How can I build muscle?

[nojogrant]

I'm a skinny guy. I weigh 117 pounds. I want to bulk up but I don't really know how. I workout every other day and sometimes drink protein shakes after workouts but that doesn't seem to work. So here's the problem. I want to bulk up, but I go to school and I'm very rushed in the morning and don't have time to make and eat a regular breakfast (oatmeal, cereal, etc) I need something that's already made and ready for me to eat on my drive to school. Lunch at school I can't eat big either. I usually make a peanut butter sandwich and that's it. When I get home is when I can eat big meals. I get home around 4 ish so I want something to eat when I get home and then something for dinner after my workouts. Do you guys have an epic meal plan I can follow for this?

[AdamThomas]

Do you lift weights? If so follow the 5x5 stronglifts routine (google it), that's the best routine for a beginner lifter to build strength and size quickly.

As for diet, what's stopping you from getting up half an hour earlier in the morning? Do you go to bed late? If you want to build muscle you need to get plenty of quality sleep, which means you probably need to commit to going to bed earlier. Why can't you eat much at school? Simply drinking protein shakes after workouts won't do because while it is important to do that you need calories and protein throughout the whole day to bulk up, it's all about calories in vs calories out whether you gain weight or not.

As for the kinds of food to eat, eat plenty of meat (don't be afraid to eat animal fat either, you need some fat), fish a few times a week, drink whole milk, snack on peanut butter sandwiches, nuts, get plenty of vegetables (especially broccoli, spinach, cabbage, kale, sprouts), eat slow carbs such as sweet potatoes, pasta. Cut out sugar because you should avoid spiking your insulin levels, obviously you need testosterone to build muscle, and the two don't mix.

[nojogrant]

Yeah I do workout. In fact I workout with the 5X5 program. I wake up at 5:45 in the morning and leave the house around 7. I'm always doing a bunch of stuff in the morning and I never get time to actually eat a good breakfast. I can't heat up anything at school because we don't have a public microwave so the meal at lunch needs to be small.

[AdamThomas]

Okay, could you do those things the night before? Or maybe cook something for breakfast the night before? That's what I did. Just because you don't have a microwave doesn't mean your meal has to be small, in cases like that I'll eat stuff like tuna pasta, chicken rice and vegetables etc. Obviously isn't as good as eating it hot but if you want to bulk up you've got to eat.

[guy532]

If you want to bulk up you need to eat as much as possible and work out more. The more you work out the hungrier you'll get. Also, the best supplement you can take is 2:1 ratio of carbs to protein. See you're not eating enough to bulk up. What happens when you work out is that your body doesn't have that many energy reserves so it uses any protein you consume which basically leaves almost none for muscle growth. By taking supplements with carbs and protein it gives your body a buffer to work with. Your body will consume the carbs for its normal physiological processes while using the protein for muscle development. I HIGHLY recommend this.

[apple24]

Weight train?

[FalloutVaultB0y]

Eat more.
That's what I did. I put on nearly 10 kilos in under a year (my training was pretty laid back and not the least bit excessive, keep in mind). The portion you're eating right now, increase it by about 1/4. Workout every other day. Within a few weeks or so, you'd be able to see some promising results.
Sorry for the anecdote. I'm not familiar with a more objective way of attaining that goal.

[maiez]

Thats the main thing nojogrant, you need to find time for bigger meals. I would recommend a lot of peanut butter, bring a banana for snacks, etc. I take 2tsbp of peanut butter before i eat cereal/yogurt. I gained 20 lbs in the past year, its hard work but its 95% diet.

[sp33d]

Breakfast is the most important part of your diet. Get up earlier and you have plenty of time to have breakfast.
To build muscle you need to work out, not just eat better. Push yourself to your limit, that's how muscle is built. Depending on what type of workout you're after, you should plan your rest days accordingly.

[nojogrant]

I workout every other day with the 5X5 workout program.

[Decentguy]

you definitely should eat breakfast a healthy breakfast, just wake up early and do breakfast and then go to school. eat 3 boiled eggs or more if possible in breakfast and eat oatmeal too in breakfast. and in lunch and dinner eat boiled breast chicken everyday with boiled rice.

[genericname85]

just eat a lot more protein. usually more calories is enough. the key to building muscle if you are skinny is building mass first. you can go straight to building muscle but that´s very hard so build mass first and then turn it to muscle.

[Muhammad1999]

Simple advice :

1 Eat more food
2 Sleep more
3 wear confortable clothes
If you want bulky then don't don't excersise a lot coz your muscles will be build during resting times

[Dtegesd123]

carbs, carbs, and more carbs. Protein is important, but I don't see you eating 5lbs of beef a day.