The Skinny Guy Eating Plan: Gain Lean Muscle The Smart Way

Brad Borland
Written By: Brad Borland
March 10th, 2014
Updated: June 13th, 2020
Categories: Articles Nutrition
139.8K Reads
Pack on muscle mass without adding unwanted fat. This feature provides three specific eating plans for "skinny guy" trainees who have a hard time gaining weight.

Brad Borland is a strength & conditioning specialist, cancer survivor and the founder of WorkoutLab.

If you are anything like me, before you started your journey in the “gaining muscle” game you were slight, skinny and just plain thin. Being classified as the quintessential ectomorph does very little for your motivation towards sports, girls and looking muscular and athletic. Listening to everyone’s opinions about how to pack on size and build an impressive display of muscle can vary to such a degree that you become easily frustrated on who and what to follow.

Maybe you’re just not cut out to build a physique of your dreams. Maybe your metabolism is too high to carry any appreciable amount of muscle. Maybe you are doomed and cursed and should take up video gaming in the comforts of your parent’s basement.

The blessing in disguise

I too harbored an ultra-fast metabolism unfairly wishing it would slow down so I could finally pack on some size. What I didn’t know was that my speedy calorie burning furnace was a hidden blessing. Not only was I able to scarf down loads of food without the consequences of layering on unwanted fat, I consistently remained lean (up to a point) while slowly gaining muscle weight.

Now, this gain in muscle came at a snail’s pace, but I was building lean muscle tissue while still seeing abs all year. To me the unwanted metabolism was an unknown welcomed ally.

However, at the time I was riddled with jealousy observing my friends lifting massive amounts of weight and having huge arms and thighs wishing and hoping to be in their shoes one day. Little did I know that every ounce of muscle I grew was to lay a foundation for a lifetime.

Yet another advantage

DeadliftingAlthough the focus of this article is diet and eating habits, another great advantage of my metabolism was that I had the ability to recover from training, faster. Since I had a high turnover of nutrients, namely protein, I was able to return to training quicker and, in turn, reap the benefits of burning more calories, namely fat and carbs.

I loved to train, putting in hours and hours at the gym. Unbeknownst to me my fast-paced metabolism enabled me to do this without overtraining so I could enjoy some extra attention on weak points in the gym.

Of course as I got older my training and diet evolved, but I will always look back to those days of the hours of dedication and packing in the food and be thankful that I was predisposed as a “skinny guy.”

A word on training and nutrition

Many so called gurus and “experts” will advocate a common prescription for the “hardgainer.” Normally they tout such protocols as eat tons of calories (no matter what it is), train heavy and infrequently with low volume as to avoid overtraining and rest as much as possible oftentimes suggesting many naps and little to no extracurricular activity.

I say… why?

If you are considering yourself a “hardgainer” or someone that has a skinny frame and a tough time putting on muscle you have an advantage. Yes, an advantage! You have the ability to be highly active and eat a little more (healthy food) than the average Joe without getting too soft.

You will recover faster, assimilate protein quicker and therefore become lean and muscular at the same time. Sure, your gains will most likely come slowly but you will steadily build a solid foundation of muscle that will be much easier to maintain later in life.

A few training and diet suggestions

  1. Eat plenty of proteins, complex carbs and fats. Don’t worry too much about differences between foods like white potatoes and sweet potatoes; just be sure to get in plenty of healthy, whole foods.
  2. Eat often. Eating to support a fast metabolism and a vigorous training program requires a steady supply of muscle-building calories. Hit your caloric marks and meals each and every day.
  3. If you are eating all clean food, allow yourself a cheat meal or two per week. Gaining muscle shouldn’t be a death sentence regarding a stale diet. Have fun and eat some of your favorite foods once in a while.
  4. Don’t go overboard. Just because you have labeled yourself a hardgainer does not give you a green light to go stuff yourself mercilessly. Nutritiously dense foods are not only best for gaining muscle but also for maintaining good overall health.
  5. Train! The ball is in your court. Train hard and train often. Forget training one body part per day – up the ante and train more frequently. You have the ability to recover faster – take advantage of that.
  6. Don’t be afraid of body weight moves. Another falsehood is the notion that you must lift massive amounts of weights loaded on barbells and huge dumbbells in order to pack on mass. To a point, yes, you must put some weight on the bar to grow, but tell me how many people do you see in the gym perform pull-up, push-ups and dips? Do them.
  7. Don’t be afraid to have fun. If you like basketball, play. If you like to add in some running or other extracurricular activities just go ahead and do it. Forget the idea that they will eat into your muscle gains and prevent you from building an impressive physique. As long as you are training with weights and eating properly, any extra work will only add to your performance and health.
  8. Enough yacking about being skinny, let’s look at some eating plans to support your muscle-building efforts and make all those hours in the gym start to payoff. Below are three eating plans for different body weights. These are only examples so adjust as necessary regarding favorite foods and daily schedules.

Dumbbell Curls

If you weigh approximately 120 to 130 pounds and have a goal of 150 pounds
  • Meal 1 (morning) - 3/4 cup oatmeal mixed with low-fat milk, 2 whole eggs
  • Meal 2 (mid-morning) - 2 slices of whole wheat bread with 2 tablespoons of jelly, 1 cup of cottage cheese
  • Meal 3 (midday) - 1 large potato, 4 ounces of chicken breast or salmon
  • Meal 4 (pre workout) - 1 scoop of whey protein, 1 apple
  • Meal 5 (post workout) - 1 scoop of whey protein, 1 banana
  • Meal 6 (evening) - 1 cup dry of rice, 4 ounces of chicken, fish, or beef
If you weigh approximately 150 to 160 pounds and have a goal of 180 pounds
  • Meal 1 (morning) - 2 slices of Ezekiel bread with 1 tablespoon of natural peanut butter, 3 whole eggs
  • Meal 2 (mid-morning) - 1 cup of Greek yogurt, 1 ounce of nuts, 1 banana
  • Meal 3 (midday) - 2 slices of whole wheat bread, 6 ounces of turkey meat, tomato, lettuce, 1 apple
  • Meal 4 (pre workout) - 1 scoop of whey protein, ¼ to ½ cup of oatmeal
  • Meal 5 (post workout) - 1 scoop of whey, 1 cup of blue berries
  • Meal 6 (evening) - 1 large sweet potato, 6 ounces of chicken, fish or beef
If you weigh approximately 180 to 190 pounds and have a goal of 200 pounds
  • Meal 1 (morning) - 1 cup of oatmeal mixed with low fat milk, 3 whole eggs
  • Meal 2 (mid-morning) - 2 slices of whole wheat bread with 2 tablespoons of natural peanut butter, 1 cup of cottage cheese
  • Meal 3 (midday) - 2 cups of rice, 6 ounces of fish
  • Meal 4 (pre workout) - 1 scoop of whey protein, 1 apple, 1 ounce of nuts
  • Meal 5 (post workout) - 1.5 scoops of whey protein, 1 banana
  • Meal 6 (evening) - 2 cups of whole wheat pasta, 6 ounces of ground beef, 1 salad with 2 tablespoons of olive oil-based dressing
12 Comments
Amr
Posted on: Tue, 12/31/2019 - 23:58

f you weigh approximately 180 to 190 pounds and have a goal of 200 pounds
Meal 1 (morning) - 1 cup of oatmeal mixed with low fat milk, 3 whole eggs
Meal 2 (mid-morning) - 2 slices of whole wheat bread with 2 tablespoons of natural peanut butter, 1 cup of cottage cheese
Meal 3 (midday) - 2 cups of rice, 6 ounces of fish
Meal 4 (pre workout) - 1 scoop of whey protein, 1 apple, 1 ounce of nuts
Meal 5 (post workout) - 1.5 scoops of whey protein, 1 banana
Meal 6 (evening) - 2 cups of whole wheat pasta, 6 ounces of ground beef, 1 salad with 2 tablespoons of olive oil-based dressing

why there is no vegetables in this ?

Amr
Posted on: Sat, 12/28/2019 - 05:27

i am a guy who is working in the early morning. so shall i take the meal after the workout mentioned here in the plan and replace it to the breakfast or shall i stick to the same order here?

plz advice

Eric
Posted on: Mon, 11/27/2017 - 13:34

Could you substitute a mass gainer protein powder instead of the whey?

Izell
Posted on: Sun, 04/16/2017 - 19:12

Could I substitute a few of these meals with weight gainer shakes? For example: Meal 2 and 4 would be replaced with a weight gainer shake at first wake up and at night before bed?

Andreas
Posted on: Mon, 07/11/2016 - 19:56

Hi Brad, just wondering what the macros are for the 150-160 pound eating plan?

Yogs
Posted on: Mon, 03/24/2014 - 10:27

Hey Brad, good article however my question is shouldn't we stick to all natural stuff as much we can?
Don't get me wrong but protein shakes (sugarless ones) contains FODMAPS which creates troubles in stomach n not fully approved as well.

Jose Antonio
Posted on: Sun, 03/23/2014 - 21:14

What if I work out late night about 11 to 12:30?

ifouda
Posted on: Mon, 03/17/2014 - 09:23

thanks so much for this nutrions >i'll stick the sec meal plan .and sorry for my bad english :]

CJ
Posted on: Thu, 03/13/2014 - 12:46

Hey I love the article and the meal plan. I am the essence of hard gainer. When I joined the forces I was 160 flat after my second tour 6 years later I was up to 196. But I seem Unable to break that 200 Pound barrier I desperately want to. I am no stranger to the gym nore an expert but I educate myself as best I can. Do you have or recommend a work out plan you could point to me Brad? I am 6'4 so even at 196 I was very lean and not well big. But I would rather be lean then bloated for sure but still look big and feel good.

Brad
Posted on: Fri, 03/14/2014 - 23:54

Hi CJ, You can simply click on my author profile and near the bottom is all my articles listed. I have tons of training and nutrition plans at your disposal. Take a look and let me know if you have any questions.

Maros
Posted on: Tue, 03/11/2014 - 14:35

Thank you for this article, it's really helpful!

I love your meal plan for the whole day, but my question is should I eat the same thing everyday? I'm really looking for a good guideline because I feel that nutrition is the most important thing and I want to eat only the right things.

Thanks in advance!

Brad
Posted on: Wed, 03/12/2014 - 11:16

Hi Maros,

Roughly, yes. You can eat the same things each day but there are so many options out there as far as varieties of rice, potatoes, pasta and proteins such as chicken, different types of fish, beef, turkey, etc.