While there seems to be a massive amount of information available on the internet, much of it is outdated, contradictory, or lacks detailed, actionable steps on how to actually START a successful fitness journey as a skinny guy. 

This has frustrated people over the years, because they have made mistakes in their fitness journey and wished they had a resource to help them avoid the pitfalls.

This guide will give you a detailed resource so you don’t have to make the same mistakes they did.

As a health and fitness professional, I know a lot about this stuff. I put this complete guide together to make it easier for you to learn not just how to start a muscle building fitness journey, but all the options available at your fingertips to improve your chances for success in it.

This is a question that a lot people ask before they get into the nitty-gritty of what it takes to build muscle and sustain healthy weight gain long-term.

Here’s a quick overview:

 The morning:

Start your day with a big breakfast, or a quick protein shake if you are running late. Possibly working out before work (if you're a morning person).

Mid-day:

Having a snack and a lunch that you prepared ahead of time (meal prepped). Some people like to workout during a lunch break, so this may apply to you.

Evening:

Having dinner (possibly working out after work first). Meal prepping the next 1-7 days worth of food, doing dishes from the current meal prep/past meal prep. Lastly, going to bed at a reasonable hour so that you get quality sleep.

This is what the majority of days honestly look like for those that have adapted the fitness lifestyle. It's not all glitz and glamour, but it's not complicated either.

#1 The purpose of your why (What things will improve in your life with fitness). 

Time to get real for a second. Why are you reading this? What are you hoping to gain? I know that you want to build muscle and get stronger, but why?

If you are like I was in 2008, you are extremely self-conscious and uncomfortable being in public settings because you don't like your appearance. It was a tough thing to acknowledge about myself, but once I did, that started me on the journey to actually make a change.

My purpose why I wanted to change is because I wanted to be more confident with myself in all aspects of life, I wanted to feel more comfortable talking to girls, I wanted to be able to go to a beach and take my shirt off immediately and feel good about what I saw, I wanted to feel like I could put up a good physical challenge if I got into a fight.

These were just some of my reasons why. Now, you have to take a step back and think about what will improve in your life if you reach your fitness goals. What CAN'T you do right now that you would be able to do if you reached your fitness goals?

Answering these questions truthfully will be hard, but reflecting on why you are starting in the first place will be the exact thing that keeps you going when things get tough. This will help you no longer rely on motivation to stay consistent. When you not only want, but NEED to reach your goal, you are on the fast track to success.

#2 What is your time factor (how much time are you willing to dedicate to your health and fitness).

Now that you know why you need to reach your fitness goal, the next step is knowing how much time you are willing to dedicate to your health and fitness.

Using myself as an example again, when I first started, I was obsessed with never being shy and missing an opportunity get what I want due to low self-confidence again. Because of this, I knew I needed to dedicate a LOT of time to improving myself.

If your reason why you want to start is because you want a "6-pack", you have misunderstood the previous section and need to go back.

You don't want a 6-pack, you want the CONFIDENCE you think comes with having a 6-pack. You want the attention from potential sexual partners you think comes from having a 6-pack. You want the respect from other strong people you think comes from having a 6-pack.

Be realistic with yourself and decide how serious you will take this journey, and know how much time you are willing to sacrifice to reach your goals BEFORE you start.

#3 What is your money factor (how much money are you willing to invest into your health and fitness)

Just like knowing how much time you are willing to dedicate towards health and fitness is important, it's also important to know how much money you are willing to invest into your health and fitness.

Back to myself as an example...When I first started, I was broke and could barely afford a gym membership. However, I knew that since I didn't have the knowledge of how to reach my goal, I needed to be in the gym environment to learn from others who have done what I'm trying to do.

My reason why was too big for me to let the cost of a gym membership stop me.

I want you to look at it this way - the money that whatever gym membership, group classes, personal training, etc. costs is not what you are paying for the service...it's how much you are saving to stay in the exact same position you are in now.

For example, let's say a gym membership costs $19.99/month, see it as "I can stay unhappy with how I am right now for just $19.99/month", instead of looking at it as it costs $19.99/month to workout.

Another example: Personal training at a gym costs $400/month. Instead of looking at it like that, think, "I can save $400/month to not know how to workout or eat properly, or have more self-confidence in my appearance".

When you look at money in this way, it makes it easier to prioritize your own health and fitness. Before you start, think about how much is your success worth weekly/monthly/yearly...

The New Era Of Fitness

Most people have an extremely skewed view of what it takes to get in incredible shape, and how long it actually takes. Social media platforms like Instagram play a large part in the disconnect. This leads people new to the gym and with little experience feeling like failures because they aren't making as much progress as people they see online.

Something you need to know is that people in incredible (bodybuilding level) shape on Instagram have some combination of being genetic outliers, use performance drugs, use good lighting and angles, possibly photoshop, have normally worked out consistently for YEARS, and prepare for photoshoots for months on end. They DO NOT look like that the majority of the year.

This is especially true when you see someone gained an insane amount of muscle in a very short timeframe. Just because that person may have done that, it is not normal, and likely literally not natural. You should not compare yourself to these people. It is better if you compare yourself now to your past self.

Now that we have discussed that, you need to decide how quickly you want to reach your goals. You have three choices: The All-in approach, the moderate approach, or the slow approach.

• The All-in approach means you will HAVE to make fitness priority #1, over your family and kids, over hanging out with friends, over staying up late playing video games, over alcohol/drugs. Fitness is you...and you are fitness. When you go all-in, you will make progress fast. The downside is that it is nearly impossible to maintain this approach long-term, so you may lose the majority of your progress you initially enjoyed once you stop being so intense with your focus.
• The moderate approach means you will be intentional about your health and fitness, but it will not consume your whole life. The lifestyle of someone with this approach means you workout 3-5 days per week, eat healthy foods that get you closer to your goals 70-90% of the time, you still may occasionally consume alcohol, and you don't have to be perfect with your sleep schedule. Fitness is in your top 3 priorities in your daily life, and you treat it as such.
• The slow approach means you don't have fitness as one of your top priorities, but you do care about it enough to exercise and try to eat healthy. The lifestyle of someone with a slow approach is working out 1-2 times per week, reducing the amount of fast food they eat by doing the occasional meal prep, using alcohol/drugs weekly, and working out when they feel they have the time and energy. You know that you should workout, so you do it when it is convenient for you.

Can you do this fitness journey alone and be successful long-term?

Sure, I guess it is technically possible that someone has been solo from start to finish and achieved great things physically.

But for most people a support system will be a huge benefit to them. Your support system can come from a lot of places like: Family, a significant other, a designated workout partner, a gym buddy, or a personal trainer.

• Family: Having family member know that you are on a self-improvement journey will add a built-in layer of support through peer pressure. If your mom, dad, brother, or sister know you plan on working out 3 days per week, when you go 7 days straight without doing anything, they will likely say something about it. Not wanting to let them down can be enough of a push to get you to workout when you don't feel like it. Even better, they may actually help you with little things like meal prepping or congratulating on your personal records that you are beating.
• A significant other: Having the person you love supporting your self-improvement is powerful. If you are in a marriage, it becomes even more powerful if you start to think about sticking with the plan so that you can be there for that person as long as possible. Splitting cooking times and dishes from meal preps with your significant other will make it easier for you both to go on this fitness journey together.
• A designated workout partner: Having one of your friends join you at the gym is a great way to maintain friendship through growth. Having someone you've known since before you cared about being in shape seeing you work hard to achieve something that requires discipline will also make them respect you even more. 
• A gym buddy: Sometimes, the person that you need to hold you accountable to your goals is a complete stranger already at the gym. In gym culture, supporting others and helping others are a big component of why people go. You may be able to build a new bond and friendship with someone that works out the same days/times that you do every week. Now you will always have a friendly person to spot you when you train heavy!
• A personal trainer: Getting a (qualified and experienced) personal trainer is a great way to add accountability to your fitness journey. First, you are paying for a service, so you have more built-in motivation to not waste your money due to laziness. Second, you will have someone checking on you to see what you are struggling with in the gym and with your nutrition, and they can make adjustments for you. This will limit how many plateaus you will hit on your journey, which increases your enjoyment of this whole process.

Your fitness goal is probably never going to happen...and that's because it's a dream and a wish. "I want to build muscle" isn't a goal, it's a wish. "I want a 6-pack and big shoulders" isn't a goal, it's a wish. "I just want to feel better about myself" isn't a goal, it's a wish. For that reason alone, you could fail on this fitness journey, because you have no idea what a successful outcome even means.

When goal setting, I want you to pick a S.M.A.R.T. goal. That means specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound.

Specific: A specific goal means you are selecting ONE thing you wish to achieve, and it is easily identifiable. For example, "I want to build muscle" is not specific. Do you mean leg muscle? Arm muscle? Over your whole body? How much?

An example of a good specific goal is "I want to gain 5lbs of muscle over my entire body". That is very specific of what the desired outcome is, which will allow you to know if you are getting close to the outcome or not.

Measurable: A measurable goal means you are picking a goal that allows you track progress over time. For example, "I want to get stronger" is not measurable. Stronger on what? How much more weight means stronger? 1 pound more? 300lbs more?

An example of a good measurable goal is, "I want to go from 135lbs for 5 reps on the bench press to 155lbs for 5 reps on the bench press". That is very obvious what the desired outcome is.

Achievable: An achievable goal means something that is actually possible based on your genetics, time-commitment, and work ethic. For example, "I want to gain 30lbs of pure muscle this year" is not an achievable goal. The human body can't create that much lean muscle tissue under natural circumstances, so you're setting yourself up for disappointment with that bad goal.

An example of an achievable goal is, "I want to gain 1 pound per week for the next 3 months until I am 12lbs heavier". That is an achievable goal, because that only amounts to gaining 0.15lbs per day. While that may seem small, it's exactly what's needed to reach that goal, and it's 100% doable for most people.

Relevant: A relevant goal is one that makes sense with the desired outcome. For example, "I want to get a 6-pack and gain 20lbs" is a bad goal. Those two outcomes contradict each other. The way you have to eat to get really lean is the opposite of how you need to eat to gain 20lbs. This will lead to disappointment.

An example of a relevant goal is, "I want to gain up to 20lbs while doing 50lbs more on the squat, bench press, and deadlift". This is a better goal because you could put on some size and strength at the same time due to the calorie increase.

Time-bound: A time-bound goal is one that has an end date. For example, "I want to go from a 200lbs squat to a 300lbs squat" is not a good goal. When do you want to be able to squat 300lbs? Next month? 6 months? 5 years from now?

An example of a time-bound goal is, "I want to go from a 200lbs squat to a 300lbs squat in 12 months". Now you know you need to go up about 10lbs on your squat every month to reach your goal.

Where you decide to workout will have an impact on your muscle building potential. Different locations allow for different styles of training, different equipment, and different support systems. Here are some places you can decide to workout and what comes with it:

Home workouts: Working out from home can be extremely convenient. You have the ability to roll out of bed, and in under 2 minutes be exactly where you need to be to put in work. 

Pros: No travel time, no waiting for equipment, 24/7 access.

Cons: No external motivation from  seeing others working hard, probably won't have a spotter, may get distracted by kids/work/tv/spouse during workout.

Outdoors:

Working out outdoors can be a great way to get some fresh air and sunshine during your workout to help brighten up your day. You can do things like running, calisthenics at a park, and even circuits if you bring some bands and dumbbells with you.

Pros: Enjoying fresh air, no waiting for equipment, 24/7 access, free.

Cons: Need to have a park or trail nearby, hard to workout when it's dark, hard to workout when it's cold.

Specialty gyms:

Specialty gyms include things like CrossFit gyms, powerlifting gyms, Olympic weightlifting gyms, and bodybuilding gyms. What makes these gyms special is that everyone there has a similar overarching goal. They will want to get as strong as possible, compete in a certain number of lifts, or build as much muscle as possible at all costs.

Pros: Niche training that may be exactly how you love to train, support group of people with similar interests as you, able to get coaching from people at an advanced level in your niche.

Cons: Set gym hours that may not work for you, usually high gym membership fees due to the niche, usually just one central location.

Commercial gyms:

Commercial gyms are what most people think of when they think of the gym. This is places like Vasa Fitness, Anytime Fitness, Snap Fitness, LA Fitness, and Crunch Fitness.

Pros: Usually have multiple locations, usually 24/7 access, cheap monthly membership, lots of machine variety.

Cons: Long wait times to use equipment during 5-7am and 5-7pm timeframes, little assistance offered to gym newbies, the gym's business model is to keep you signed up while hoping you don't show up.

Boutique gyms/studios:

Boutique gyms and studios are things like personal training studios, Orange Theory fitness, and barre studios. They are one of the fastest growing fitness businesses, as many people are looking to stick to a specific niche that offers high end services in a small intimate setting.

Pros: High quality 1-on-1 or small group service, personal attention from a qualified professional, potential group training dynamic that can make you work harder.

Cons: Specific hours of operation, high cost of entry, usually need to make an appointment to use the gym.

Having all the knowledge in the world about how to build more muscle won't do anything if you don't actually start...so when will you start?

Wait!

Before you actually pick a date, I want to validate some concerns you may have, and walk you through the right process to picking a good start date.

We must first start by saying that you actually WILL start, but it won't necessarily be easy.

Now, we need to talk about your work schedule. You know what your work schedule is throughout the month (on average). Whether you are a private contractor, work at a factory, or have a corporate job, understand that nearly everyone that has started a muscle building journey has a job too. So if they can do it with a job, you can too. If you have an upcoming timeframe when work will be as close to a normal schedule as possible, it's go time!

Next, let's talk about kids (if you have them). Your kids (hopefully) are one of, if not THE top priority in your life. While you may dedicate all your free time to them, do you think that being more confident in yourself and setting a goal and achieving it would set a good example for them? How about having more energy to play with them and go to events? It is extremely admirable to want to give your all to your kids, but you must remember that you are an individual as well, and if you aren't your best, you won't be able to be your best for your kids either. Your start date to workout should not be dependent on your kids schedule. You can workout before dropping the kids off to school/day care, immediately after that, after work, or later at night after picking the kids up.

We can't forget time with your significant other (if you have one). Spending quality time with someone you love is great...but just like the kids example, you being the best version of yourself will positively affect your love life. The confidence you gain from building muscle carries over in the bedroom, in public settings like dates, and it may even make you more adventurous. Try to get your significant other to see that you are serious about making a physical change, and picking a start date will be way easier.

Next up on things to consider is time for your hobbies. You need to make sure you keep time for hobbies you enjoy in your schedule. Whether it's sports, video games, Netflix, etc., that is part of your stress relief and enjoyment, and I wouldn't want you to forego them completely. Evaluate your schedule and how much time you spend on those hobbies. If you think you have ZERO time to workout, and that's what's stopping you from starting, you made need to do one less hour of a hobby each day to make time for lifting weights.

Some Tips:

• Pick the same days to workout every week (Monday, Wednesday, Friday...whatever makes sense based on all the above).
• Pick the same time to workout every week (will it be before work, during lunch, or after work?).
• Pick the number of workouts you will do each week without fail. If you set a goal of 3 workouts per week, make sure that is actually feasible based on your schedule and obligations.

Now that you know how to really evaluate your lifestyle and how that relates to starting your fitness journey, it's time to pick an exact start date. Most people like to start on a Monday, but I suggest you start the day after reading this. That will immediately put pressure on you to get it done when your motivation is still high. It doesn't even have to be a crazy workout. Just go to the gym and walk on the treadmill to start. That momentum you'll build will go a long way. Waiting too many days will allow doubt to creep in your mind, and keep you complacent. GET TO IT!