As a naturally skinny guy, you have a really fast metabolism that requires an abundance of specific macronutrients to create an anabolic atmosphere in your body. Most naturally skinny guys fail to eat the right macronutrients at the right times to maximize lean muscle gains and build mass.
The three body types are endomorph, mesomorph, and ectomorph. The ectomorph has the fastest metabolism of them all and is considered the “hardgainer.” This means that the hardgainer diet is crucial for mass building. Regardless of what kind of workouts you are performing and supplements you are consuming, gaining weight starts with the hardgainer diet. This article is going to break down what you need to eat to gain mass as a naturally skinny guy. Most guys know they need to “eat a lot,” but the devil is in the details. Let’s dive into exactly how much you should be eating for maximum lean muscle gains.
Testing How Many Calories Your Body Needs
I might know your body type and weight and could guess your metabolism, but the exact amount of calories your body requires to create a strategic calorie surplus varies due to day-to-day activity level.
The fact is that every single hardgainer lives a very different lifestyle. Some of you may be in school full time and are sitting down in a classroom setting for most of the day. Others may live a very active and hectic lifestyle or work a job that requires physical labor such as construction, lawn care, pool cleaning, etc.
The first thing you have to consider is how active you are throughout the day. Besides when you are in the gym, how much activity do you do? This will be really important to consider as a naturally skinny guy looking to build mass. You have to equate for the total calories you burn throughout the day, and if you are running around and on the go all day and have a physically intensive job, your body will require more calories to create a surplus.
You will have to test out and track your calories for a few weeks to figure out what the ideal amount is for you.
If you have moderate activity level, are under the age of 30, and are working out at least 4 times a week, I recommend starting off with a total daily calorie intake of:
Your Body Weight x 20
So let’s say you weigh 150 pounds. You will want to consume on average 3,000 calories per day. This may fluctuate a bit on a day-to-day basis, but just make sure that for 1 week you are averaging about 3,000 calories per day.
The most important part of this whole process is to weigh yourself on the morning of day 1, and then track your calories for an entire week. This will require some discipline and work, but with fitness apps such as “myfitnesspal” at the convenience of your fingertips, you should be able to track your progress easily.
Make sure that you eat on average your body weight multiplied by 20. Make sure not to change anything about your training or lifestyle for this week. You want this week to serve as your litmus test to figure out the exact calorie surplus you need to create to gain mass.
Assuming you were able to follow the calorie amounts to a tee, try weighing yourself on the morning of day number 8. If you weigh the same or you lost weight, you should experiment for another week by adding 300 calories to your average daily intake.
If you gained more than 1 pound during this week, this means that you’re storing excess body fat from your calorie surplus, and it might be wise to cut back your daily calories by 200-300. If you gained between 0.75-1 pound during this week, you have hit the money spot! This means that you are gaining solid lean muscle mass without the addition of body fat. Continue on this calorie surplus for another 4 weeks and continue tracking your results. The more weight and lean muscle mass you gain, the more calories your body will require, so make sure to track this pretty consistently while you are in your “growth phase.”
Macronutrient Calculations
It is very important to consume the highest quality calories during your calorie surplus so your body elicits the maximum anabolic hormone release.
The proper hardgainer diet consists of lean proteins, healthy fats, and complex carbohydrates. Let’s break down the specifics for each macronutrient category.
Complex Carbohydrates:
The most important part of the hardgainer diet is consuming a diet rich in complex carbohydrates. Carbohydrates will fuel your muscle glycogen and create an anabolic atmosphere in your body before and after your workouts. You should be eating between 2-3 grams of slow digesting carbohydrates per pound of body weight. This means that if you weigh 150 pounds, your body will require between 300-450 grams of complex carbohydrates throughout the day. This will give your body a constant supply of energy and will be the foundation to your hardgainer diet.
Make sure that you consume a wide variety of complex carbohydrates throughout the day, such as oatmeal, quinoa, sweet potatoes, black beans, pasta, brown rice, lentils, fruit, vegetables, and whole grain bread. A good rule of thumb is that you want to consume carbohydrates that are higher in fiber. This makes them “complex” and will fuel your body for all day energy and prevent your cravings for sugary foods that will cause you to become fatigued and spike your insulin.
Lean Protein:
Lean protein is essential in the hardgainer diet as the amino acids in lean proteins are what initiates protein synthesis and helps you build muscle. You need to make sure you are eating enough protein. Your body needs a constant supply of protein and amino acids to build muscle.
I recommend consuming, at the bare minimum, 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight, and for some very serious hardgainers, you may find that your body requires closer to 1.5 grams of protein per pound of bodyweight.
Some of the best lean protein sources include egg whites, grass-fed beef, chicken, pork, turkey, halibut, salmon, tilapia, and tuna. Make sure to consume a wide variety of lean proteins so your body gets a full spectrum of muscle-building amino acids.
Healthy Fats:
Healthy fats are a key component of the hardgainer diet. Since healthy fats are 9 calories per gram as opposed to carbohydrates and protein at only 4 grams, this allows you to create a calorie surplus much easier.
Healthy fats and omega fatty acids are also really important for the production of testosterone. The higher your testosterone levels the easier your body will build muscle and the stronger you will become. High testosterone levels are a naturally skinny guy’s best friend for mass building.
I recommend consuming between 0.5-0.75 grams of healthy fats per 1 pound of body weight. This means that a 150-pound guy would be consuming between 75 and 100 grams of healthy fat per day.
Some of the best healthy fat options for gaining mass include whole eggs, avocado, peanut butter, almond butter, cashew butter, almonds, walnuts, cashews, salmon, fish oil, flax seeds, Brazil nuts, olive oil, avocado oil, coconut oil, and grass-fed meats.
Just like everything else on this list, it is important to get a wide variety of healthy fats so your body gets a wide array of omega fatty acids.
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