Entering the gym for the first time when you expect to be the skinniest guy there can be rather intimidating. After all, the fact that you’ve never been in a gym before is likely to be pretty obvious thanks to your noticeable lack of muscles. The good news however is that despite many misconceptions to the contrary, it is actually pretty easy for a skinny guy to pack on some muscle. Although it will certainly take a lot of work, self discipline and perhaps even a few supplements, you might be surprised by how much progress can be made in just a few months. Should you be considering transforming your body from skinny to buff, here are a few useful tips.

Consider Supplements

Although you certainly don’t need supplements to get fit, if you’re a skinny guy trying to put on quite a bit of size, they can certainly help. There’s no need to purchase anything complicated however, all you will really need is some protein powder. It’s important to note  that if you’ve never taken protein powder before though, it can lead to a bit of an upset stomach. This is best avoided by sticking to high quality brands and searching for powders that include digestive aids such as probiotics and digestive enzymes.

Eat in Small Portions

While most people are well aware that to put on muscle you need to eat a lot, many people new to the activity are unaware of the importance of eating in small portions. First off, dividing your protein powder intake throughout the day is much more effective than just taking two massive portions in the morning and evening. You should also attempt to eat both a few hours before and immediately after a major muscle building session. When considering what to eat, your aim should be to get as many carbohydrates into your body as possible. Brown rice, past and potatoes are all excellent options for doing so.

Don’t be a Vegetarian

Although vegetarians are likely to be less than pleased about this step, the average male will be happy to know that muscle building is an excellent excuse to start eating lots of delicious meat. Although, it is possible to put on muscle on a vegetarian diet, doing so would require you to eat frankly massive portions of food on a daily basis. Meat on the other hand contains the perfect combination of fats, protein and hormonal precursors to help you pack on muscle.

But Don’t Hit McDonalds Either

Another incredibly attractive aspect of attempting to bulk up is that you can eat whatever you want and you never have to worry about getting fat. Some guys take this a little bit too far however and end up living on fast food and fried everything. Remember that no amount of weight lifting is going to protect your heart or your cholesterol levels from a poor diet. Therefore while you no longer need to skip fatty foods, that certainly doesn’t mean that you should live on them either.

Stick to the Same Exercises but Mix Up the Sets

When it comes to dropping weight, you should aim to do a wide variety of different exercises. When it comes to putting on muscle however, you should stick to the same exercises each week but you should do a wide variety of different sets. The idea is to keep working out the same muscles, but to really put them under pressure, you do have to keep stressing them differently. Effective types of sets include forced reps, ladder reps, quarter reps and super slow reps.

Keep Increasing the Weight

A common mistake made by skinny guys when they are first attempting to build up muscle is to fail to lift heavy enough weights. It’s important to remember that it’s not the number of sets you do, it’s how much each set really works your muscles. A good way to tell if you are using heavy enough weights is that if you are, the last few repetitions will really be killing you. If you are getting through them comfortably, you are probably wasting your time.

Bring a Friend or Hire a Trainer

When it comes to lifting heavy enough weights to really push your muscles to the limit however, it’s very important to have either a friend or a personal trainer with you. This is because if you are on your own, you cannot really push your muscles to the limit. Provided you have somebody with you, you can experiment with heavier weights and if you find you can’t get them back in position after a set, you will have somebody to help you.

Don’t Over train

A common mistake made by both those new to muscle gain and those that should know better, is to push too hard and not allow muscles sufficient time to recover. If you are hitting the gym five times a week, you should be giving a hundred and ten percent during only three of those sessions. The other two sessions don’t need to be a waste, you can work on other areas of your body. But if you are pushing your muscles to their breaking point every single session, you are actually likely to be doing more harm than good.

Be Realistic

Finally, one of the best ways to completely lose your motivation to continue building muscle is to start out with unrealistic goals. If you’re a skinny guy, unfortunately, you may have to accept that you are never going to look like the incredibly hulk. Does that mean that you cannot bulk up? Of course not, you can still completely transform your body. You can still turn yourself from a scrawny weakling into a force to be reckoned with. Just don’t expect to ever be the biggest guy in the gym. It’s kind of like expecting lifting weights to make you taller.

Abby Evans is a health trainer and provides knee braces along with beneficial advices on how skinny guys can get great muscles by taking into consideration these few steps.