How To Gain Weight For Skinny Guys

How To Gain Weight – Even If You Are Under Weight By Vince DelMonte Here are four 'little known' how-to-action-steps that will force you to GAIN WEIGHT – musle mass that is, even if you are underweight! 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 reguritated 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 than 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 are skinny...  In the skinny guys defence, the reality is that you have been cursed with traits like Lamborghini type metabolisms, 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 pee 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 149 pound weakling to a rock hard 190 pounds in six months. Trust me, no body has worse genetics, for building muscle and gaining weight, than a ex long distance runner who abused his body with 60-80 miles of running a week (for over 10 years)! Skinny guys must play by a different set of rules.  If you are underweight than 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 easily, is like taking money advice from somone who inherited a fortune or is making money illegally.” You must think outside the box and give up the excuse of being a “hardgainer.” 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 lead 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 micorphone stand! You are prepared to overload your metabolism for muscle growth, to ensure you are never referred to as 'undeweight' 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. Four 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 than cook up two. If you are only eating two slices of bread than make it four. If you are eating one handful of nuts than make it two. If you are using only two scoops of protein powder than 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 will quality nutrients. I question anybodies comittment 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 than you have to eat like Hulk. Do you think Hulk eats out of 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 than a bigger serving on a bigger plate will look small! 4. Never train hungry. How many times have you waken 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 than 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 eating. Or else the biggest meal of your day immedately 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 push it the rest of the way. So why would you take your body through a grueling training session on a empty stomach? 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 than I believe you will rise to the challenge and take action! Are you with me?

Big Shoulder Workout

BIG SHOULDER WORKOUT

Having big shoulders is the starting point of building a nice V-Taper Physique.  This is a routine that I learned form Vince Delmonte's Maximize Your Muscle program.

Dumbbell Shoulder Press

Set 1. 50x10 (Warm-up) with 1 minute rest.
Set 2. 60x6 (Warm-up) with 1 minute rest.
Set 3. 70x4 (Work-Set) with 2 minute rest.
Set 4. 70x4 (Work-Set) with 2 minute rest.
Set 5. 70x4 (Work-Set) with 2 minute rest.
Set 6. 70x4 (Work-Set) with 2 minute rest.

This routine is a great way to build up mass on your shoulders. 

 Leaning Side Lateral Raise

This routine is a great way to put extra tension on the shoulder.  What you want to do is grab onto something and lean side-ways a bit, having the dumbbell at your side and slowly raise or arm up using your shoulder and then bring back down with control. The protocol is as follows:
1. 8 sets of 8 each side with 1 minute rest.

  

Up-Right Rows                                                     

Set 1. 90x10 with 1 minute rest.
Set 2. 90x10 with 1 minute rest.
Set 3. 90x10 with 1 minute rest.
Set 4. 90x10 with 1 minute rest.


When doing this routine proper form is needed to recruit the right muscles, mainly the traps.


Start at the bottom and slowly bring the wight up with your arms flared straight out and squeeze.  Notice I'm using a wide grip as opposed to a narrow grip.  Wide grip is a little more challenging for me to do and you don't need a lot of weight.

 

Rear Delt Raise.
                                                                                                

The Next routine (Rear Delt Raise) has to be one of the most challenging movements I have ever tried.   
Most people do not do this exercise right as they use to much of their back in the movement.  When doing these you don't need a lot of weight.  You don't want to use your back at all, only your rear delt's.  


During this movement you want to let the weights hang in front of you and then slowly bring them up until you feel the rear delt muscle fire.  I used this routine as a finisher of 20 plus reps until failure.


 

Knowledge is not power, unless you apply it.

Learn How to Build Muscle In 4 Simple Steps

Hey guys here's an article I found written by Vince Delmonte. I have had the privilege to meet him in person and have learned a lot from some of his programs like,  No-Nonsense Muscle Building.  
If you want to build quality muscle in the shortest amount of time, look no further.

Learn How To Build Muscle In 4 Simple Steps

By Vince DelMonte


Are you sick and tired of everyone telling you a different way to build muscle? Are you unhappy with how you look in the mirror? Are you frusturated with your slow progress in the gym? Are you ready to learn four simple steps that will teach you how to build muscle safely and effectively?
There is a good chance that you are not maximizing one of these four steps. Your problem and solution lies in correcting these essential steps before you have any chance of building a muscular and lean physique.
Get ready to learn how to build muscle in four simple steps, in less time, without any drugs and without bogus supplements.
Step #1 

Committ to lifting weights at least three to four times per week. Your goal is to stimulate your muscles with resistance (stress) which results in your muscles growing bigger to avoid the stress from occuring again. Once you go home, let the muscle heal through nutrition and rest, it will grow bigger and you will repeat this process again. Ideally you should hit your muscles once every 72 hours so you could perform 2 upper body workouts per week and 2 lower body workouts per week.

Step #2
Focus on eating at least 5-7x a day with balanced meals from carbohydrates, proteins and fats. If your goal is to build muscle than you should be eating at least 15-18 x your current body weight. Your carbohydrates should equate about 45% of your intake, your proteins should equate about 35% of your intake and your fat should be the remaining 20% of your intake. You should focus on over half of those meals being solid whole food meals and the remainder can be liquid meal replacment shakes.
Step #3
You should focus on stretching at least half the amount that you lift weights. One of the biggest mistkakes I see is people training, training and training with out any stretching. Stretching helps restore normal length to the tissue and if you are constantly training, your muscle tissues will shorten and big to perform weaker and slower and have a higher incidence of injuries. So if you are lifting weights 4 hours in the week, at least an additional 2 hours should be dedicated to stretching. You must counteract the shortening of the muscle tissues that occurs with weights or else you are a injury screaming to happen.
Step #4
Avoid supplements that have not been around for longer than 3 years. I learned this phisophy from an Australian strength coach who recommended not trying any supplement until it has been around at least 3 years to pass the test of time. This will make your life much easier and help you avoid all the marketing hoopla in the latest fitness and bodybuilding magazine. If you follow this rule, you will discover only a small handful of supplements still standing. Here are the ones you should not go with out: a high quality multi-vitamin, fish oil capsules, powdered creatine and a protein powder. These products will cover your nutritional basis for health, healthy body composition, strength and muscle mass.

Embrace Discomfort. Make Pain Your Friend. Both Produce Perseverance.
-Tim Ernst.

Just finished shoulders.
6 Sets DB Press
8x8 leaning Lateral Raise
Up-Right EZ Bar Row
Rear Delt Lateral Raise 20 Rep Burn-Out
4 Sets Of 3 Way Delt Dicers

175 Reps of Calf Raise, Done in 25 Rep Intervals.
Then an Ab Circuit.
http://ping.fm/ZCySV

Chest & Back Day

Hey guys my name is Tim Ernst and I want to share with you that at one time I was the skinny guy in High School.  I never really worked out until 2001.  From that time I worked out for about three years and lost interest for about another three years until I stumbled across Vince DelMonte.  I have been following his workouts for about three years and have had tremendous results using his NO-NONSENSE Muscle Building Program

Today, (September 14th 2011) I worked out Chest and Back. I like to combine these two muscle groups because when ever you do a pushing exercise (Chest) you want to do a pulling exercise (Back).  With that said here is the first movement.  The first exercise I did was Bench Press, (Photo Not Shown).  Here's the workout as follows:

Set 1. 135x10 (Warm-up) with 1 minute rest.
Set 2. 225x6 (Warm-up) with 1 minute rest.
Set 3. 235x4 (Work-Set) with 2 minute rest.
Set 4. 235x4 (Work-Set) with 2 minute rest.
Set 5. 235x4 (Work-Set) with 2 minute rest.
Set 6. 235x4 (Work-Set) with 2 minute rest.

Weighted Leaning Forward Dips. This exercise
builds the chest if done properly.  The key is to lean your body forward not straight up, doing so will only work the triceps.

(Shown to the right).

8 sets of 8 with 1 minute rest between sets.  You'll notice through out this work-out I use an 8x8 protocol.  This routine was taken from Vince's Maximize Your Muscle Program.  I think he gives away a 10 day video program absolutely FREE!  Click the Link for his video presentation.

Next I did an Iso-Lateral Chest Press.

Set 1 Did as many as I could with 2 Plates aside.

Rested for 1 minute and then preceded to do 2 more plates aside.

When I got to the 2 more plates aside it was go time. Time to Crush It!
Set 1. 180x15 rest for 15 seconds.
Set 2. 180x8 rest for 15 seconds.
Set 3. 180x8 rest for 15 seconds.
This work set was incredible as you push yourself to failure.
See Pics below.

Next I did D.B. Fly's. (Photo not shown)
Set 1. All out set 35x30 1 minute rest.
Set 2. 45x15 rest for 15 seconds.
Set 3. 45x12 rest for 15 seconds.
Set 4. 45x8 rest for 15 seconds.

Now here's the hard part.  When you complete this group
of sets above, try holding a pair of D.B.'s out at your
sides for 90 seconds.
Pretty challenging with 20lbs.
If you get tired you can bring the weight up to the ceiling and hold for 5 seconds and then go back down until you reach 90 seconds.  I think I did this about three times.  You can repeat the 5 second rest a few times, I did about three times.

Next is Back.  Back is critical for most guys who want the V-taper look.  First of all it starts with big shoulders, then back, and finally a skinny waist.  It's what you call the "Adonis Index"  Here is some examples of my Back work-out.

The Lat Pull down is a pretty basic exercise but many people have poor technique.  A lot of people use their arms and make it an arm work-out rather than a Lat work-out.  As you grab the bar, slightly lean back and pull the weight towards your chest   Here's the protocol I followed:


Set 1. 100x10 (Warm up) with 1 minute rest.

Set 2. 160x6 (Warm-up) with 1 minute rest.

Set 3. 200x4 (Work-Set) with 2 minute rest.

Set 4. 200x4 (Work-Set) with 2 minute rest.

Set 5. 200x4 (Work-Set) with 2 minute rest.

Set 6. 200x4 (Work-set) with 2 minute rest.

                                                                                 

The next exercise I usually do is done with this contraption (Left). I could not find one at this particular gym I was at so I chose to do something else (Below).

This exercise straight below is done with a Barbell. With your knees slightly bent, pull the weight up between your chest and belly then repeat.  The sets are as follows
8x8 with 1 minute rest.

Finally I finished the work-out with a burn-out set of 20+ doing cable pull downs.  I have no Picture to show at this time but it's a great finishing move for your Lats. 

So there you have it.  If you have any questions or comments feel free to post them below.

Remember, when you go into the gym you have to go in with the mind set that you are going to Crush It!  Don't leave anything on the gym floor.