6. Lift every other day. Do a full-body workout followed by a day of rest. Studies show that a challenging weight workout increases protein synthesis for up to 48 hours immediately after your exercise session. "Your muscles grow when you're resting, not when you're working out," says Michael Mejia, C.S.C.S., Men's Health exercise advisor and a former skinny guy who packed on 40 pounds of muscle using this very program.
7. Down the carbs after your workout. Research shows that you'll rebuild muscle faster on your rest days if you feed your body carbohydrates. "Post-workout meals with carbs increase your insulin levels," which, in turn, slows the rate of protein breakdown, says Kalman. Have a banana, a sports drink, a peanut-butter sandwich.
8. Eat something every 3 hours. "If you don't eat often enough, you can limit the rate at which your body builds new proteins," says Houston. Take the number of calories you need in a day and divide by six. That's roughly the number you should eat at each meal. Make sure you consume some protein—around 20 grams—every 3 hours.
9. Make one snack ice cream. Have a bowl of ice cream (any kind) 2 hours after your workout. According to a study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition , this snack triggers a surge of insulin better than most foods do. And that'll put a damper on post-workout protein breakdown.
10. Have some milk before bed. Eat a combination of carbohydrates and protein 30 minutes before you go to bed. The calories are more likely to stick with you during sleep and reduce protein breakdown in your muscles, says Kalman. Try a cup of raisin bran with a cup of skim milk or a cup of cottage cheese and a small bowl of fruit. Eat again as soon as you wake up. "The more diligent you are, the better results you'll get," says Kalman.
The Whey To Go
Drink this protein power shake before every workout
Weight-gain powders seem like an easy solution to a skinny guy's problems. After all, they pack as many as 2,200 calories into one serving. But you're not getting what you pay for. "High-calorie weight-gain drinks usually get more than 80 percent of their calories from sugar," says Doug Kalman, R.D. And downing that much sugar can give you an upset stomach and diarrhea. So, in a sense, you're flushing good money down the toilet. "You'll get much better results by spreading your calories throughout the day," says Kalman.
And by using protein shakes. Look for whey-protein powders, such as Nitro-Tech by MuscleTech or Mega Whey by GNC, at nutrition stores. Combine one scoop of the powder with the following ingredients and blend for a homemade muscle-building pre-workout shake:
1 tsp olive or flaxseed oil
1/2 c fat-free yogurt
1 c grape or apple juice
Per shake: 335 calories, 27 grams (g) protein, 45 g carbohydrates, 6 g fat.
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