Tips for Building Muscle

The Skinny Man's Muscle Plan

Pack on the muscle you want by busting the myth of the hard gainer
By Paul Kita menshealth
 

From Slim to Strong

The Skinny Man's Muscle Plan // man lifting dumbbell © Thinkstock

Image: Thinkstock

I’ve been called a pencil, a string bean, skin and bones. I've heard the three words no man who cares about his physique ever wants to hear:

"You work out?" Trainers refer to us as ectomorphs—which sounds like something from Ghostbusters—to distinguish us from mesomorphs, the guys who always look like they work out even when they don't.

My fellow ectomorphs and I prefer to call ourselves "hard gainers." We brush off the insults, chalk up our physiques to high metabolism, and take solace in the fact that some of us are good at endurance sports. If this sounds familiar, you can start by reading our plan to Gain a Pound of Muscle Every Week.

At least that's what I used to do. Then I had my Charles Atlas moment. But it wasn't a sand-kicking bully who made me want to become bigger and stronger. It was a former girlfriend who wanted to hire movers to carry her furniture into a new apartment because she was afraid I'd hurt myself if I tried to help.

I knew it was time to build strength and muscle. But before I could, I had to demolish five of the myths that hold skinny guys back.

Not so skinny? Check out the best workout for your body types.

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