Building Lean Mass for Skinny Models

Building Lean Mass for Skinny Models

A while ago I was doing a show at fashion week with a very slim model. She naturally had a very tiny frame and long, thin arms and legs. The model told me she wanted to build up some lean mass and fill out a bit more, but had difficulties gaining weight as she had a high metabolism. So I offered her to give her a few tips on how to gain weight and fill out her thin body in a healthy way. In this article I am sharing these 8 tips.

Healthy, healthy, healthy

Let me repeat ‘healthy’; too bad, eating pizza’s, fried stuff and large quantities in general is not what I consider as healthy. So if you are looking for advice that allows you to stuff yourself with crap food, you’d better click away now.

Off we go: 8 tips to add lean body mass

Gorgeous petite models that want to build up lean mass, gain and fill out a bit in an utterly healthy way: here are my tips that can help you reach your goal if you stick to all 8 of them:

Tip 1 Never skip meals and have snacks

Always have breakfast, lunch and dinner and have a healthy, calorie-rich snack in between each meal. Good snack choices include unroasted, unsalted nuts, some kind of nut-date-oat bar or other type of clean, raw food bar (homemade or for example Nakd bars or Clif Bars).

Tip 2 Slowly increase the amount you eat

On a daily base, slowly build increase the amount you eat on a daily base. For example: add a few extra tablespoons of oatmeal and/or a tablespoon of coconut oil to your oatmeal porridge and add half a sweet potato to your dinner during the first week. Increase your dietary intake with an extra serving (30 grams) of almonds or walnuts as an in-between snack during the second week. Add an extra (small) meal with a serving (100 g) lean protein to your diet during the fourth week. Keep doing this until you see results.

Tip 3 Focus on protein and carbs

Focus on adding lean proteins (an overview can be found here) and slow carbohydrates (quinoa, sweet potato, oatmeal, spelt crackers, buckwheat pancake etc.).

Tip 4 Variation

Vary in the kitchen, as it stimulates appetite. Having a good appetite makes it a lot easier to eat more.

Tip 5 Pre-sleep quark

Have a bowl of quark before going to bed. A protein shake (Sunwarrior is the cleanest brand available. I use it myself as well!) is okay too. Quark is full of protein, which is a nutrient that is necessary for recovery of tissue, like muscle tissue.

Tip 6 Do strength training

Do strength training to build up muscle tone. Go for heavy weights and stick to a 3×5 (3 sets of 5 repeats) schedule to add mass. Your fitness instructor can help you with a workout program designed specifically for you. Don’t forget to have a protein shake after your workout!

Tip 7 Keep track of your intake

Use an app to keep track of your caloric intake and caloric use. You started by adding a few tablesppons of oatmeal and half a sweet potato in the first week. In the end (after a few weeks. Remember: take it slow!), aim for a caloric surplus of 200 kcal a day. This means that you eat 200 calories more than you consume and allows you to fill out slowly and healthily. Keep in mind: consuming more calories than you burn = weight gain. A great app to keep track of your caloric intake and use is MyFitnessPal (this one).

Tip 8 Take a vitamin D and fish oil supplement

Vitamin D and fish oils are linked to staying lean and muscle protein synthesis. This means they are beneficial in building up lean muscle mass.

Summery

If you want to gain some lean mass and fill out a bit, slowly increase your dietary intake with lean protein and slow carbs. In the end, aim for a caloric surplus of 200 kcal a day. Keep track of your caloric intake and use with the MyFitnessPal app and use a vitamin D and fish oil supplement. Invest in a high quality protein powder, such as SunWarrior.

Your essentials

Cod liver oil contains vitamin A and D; together with fish oil itself, the latter is beneficial to building lean muscle mass.

>> Shop NOW cod liver oil at Amazon.com or salmon oil (also a great source of vitamin D) at Bodyfitshop.nl

Question

Hands up if you’re a tiny framed model-person-woman-girl (whatever you are, just speak up)! What are your experiences with trying to fill out/gain weight/build lean mass? Have you had help with that? What is or was your strategy?

Source featured image: VSX

Original article and pictures take greatbodyskin.com site