Then I unload a lot of it and superset to failure.

It is also fun to do it backwards. One time I was benchpressing and had two guys spot me. Four ten pound weights were on each side. Not much weight but after 30 reps or so it becomes heavy. The two guys then took one ten pound weight off the bar. It felt so much lighter that I did more. Then when I couldn't lift it any more, the two guys took another ten pount weight off each side. In the end, I was only lifting the bar. Then, the girls Pook were eyeing earlier came in at that time to see poor Pook struggling to lift up the bar with two guys spotting him! Doh!

But actually, don't worry about how much you are lifting. Lift only what is heavy to your muscles. You will not take the weights outside the gym to show the chicks. You will only take your muscles out so focus on them.

Again, you MUST record what you are lifting. Yes, take a notebook and record how heavy weights you lifted and the reps you did. Why? Because you want to IMPROVE. Record, record, record!

With all this activity, your body will be tired. Let it get its proper rest. And eat, eat, eat!

You will gain definition, mass, and will transform yourself from scrawny guy to well-built guy with awesome physique that the girls will drool over.

Everyone now looks at me and say, "Pook, you are so lucky." And I tell them, "Perhaps... But the smarter I work, the luckier I get!"
 

DIESEL

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Pook

Thank you for stating the obvious.

My post IS designed as a point of departure for the skinny guy or for anyone looking to get bigger...Most skinny guys ***** about their metabolisms, but that's a bullshyt argument. I'll bet if they actually wrote down what they eat in an average day, it's probably not all that much calorie wise... But, anyway, that's besides the point.... I clearly give out the proper nutritional ratios and lifting parameters for a bulking diet. Follow it, and you will get bigger.

Your calorie guide is incomplete. 20 calories per pound of bodyweight may not work for all people.. nor do you give appropriate macronutrient breakdowns.

Other than that, your basic premise is correct. Chicks on a subconcious level get wet when faced with power. Which is why they go for jerks, meatheads, and not the scrawny ones.. scrawniness on an instinctual level, just like nice-guy dom = weakness.

peace,
D
 

Hot Ice

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Ah. This is Just i've been looking for!
Im a scrawny guy. By genes passed from my father. Dang that guy! :D

I've been doing reps with 10kg (22 pounds) handweight at home since last september or so. Im also doing various kinds of pushups, sit-ups and some exercises to my back.
I work out about 3-4 times a week and I always do it 'till the end'.
My muscles start to look and are stronger.
Actually I would have great looking upper body if my muscles would have just lil more mass. :p
And here comes Pook with his typical great posts and tells me what to do!
Thanks! :)

*Gone to eat a 'little' bit*
 

Drex

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Everything you said is pretty much on the mark except your calorie guide. I'm what you call a "hardgainer" and I've always been skinny as hell. I'm on a strict program and I've had massive gains so far (+35lbs of muscle, -2% bodyfat), but to get past 150lbs I had to eat 3600+ calories a day.
 

Hot Ice

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It's just that Im a student and I need to buy my own food.
It's gonna cost BIG €'s more than now. :(
Less alcohol, more food! :D
 

The-Missing-Link

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Hey Pook,
is training 3-4 a week not too much, especially for a hardgainer? I think it's better to train every muscle group every 9 or 10 days. That gives the muscles enough time to recover fully and you will be able to lift more in your next workout session, at least in my experience. I think 2 times a week is enough.
 

Drex

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Originally posted by The-Missing-Link
Hey Pook,
is training 3-4 a week not too much, especially for a hardgainer? I think it's better to train every muscle group every 9 or 10 days. That gives the muscles enough time to recover fully and you will be able to lift more in your next workout session, at least in my experience. I think 2 times a week is enough.

1 week is plenty of time for recovery. I'm about as much of a hardgainer as you'll ever meet and I've been working out 3 times a week for a year now with great results. You should supplement with glutamine to speed up your recovery time.
 

Fred Da Head

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Girls aren't attracted to scrawny guys? EXCUSE ME? They are. At least here, they are. I see A LOT more hot girls with scrawny SOBs than with bulky jocks.

The rest of your post seems good tho.
 

Drex

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Originally posted by Fred Da Head
Girls aren't attracted to scrawny guys? EXCUSE ME? They are. At least here, they are. I see A LOT more hot girls with scrawny SOBs than with bulky jocks.

The rest of your post seems good tho.

Well I guess Canadien chics are different cause in the U.S. NO chics are attracted to scrawny guys. I was a scrawny guy for my whole life until I was 20 and I got ZERO attention from women, no HBs ever looked at me. Now at 21 I have bulked up considerably and I get eyed a LOT.
 

xanderbaz

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I was scrawny, and with proper (proper, but not healthy:D ) eating and exercising I'm on my way to being a Hulk. (Used to weigh 140lbs, now at 175lbs and gaining)
I can give you a tip that worked for me: eat late. You can work out before it, then go to the kitchen after 22:00 and make yourself a huge sandwich, maybe grill some chicken and eat it with BBQ sauce... I'd usually eat whatever left-overs there were from that day's lunch. This worked magic for me, together with weight-training that was similar to that 'precision weight training' stuff on askmen.com.
Well, that's my $0.02.
 

Zircon

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Xanderbaz that's pretty awesome weight gain. In what period of time did you achive this? Also, how much of it is fat? how tall are ya?

I gain weight slowly, but problem is every 3 weeks or so I slack off eating and then I lose it all quickly again.

WHat you say is pretty helpful. Eat as early as you can (I have a shower and then my protein shake and then the rest of the food), and around 11 at night I have left overs and another protein shake( excludes the one I have after workout).

Difference is I do a fair amount of cardio (cycling).

Concerning chicks who like big guys, I find that mostly true. Until we hit the beach though, I'm 150 pounds 5"11 and cut as hell (< 5% body fat)

:cool:
 

xanderbaz

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Well, I gained first 15lbs last fall in about 10 days of nothing but eating like there was no tomorrow. :) Then I had a break from workout, I sprained my ancle and when I came back, I gained about 20lbs in the last four weeks. I'm 6'3"-4" (with/without shoes) and I have less than 5% of body fat. I'm going to try and gain another 15-20 pounds though.
I don't do cardio, thanks to DIESEL. DIESEL, I want you to know that I'm gonna go fully through with following your guide. With God's help, I'll be raw power in no time! Thanks bro!
 

Zircon

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"Well, I gained first 15lbs last fall in about 10 days of nothing but eating like there was no tomorrow"

No offence, but :

1. Sounds improbable. THat's a hell o a lot of weight.
2. If you gained that much, how much of it was fat? 80%?

It took me about 6 months to gain that - but it's all muscle :)
 

icehot

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Pook, great post dude!

Just what i've been looking for. Like most of you guys on this thread, its impossible for me to gain weight. I hit the gym and i'm pretty well cut/defined. But I can't get the mass!!!
How long did it take you guys to gain noticable mass?
I'm 5'9 140lb and i want to be up to 170lb. You'd think it'd be pretty easy to gain 30lbs but not for me

iceH
 

Hot Ice

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Uh, once you start eating like a horse, you are hungry all the time.
At least it's what happened to me.
It's really not a bad thing when I have to eat all the time.
Keeps things easy...

But how im supposed to know how much calories each food I eat contain??
Ok. Some packages say it, but what if I use products where there is no calories marked..
As im about 140lbs, Im pretty sure I eat now those 2800 cal. (maybe even some more) every day now.. What's the point anyway to mark them down? ok. it helps you following things but is it soooo impotant??

Im off to eat something now. :D
 

Soshyopathe

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Case in point:

My skinny friend asked me how to get big, I told him to eat.....

him: "Man, I eat all the time. I don't stop eating"
Me: "Ok, do you eat breakfast?"
"no"
"And what did you have for lunch today?"
"......I didn't have lunch either."
"Ummm hmmm"
"But when I get home I eat sooo much."

Exactly. If any skinny bastard says they eat a lot, they're full of it, because if they did eat as much as they say, they wouldn't be skinny.
 

Hot Ice

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Originally posted by Soshyopathe
Case in point:

My skinny friend asked me how to get big, I told him to eat.....

him: "Man, I eat all the time. I don't stop eating"
Me: "Ok, do you eat breakfast?"
"no"
"And what did you have for lunch today?"
"......I didn't have lunch either."
"Ummm hmmm"
"But when I get home I eat sooo much."

Exactly. If any skinny bastard says they eat a lot, they're full of it, because if they did eat as much as they say, they wouldn't be skinny.

This is true. I used to say this and actually I didn't eat that much :(
But after I read this post of Pook (props to Pook!) I realised this and now I'm eating always when I get an opportunity.

Actually. I'm on the way to eat right now.
Cheers!
 

Life

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I'm a scrawny one - scrawny and sexy that is!
and I have a couple questions:

1. Can eating so much be detrimental if you don't work out?

and

2. Is there any way to gain mass by simply working out at ones home. ie push ups sit ups etc. - Is there a guide on this forum for this type of workout?

Havn't gotta a clue about such.
 

Safari

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At 16, I was 6'0" and 123 lbs. THAT was as scrawny as anyone I've ever known. Now at 26, I'm 6'2" and 176 lbs, and still slowly gaining.

For me, once I gain a pound of lean mass, I never seem to lose it unless I completely starve myself.

Because of my frame, I'll never lift huge amounts of weights. Instead I concentrate on form, and if I am gaining mass, that's all that really matters.

I'm on a 5 day split routine:
Mon: Chest
Tue: Shoulders/Calves
Wed: Bi/Tri/Forearm
Thu: Back
Fri: Legs

plus abs each morning.

I cycle creatine, two months on and one month off. I take it an hour before lifting, and follow up with a protein supplement and glutamine afterwards, which has noticably improved my recovery times. I doubt I'd do a 5 day split routine without it.

The "less is more" hardgainer philosophy did not work for me. I had to eat AND lift more. But I have to listen to my body...it's honest with me when I need to rest a day.

And absolutely zero cardio.
 
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