SKINNY GUYS: what's YOUR plan to bulk up (and look great)???

[Demystify]

How are squats good for bulking up? Any time I do squats I feel much skinnier.

 

[JDiddy]

Gaining bulk requires low weight high rep.
Getting toned and cut requires high weight low rep.

I utilize both techniques, emphasizing more on the latter as opposed to the former.

ok do what works for you but generally getting toned and cut involves eating the right foods

low weight high rep can bring definition to muscle and it can bring bulk if you have certain genetics

high weight low rep boosts your testosterone and builds up muscle fibre strength and bulk

i have fast twitch muscle fibre dominance so i respond alot better to heavy weight low rep

this is me after about 1 year of squat, deadlift, bench, military press, dips, chins, rows, with reps being in the 3-5 for the barbell lifts and up to 7 with dips and chins. 1 year back i was a skinny bastard, put on abit of a gut but im currently addicted to getting stronger.
http://img46.imageshack.us/img46/2584/side1k.jpg

 

[Bling]

How are squats good for bulking up? Any time I do squats I feel much skinnier.

lol what

 

[morepoonplease]

like the others have said.

Get access to a barbell and power rack,
Eat big,
Lift big,
Become big.

Push ups wont cut it.

EDIT-
LoL, I just had a quick read of your link

"Remember that adding muscle takes years, the most you can expect to add in a year is 5-10lbs"

My 15- 20lb of muscle in nine months dissagrees, and my results are fairly typical.
This man doesnt know what he's talking about.

Cure.

I've added 40lbs of mass since january... so 8 months... eat big and train big, its the only way.

 

[runner83]

Body weight might be okay if you want to tone what you've got, but for building muscle, FORGET IT!

Lifting light weights is a waste of time.

I simply want to get in, get my workout done in the most efficient way to stimulate muscle growth and get out.

You should be continually aiming to increase either the weight and/or number of reps on each and every exercise.

Nutrition is also at least 50% of the key. You need to enough calories and the composition of those calories will determine what kind of weight you gain.

The original quote about 5-10 lbs being the most you can gain is also b*s - I've gained 30 pounds in the last 6 months using 2 workouts per week, a maximum of 3 hours workout (including warm ups etc) per week.

 

[morepoonplease]

Body weight might be okay if you want to tone what you've got, but for building muscle, FORGET IT!

Lifting light weights is a waste of time.

I simply want to get in, get my workout done in the most efficient way to stimulate muscle growth and get out.

You should be continually aiming to increase either the weight and/or number of reps on each and every exercise.

Nutrition is also at least 50% of the key. You need to enough calories and the composition of those calories will determine what kind of weight you gain.

The original quote about 5-10 lbs being the most you can gain is also b*s - I've gained 30 pounds in the last 6 months using 2 workouts per week, a maximum of 3 hours workout (including warm ups etc) per week.

ok this i find hard to believe, 2 days in the gym per week and u've gained 30lbs in 6 months?

Nutrition is more like 70% of the battle... being in the gym for 3 hrs will also work backwards.... shouldn't be longer than 1.5 hrs then u need to get some protein and fast carbs into you as your body is in a state of muscle hypertrophy.

 

[runner83]

ok this i find hard to believe, 2 days in the gym per week and u've gained 30lbs in 6 months?

Nutrition is more like 70% of the battle... being in the gym for 3 hrs will also work backwards.... shouldn't be longer than 1.5 hrs then u need to get some protein and fast carbs into you as your body is in a state of muscle hypertrophy.

Believe it. 5'8", I started at 154 and am now up to 186 at last measure.

When I said 3 hours, I meant total per week. So 2 workouts a week, no more than 1.5 hours total (normally about 1 hour per workout excluding warmup and cooldown phases).

And that's just using a bench, barbell, dumbbells, and weights at my place.

I operate on the high intensity, low volume principle so I lift as heavy as I can, no more than 12 - 14 sets of 5-7 reps (for most exercises) per workout.

If I get more reps than 7 (12 for some exercises) I increase the weight.

My entire focus is to either increase the weight and/or reps for each exercise every time I work out. Also have 1 week off after 8 weeks straight.

Nutrition is definitely a big part, probably is closer to 70%, and it's a 24 hour a day job. I went on the net and bought a 20kg bag of whey protein, since that was the most cost effective way to buy it.

I have 7 meals a day, including 3 - 5 protein shakes (5 if if I exercise or workout). Only supplements I'm using are creatine and glutamine. I also tend to have about 3L (0.8 gallons?) of milk a day.

May not work for all, but so far for me, it's worked well.

Continuing to gain weight and increase my weight lifted on exercises, so might as well keep going.

I also maintain a cardio program well in excess of what most ordinary people would do, so to have maintained my fitness and also put on so much quality weight has been really satisfying.

 

[morepoonplease]

Believe it. 5'8", I started at 154 and am now up to 186 at last measure.

When I said 3 hours, I meant total per week. So 2 workouts a week, no more than 1.5 hours total (normally about 1 hour per workout excluding warmup and cooldown phases).

And that's just using a bench, barbell, dumbbells, and weights at my place.

I operate on the high intensity, low volume principle so I lift as heavy as I can, no more than 12 - 14 sets of 5-7 reps (for most exercises) per workout.

If I get more reps than 7 (12 for some exercises) I increase the weight.

My entire focus is to either increase the weight and/or reps for each exercise every time I work out. Also have 1 week off after 8 weeks straight.

Nutrition is definitely a big part, probably is closer to 70%, and it's a 24 hour a day job. I went on the net and bought a 20kg bag of whey protein, since that was the most cost effective way to buy it.

I have 7 meals a day, including 3 - 5 protein shakes (5 if if I exercise or workout). Only supplements I'm using are creatine and glutamine. I also tend to have about 3L (0.8 gallons?) of milk a day.

May not work for all, but so far for me, it's worked well.

Continuing to gain weight and increase my weight lifted on exercises, so might as well keep going.

I also maintain a cardio program well in excess of what most ordinary people would do, so to have maintained my fitness and also put on so much quality weight has been really satisfying.

good work bro, i'm sitting right at the 40lb mark myself... been at it 8 months straight, i lift 5X a week though... benching 310lbs... i've added 100lbs to my overall bench in that timeframe... glad to see you've got everything down pact... looks like you're going to make serious gains for a long time to come!

 

[runner83]

Thanks Mate.

I still have a long way to go, but the progress so far has been good.

Sounds like your program is on track as well.

So, close out this thread, I would summarise the keys to bulking up and looking great as:

1) Lift weights as heavy as you can
2) Give your body sufficient time to rest between workouts (this may vary for different people)
3) Eat lots of quality food in the right nutrient ratios.

Good luck all. Onwards and upwards.

 

[Don Wha]

Just thought I'd bump this thread to rally and motivate us skinny guys.

I've been inconsistent with my workouts the past few months but started picking things back up the past 2 weeks with the 5x5 program. It's been working pretty well for me.

Last year at this time i was about 125. Now I'm up to 152. At 5'7" and 152 lbs, I still feel skinny. So my goal is the get up to 160 by the end of May and see how I feel then.

Good luck to all who is trying to bulk up.