The Skinny Bastard Solution

I don't have good genetics to grow...

My metabolism is too fast...

I can't eat enough food...

I burn calories faster than I can get them in...

Sound familiar?

Well it's a load of crap!

Well, not entirely, but for the most part they're just excuses to explain why you don't get the results you're after.

Yes, some people do have more potential than others, but it's rare that "potential" limits muscular growth until years of training and significant muscle has already been added.

So what limits muscle growth and what can we do about it?

It all comes down to desire, and that I'm sorry, is not something I can help you with.

As a 15 year old kid trying to become the next Mr. Olympia, I knew all about desire. I ate tons and trained tons. But I was eating lots of fruits and veggies, and not enough meat and potatoes. I was interested in nutrition as it pertained to building muscle, and low fat was all the rage, so I ate as little fat as possible... Big Mistake!

I also had severe exercise A.D.D.

I blindly went from one training program to the next, never sticking to any one program long enough to see any results.

Each huge guy that came into the gym must have had some secret, so I'd stop whatever program I was on and try to follow the next guy.

I pretty much stayed the same weight for the first three years, until I finally found a training partner who I trained with consistently for the next three years (thanks Jason!) and I gained quickly moved from 18 years old and 145 lbs to 21 years old and 165 lbs.

Next, a new training partner (thanks Dan!) and I went from 21 years old and 165 lbs to 24 years old and 185lbs.

My success in gaining muscle always lay in finding the right program and sticking to it, as well as eating more than ever before.

With that, here's the best diet and training program for skinny bastards to pack on serious muscle size and strength!

Diet Solution For Skinny Bastards

If your goal is to build tons of muscle and you're a hardgainer, the solution is not very technical, but I'll give you a quick breakdown of what you should be eating.

Breakfast (pick any 6)

Oats, Eggs, Waffles, Protein Shakes, Omelettes, Fruit, etc... and that's just for breakfast.

Mid-Morning Snack

Your mid-morning snack should be something that will really get you hungry for a huge lunch, so we're looking for something that's going to spike the hell out of your insulin. So... let's go for a large Dairy Queen Blizzard.

If you're a kid in school, your snacks can be chocolate bars, chocolate milk, and PB&Anything sandwiches!

Lunch

Lunch should include hamburgers, leftover pizza, PB&A sandwiches, leftover steak, leftover chicken, salad is good for nutrition, but you'll need to completely soak it in dressing to get enough calories from it!

If you're a kid in school, the school cafeteria will have Lasagna and Pizza... go back for seconds, thirds, and when nobody's looking, sneak around behind the counter and steal whatever's left on the tray!

In fact, eat as much as you can get your hands on without getting expelled from school!

Wait a minute... screw that.. if you get expelled, you can eat straight through from the time you wake until you go to bed! Hit it!

Mid-Afternoon Snack

Your mid-afternoon snack should be your highest calorie meal of the day.. since you can sneak off without anyone noticing you and gorge yourself without grossing out anyone you know seeing you. A 12" meatballs Subway sub should do it! Oh, and I always asked for 2-4 extra meatballs and they would just charge me an extra buck or two.

(Your mid-afternoon snack might also be your pre-workout meal or your post-workout meal.)

Dinner

Dinner should involve a full plate of meat (steak, fish, chicken, etc...), a full plate of starch (rice, potatoes, pasta, etc...) and of course you do need veggies... although if building massive amounts of muscle is most important to you, if you fill up on too much veggies, you won't grow.

Just make sure you find a full fat salad dressing you can drench your salad and veggies in so that you'll like the taste enough to force them down, and make sure you eat them last so if you do fill up too soon on the other stuff.. then oh well!

Dessert

All skinny bastards should eat dessert every night after dinner. But don't eat it immediately following dinner as you should not have enough room for dessert if you ate enough at dinner.

Go sit your butt down on the couch, conserve as much energy as possible, watch a few TV shows, then head back to the fridge and eat absolutely everything that you can possibly eat, be it ice cream, yogurt, left-over anything, PB&Anything sandwiches... just anything and everything!

Got a brother or sister who steals food off your plate? Or who eats more than their share of food during the day, leaving you with little choice for dessert... EAT THEM TOO!! That way you get back the food they stole from your plate and then some!

The takeaway point about your diet if you're a skinny bastard hardgainer who thinks they can't gain weight is this...

And I'm not exactly sure about the best way to convey this... but think of every opportunity to eat as your last for a very long time. As you eat, keep thinking that your next meal might not be for weeks or months... and you'll probably get enough food down to finally start building muscle.

The Skinny Bastard Training Solution

If you're a classic hardgainer who has a difficult time gaining mass, your workout needs to be simple.

Week 1

Day 1

Squats 5 sets of 5, increase weight every set.

Dips 5 sets of AMRAP

Wide Grip Pull-ups 5 sets of AMRAP

Farmer's Walk 4 sets of 100 steps, increase weight every set.

Rest 1-2 days

Day 2

Deadlifts 8 x 3 reps , increase weight every set.

Split Squats 5 x 12, 10, 8, 8, 8, increase weight every set.

Bench Press 4 x 10, 8, 6, 6, increase weight every set.

Bent-Over Barbell Rows 5 x 12, 10, 8, 8, 8, increase weight every set.

Barbell Curls 3 x 8, increase weight every set.

Rest 1-2 days

Day 3

Squats: 5 x 10, 10, 10, 8, 8, increase weight on every set.

Military Press 4 x 12, 10, 8, 8, increase on every set.

Pushups 3 x AMRAP

Chin-ups 5 x AMRAP

Weighted Plank 3 x ALAP

Rest 1-2 days

Week 2

Day 1

Deadlifts 5 x 5, increase weight every set.

Weighted Pushups 5 x 10, increase weight every set.

Weighted Chin-ups AMSAP x 3 reps, increase weight every set.

Barbell Curls 3 x 10, increase weight on each set.

Hands-to-Forearms 3 x 20 each direction.

Rest 1-2 days

Day 2

Squats 6 x 3, increase weight every set.

Step-ups 4 x 12, increase weight every set.

Incline Bench Press 6 x 10, 8, 8, 6, 6, 6 increase weight every set.

Bent-Over Barbell Rows 5 x 12, increase weight every set.

1-DB Farmer's walk 4 x 100', increase weight every set.

Rest 1-2 days

Day 3

Barbell Clean and Press 4 x 8, increase weight every set.

Deadlifts 4 x 10, increase weight every set.

Dips AMSAP x 5 reps, increase weight every set.

Inverted Rows 4 x AMRAP

Mountain Climbers 4 x 30

Notes:

1. AMRAP = As Many Reps As Possible

2. AMSAP = As Many Sets As Possible, which means continue doing more sets until you can't complete another set with increased weight with good form.

3. Always increase weight on each set if possible with good form.

4. Do not train to failure on any exercises except those with AMRAP.

Conclusion

Use the "SeeFood" diet, meaning eat absolutely everything you see, and put this program to work for the next 6-12 months, and you should expect maximum muscle mass and a huge increase in strength.

If you have any comments, please leave them below.