My name is I Patrick O.  and if you’ve been working out diligently 2 or more times a week and have been reading the bodybuilding magazines and doing what they say to do… you’re probably not only not achieving your desired results, you’re probably going backwards as well!

The reality is that unless you’re genetically pre-disposed to growing muscle or are on drugs and steroids, none (and I say NONE) of the advice you’re getting from the body building magazines applies to you.

You have to realize that skinny guys like us who aren’t natural body builders have to work with a different set of rules than all other guys.  I know you’ve sensed it. Well, I’m here to tell you that you were right.

So to get you started here are 3 of the Sacred Rules that most skinny guys are breaking which when broken are actually decreasing your chances of getting the awesome head-turning, jaw dropping, “are you a model?” body you deserve.

Sacred Rule #1    Always Train To Get Stronger.

Most guys, (I’ve been guilty of this too) go to the gym and just repeat the same boring workout over and over again wondering why they’ve plateaued.  The only thing that stimulates your body to grow is the need to adapt to new stimulation.  Once you’ve gone through a work out your body goes, “alright that was tough, I guess I have to get stronger so I can handle it next time”.  Your body like you doesn’t want to work any harder than it needs to and it wants to stay the same. So at the end of the day if you’re not upping the ante each and every week you body will just sit there wondering when you’re actually going to challenge it. 

Aim for a 5% increase every 2 weeks.  The trick is to keep track of your progress. Now keep in mind that this increase can be in terms of the following things.  More sets, the same # of sets in less time, or more weight in each set.  By keeping track of your workouts you’ll be able to keep up the pressure so that your body doesn’t become lazy. 

The other benefit is that your work out will become more fun as you beat your previous records and actually watch yourself getting stronger each week.

Sacred Rule # 2      Never Do More than 10 Reps/Set

Lifting weights for more than 10 reps does a number of things that are counter-productive for turning your skinny out of shape frame into a massive hulk of lean muscle.   Firstly by the 11^th rep you are now working you slow twitch muscles which have the littlest potential to grow and which grow the slowest.  You want to be focusing on using your fast twitch muscles because they will grow fastest.  Always put your energy where you will get the most results in less time. 

Work smarter and more efficiently, not harder.

The other reason is that by the 10^th rep your form has probably started to degrade to the point that you’re using every muscle other than the one you’re actually trying to exercise.  So it’s better to do 5 reps with perfect form than 20 reps half-assed.

Sacred Rule # 3   Get In and Get Out!

A lot of guys think that somehow they’re more fit or just plain cooler if they can tell their buddies that they work out for hours at a time.  Who are they kidding?  Most of that time is either spent sitting around talking to their buddies or trying (notice I emphasized “trying”) to picking up the cute girl at the front desk. 

Let me ask you, who is fitter the guy who can get into the gym do 10 exercises, 3 sets each in 40mins or the guy who does the same exercises in an hour and a half?  Obviously the guy that can get more done in less time is fitter.

So focus on getting in and getting out as quickly as you can.  Your goal is to not live at the gym. Take less time for rests or at least keep all your rest times the same length.  Move more quickly from exercise to exercise and keep your rest times honest.  Carry a stop watch to time yourself.

Trust me you will feel out of shape at first but your body will adapt.

So at the end of the day …

the only goal of your next work is to beat your last work out.  Anything less is you just kidding yourself.