When it comes to losing fat, almost any one that puts in the right amount of time and effort can succeed. However, gaining weight and putting on size is a completely different story. Your genetics play a huge role when it comes to building lean muscle mass.
Not everyone is blessed with the perfect genes. But don't take this to mean that you can't sculpt a great body and will remain a skinny ectomorph for the rest of your life. The basics of bodybuilding and gaining weight are the same, no matter who you are;
8. There are two phases to building a good physique. The first is called "The Bulking Phase". This is when you're building muscle. You're gaining strength and putting on size. However, don't expect to have a full blown six pack or lots of definition during this phase due to the parallel fat gain.
The bulk is followed by "The Cutting Phase". This is when you burn fat while preserving muscle to reveal those abs you've been sculpting underneath for the last year or so!
9. If at some point you feel like your weight and strength gains have stalled, you probably need to up your calories. This is because as you get bigger and put on more muscle mass, the body requires more calories to maintain itself. This could simply result in your bulking calories to have become your maintenance calories.
10. To sum it all up, the basic analogy is that when you're lifting heavy weights, your muscles are torn. The food that you eat is used to repair your muscles. Since you're taking in surplus calories, your body utilizes this excess energy to re-size your muscles because of the constant tear that they're going through. Once your muscles grow, you start eating even more. Eating more gives you energy to lift heavier weights. Lifting heavier weights results in the muscles tearing once again, repeating the process of repair and growth.
BONUS: You hear so many people rambling on about it being 20% gym, 10% rest and 70% diet. This is actually true. Think about it, you only spend an hour or two at the gym. This alone is not enough for you to get truly jacked. The other 22 hours matter just as much.
Not everyone is blessed with the perfect genes. But don't take this to mean that you can't sculpt a great body and will remain a skinny ectomorph for the rest of your life. The basics of bodybuilding and gaining weight are the same, no matter who you are;
1. The first thing you need to do is start eating. If you're a skinny-tall ectomorph, you may be in the habit of saying that you can eat anything you like and not put on weight. Buddy, that ain't true. You may have a fast metabolism and burn more calories than the average person, but even YOU have a maintenance point. Start tracking what you eat everyday for a week. You'll figure out how many calories you normally eat and up that number by 500. If you're a real hard gainer, go for 1000.
2. Compliment your excess calories by pushing yourself at the gym and lifting heavy. Focus on your compound lifts such as Squats, Dead Lifts, Bench Press, Overhead Military Press etc. Make sure your technique & form are spot on, and slowly move towards improving your strength.
3. Get at least 8 hours of sleep per night, along with 1-2 off days from the gym. This is because your muscles are torn when you lift, repaired when you eat and re-sized when you sleep. So if you want to see your muscles get bigger, start hitting the sack. Over-training won't help you put on more size. It'll only slow you down.
4. Gaining fat while gaining muscle is inevitable. Ignore the slight fat gains and focus on your new found strength and size. To keep fat gains minimal, don't eat too big of a surplus over your maintenance calories. Shoot for just 500 calories above maintenance, or even 200-300 if you want to remain absolutely lean in the process. However, this will result in slow progress (Which I personally do not mind)
5. Rapid strength and weight gains for a complete beginner are common. These are called noob gains. Enjoy them while they last. You're really going to have to start pushing yourself once this phase passes.
6. The average person can only put on 5-10 kilos of lean body mass per year. Anything above that is likely to be fat. However, as I mentioned earlier, there are people blessed with superior genetics that can gain a lot more muscle while even keeping fat gains to a minimum.
7. Hit your macro-nutrient goals wisely. Make sure you're taking in lots and lots of protein and supplementing well for repair & recovery. You don't want your excess calories coming in from too much junk food. This is what we like to call a dirty bulk. You're going to end up looking like a fat lard if you try gaining weight by eating all the wrong food.
8. There are two phases to building a good physique. The first is called "The Bulking Phase". This is when you're building muscle. You're gaining strength and putting on size. However, don't expect to have a full blown six pack or lots of definition during this phase due to the parallel fat gain.
The bulk is followed by "The Cutting Phase". This is when you burn fat while preserving muscle to reveal those abs you've been sculpting underneath for the last year or so!
9. If at some point you feel like your weight and strength gains have stalled, you probably need to up your calories. This is because as you get bigger and put on more muscle mass, the body requires more calories to maintain itself. This could simply result in your bulking calories to have become your maintenance calories.
10. To sum it all up, the basic analogy is that when you're lifting heavy weights, your muscles are torn. The food that you eat is used to repair your muscles. Since you're taking in surplus calories, your body utilizes this excess energy to re-size your muscles because of the constant tear that they're going through. Once your muscles grow, you start eating even more. Eating more gives you energy to lift heavier weights. Lifting heavier weights results in the muscles tearing once again, repeating the process of repair and growth.
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