If you're a skinny guy struggling to gain muscle despite consistent gym efforts, the problem likely lies in your diet. Building muscle requires a calorie surplus and a strategic balance of protein, carbohydrates, and healthy fats. This guide provides an expert-approved diet plan to help skinny guys effectively bulk up.
Diet Principles for Skinny Guys
To successfully bulk up, skinny guys need to adhere to specific dietary principles that support muscle growth and overall health.
Eat Frequently Enough
Regular eating is crucial for fueling muscles, maintaining energy levels, and providing the nutrients necessary for growth. Aim for three balanced meals and two nutritious snacks daily to ensure a steady stream of calories and nutrients for muscle growth and recovery. Consistency is key, so focus on making healthy eating a habit.
Prioritize Protein Intake
Protein is essential for repairing and building new muscle tissue. Aim for approximately one gram of protein per pound of bodyweight daily. Include protein-rich foods such as lean meats, eggs, low-fat milk, fish, and Greek yogurt in your meals.
Consume Complex Carbohydrates
Fuel your body with complex carbs at about 2 grams per pound of bodyweight initially, gradually increasing to 4 grams as training intensity increases. Carbohydrates are essential for muscle recovery and energy, helping you perform better and recover faster. If your weight isn't increasing after four weeks, slightly increase your carb intake until you see progress.
Read also: Maximize Muscle Growth on Vegan
Include Healthy Fats
Healthy fats are crucial for hormone balance and muscle growth. Incorporate nutrient-dense foods like avocados, nuts, olive oil, and fatty fish into your diet to support lean gains without excess fat accumulation. Moderation is essential.
Strategic Cheat Days
Occasional cheat days can be part of your weight gain journey, providing mental and emotional satisfaction. Enjoy these indulgences in moderation, knowing they can help you stay motivated and prevent feelings of deprivation.
Optimize Post-Workout Nutrition
Post-workout meals are vital for muscle growth. Replenish energy stores with protein shakes and lean proteins immediately after workouts. Denying your body the fuel it needs can lead to burning both fat and muscle for energy, which is counterproductive to your goals. Combine easily digestible carbs and protein for optimal recovery.
Calorie Surplus and Macronutrient Balance
To gain weight and build muscle, you need to consume more calories than you burn. This is known as a calorie surplus. The appropriate calorie surplus varies depending on your weight:
- 120-150 lbs: Aim for a modest surplus of about 250 to 350 calories above maintenance, with protein near 0.8 to 1 gram per pound of body weight.
- 150-180 lbs: Increase the surplus to 300 to 450 calories and maintain protein intake at roughly 0.8 to 1 gram per pound.
- 180-200 lbs: Aim for a surplus of 350 to 500 calories, with protein at 0.7 to 0.9 grams per pound to manage appetite as calories rise.
Sample Diet Plans
While specific meal plans weren't provided, the following is an example of what a daily plan could look like for a 160 pound individual. This is not a one-size-fits-all plan, and should be adjusted as needed.
Read also: Bulking Diet for Women
Breakfast (500 Calories, 40g Protein)
- Oatmeal (1 cup) with berries (1/2 cup) and nuts (1/4 cup)
- Protein shake (whey protein, 2 scoops) with milk (1 cup)
Mid-Morning Snack (300 Calories, 20g Protein)
- Greek yogurt (1 cup) with a handful of almonds
Lunch (600 Calories, 50g Protein)
- Chicken breast (6 oz) with brown rice (1 cup) and mixed vegetables (1 cup)
Afternoon Snack (300 Calories, 25g Protein)
- Cottage cheese (1 cup) with fruit (1/2 cup)
Dinner (700 Calories, 60g Protein)
- Salmon (6 oz) with sweet potato (1 medium) and steamed broccoli (1 cup)
Post-Workout (300 Calories, 30g Protein)
- Whey protein shake (2 scoops) with banana
Supplementation
Supplements can enhance your muscle-building progress when combined with a well-structured diet.
Protein Powder
Whey protein isolate is a high-quality option for post-workout recovery and to help meet daily protein goals.
Creatine
Creatine is a well-researched supplement that supports muscle strength and growth.
Clean Bulking vs. Dirty Bulking
When bulking, it's essential to differentiate between clean and dirty bulking. Clean bulking involves a controlled calorie surplus with a focus on whole, unprocessed foods to minimize fat gain. Dirty bulking, on the other hand, involves consuming a large calorie surplus with less regard for food quality, often leading to excessive fat gain.
Clean Bulking
- Focus: Controlled calorie surplus (350-500 calories above maintenance).
- Foods: Whole, unprocessed foods like lean proteins, healthy fats, complex carbs, fruits, and vegetables.
- Benefits: Minimizes fat gain, promotes better health, and provides superior nutrient content.
- Drawbacks: Slower progress, requires strict adherence to the diet, and may lack flexibility.
Dirty Bulking
- Focus: Large calorie surplus (over 500 calories above maintenance).
- Foods: Any foods, including processed and high-calorie junk foods.
- Benefits: Rapid muscle and weight gain.
- Drawbacks: Excessive fat gain, potential negative health effects, and feelings of sluggishness.
Foods to Eat and Limit
Foods to Eat
- Lean Proteins: Chicken, fish, turkey, beef, pork, Greek yogurt, cottage cheese, reduced-fat cheese, protein powders, tofu, tempeh, eggs, and egg whites.
- Healthy Fats: Olive oil, avocado, nuts, nut butters, fatty fish, and seeds like chia, hemp, and flax seeds.
- Legumes: All beans, including chickpeas, kidney, navy, black, and great northern beans.
- High-Quality Carbs: Oats, quinoa, whole grain pasta, white and sweet potatoes, white and brown rice.
- Fruits: Apples, oranges, bananas, pineapple, grapefruit, and all types of berries.
- Non-Starchy Vegetables: Peppers, asparagus, green beans, mushrooms, onions, tomatoes, zucchini, carrots, and celery.
- Cruciferous Vegetables: Broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, and cabbage.
- Dark Leafy Greens: Spinach, Swiss chard, collard greens, and kale.
- Beverages: Water, seltzer, diet soda, tea, coffee, and kombucha.
Foods to Limit or Avoid
- Highly Processed Foods: Fried foods, canned soups and stews, sugary cereals, chips, fast food, full-fat ice cream, packaged pastries, cakes, cookies, and processed meats like bacon, sausage, ham, salami, and pâté.
- Proteins: Fatty cuts of beef or pork, as well as processed pork or beef sausage.
- Saturated Fats: Margarine, butter, and certain oils.
- Beverages: Soft drinks, sweetened coffee, sweet tea, lemonade, and other sugary drinks.
Addressing Common Concerns
How Many Calories Do I Need?
Most trainers recommend consuming a minimum of 500 calories per day above your maintenance level and ensuring you get 1.0-2.0 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight. Use an online calculator to determine your specific calorie needs.
Read also: Bulking Diet Plan for Vegetarians
What if I'm Not Gaining Weight?
If you're not gaining weight, increase your calorie intake by another 200 calories per day. Monitor your weight weekly and adjust your calorie intake as needed.
Can I Have Cheat Days?
Yes, occasional cheat days can be included in your diet but should be enjoyed in moderation.
What About Cardio?
Low-intensity cardio, like 20 minutes of bike riding or walking, is beneficial. Recent research suggests physical activity improves blood flow, enhancing nutrient delivery to muscles and speeding up muscle growth.
Myths About Bulking
There are many myths about how skinny guys need to dirty bulk, avoid cardio, or limit their physical activity. This advice may make it easier to get into a calorie surplus, but it’s not healthy in the long term.
Resistance Training
Stimulate muscle growth with resistance training. Hypertrophy training, also known as bodybuilding, stimulates far more muscle growth than any other type of resistance training, allowing you to bulk faster and more leanly.
Hypertrophy Training Principles
- Rep Range: Lift in a moderate rep range, usually between 6-20 repetitions per set.
- Exercise Selection: Use free weights, exercise machines, and bodyweight exercises. Choose the exercises that stimulate the most muscle growth.
- Muscle Focus: Ensure your muscles are the limiting factor. Don’t let your balance, pain tolerance, cardiovascular fitness, or technique limit you.
- Rest: Rest long enough between sets to recover most of your strength.
- Progressive Overload: Every workout, try to outlift your previous self.
Sample Workout Routine
A 3-day full-body workout program is an excellent default routine for skinny beginners.
- Day 1: Squats, Bench Press, Rows
- Day 2: Rest
- Day 3: Deadlifts, Overhead Press, Pull-ups
- Day 4: Rest
- Day 5: Squats, Bench Press, Rows
- Day 6 & 7: Rest