I Have skinny legs. What can I do to gain mass?

[im2cool4u54]

I am a true ectomorph. I do squats, but I still dont see any gains.

Any pointers?

[CandySays]

http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/ecto...d_training.htm

Just search around bb.com to gather a wealth of information on your own. Pick up a Muscle and Fitness from your local magazine stand. Go to Crossfit.com to train like a harda$$. Talk to really jacked guys at your gym, possible even the ones that look like they're juicin' if you felt so inclined.

It's difficult for someone to just give you a blanket reply that can accurately depict everything you'd need to grow. Keep your workouts HARD, split 'em up so that you're getting plenty of rest in between training each of your bodyparts (oh yeah, don't neglect any), make sure you're macronutrients are in check (protein/carb/fat ratio is clean and balanced), and consume tons of protein. Those are some cardinal rules for anyone looking to see change, I'd say.

Most importantly though, don't get discouraged if you don't see results immediatately. Being that you're an ectomorph, you aren't going to have crazy gains like a mesomorph, right away (KEY: right away). As long as you're eating right, resting plenty, and training with high intensity though, you'll see improvements in time. Actually, you're lucky. Since you have such a small frame, and joints, any muscle you pack on will contribute to a potentially sick physique; tons of muscle separation! Lucky you Keep up the training, 2cool, it'll pay off.

[Prodigal Son]

Eat a lot more than you're currently eating, learn proper squat form, get a good routine like starting strength, westside for skinny *******s, bill starr, etc.

[STKinTHEmud]

Eat. 3000+ calories a day, depending on how tall you are. I'm an ectomorph too, and couldn't stop being skinny (even though I lifted weights regularly) until I did, and gained about 10 lbs of muscle and look just about "average" (perhaps on the lighter side of that) and still getting bigger.

bodybuilding.com is a great website, but you might get lost among the articles. CHeck out this site: very easy to read, no conflicting advice, and free.

http://www.gain-weight-muscle-fast.com/

[alecia]

Eating more food may be what you need to do along with exercise, just make sure you're getting healthy calories. You'd be surprised how much muscle can be built by eating fruits and vegetables.

[fredbloggs02]

I suggest kickboxing for building up your thighs. If you get skilled enough it works all round the back too. Learn a skill, close dirty doors with your feet(very useful for tackling ocd i imagine) get fitt in the process.

[JimmyDeansRetartedCousin]

Box jumps, sprinting, squats and lots of food.

[pita]

Eat until you feel like puking.

I thought I just had a fast metabolism for the longest time, but no, I just wasn't eating enough.

Also, lift heavy weights until you feel like puking.

[googlous]

20 Rep squats
20 Pullovers

.5-1 Gallon milk per day.

It is a fast workout, 10 min of warmup and then another 7 min for squats and pullovers but it will **** you up. I saw my legs growing noticably from one week to another. Eat lots of eggs, meats, veggies, fruits and of course lots of milk. No processed food esp refined carbs.

You take a your 10 rep max weight and lift it 20 times. at around rep 10 you increase the time between reps. Do not forget to breathe, although proper form dictates you take a big breathe and hold it while you squat. Exhale once you reach the start position again. Try to increase the weight by 10 lbs/week. Set the safety bars a few inches below your deepest squat depth so you can just dump the weight onto them if you get in trouble. These are olympic style squats so you go well below parallel, try to touch the back of you quad to your calfs.

[SunnyFriday86]

Try doing 20 rep squats.You can google 'em.I gained 15 pounds in...1 month.But I wasn't doing them regulary.But they work .

[seafolly]

Variations of squats, lunges, and leg lifts sure added muscle to mine! Jump squats are what I hate the most but I'd wager they're probably pretty efficient among all the exercises I try.

[Kon]

Originally Posted by im2cool4u54

I am a true ectomorph. I do squats, but I still dont see any gains. Any pointers?

I have that problem also. With all my limb muscles (especially arms/forearms and calves). I honestly don't know and I've tried everything over the past 20+ years of training. I can gain weight pretty easily now but it goes as fat around my waist so I stop. I'm currently doing supplemental leg work at home with my bodyweight on top of my in-gym training. I do 1-legged calf raises (very slow) and 1-legged deep squats and frog squats. I'm skeptical though because I think a lot of of this is genetics. For instance my chest develops very easily. One of the guys I used to work out had the opposite problem. He had huge calves and forearms but his chest hardly budged no matter what he did.

Edit: Maybe our core musculature (chest, hips, back) is taking the brunt of the load leaving the limbs with little in the way of development? But I tried routines completely made up of more isolation-type movements when I was younger and it didn't seem to make any difference. Same with another on-line trainee who had the same problem.

[PaysageDHiver]

I don't know if this is optimal (but bear in mind, 99% of weightlifters aren't doing what's optimal for them), but I'd advise a major leg workout once a week (this prevents overtraining, which is an awful, self-defeating thing). Base the workout around the squat and absolutely demolish your legs (I'm talking 10-12 sets). Then, the rest of the week is for eating tons of calorically-dense foods as you recover from the carnage of that one workout. Rinse and repeat.

[AJFA88]

Squats are a great compound lexercise, but you could always mix it up so you dont get bore of it. do leg raises, leg curls, leg extensions, calve raises, leg press...

Like everyone has said, eat heavy, and eat lean so you aren't gaining fat.

Its not just "eat 3000+" calories. dont take this advice Bodybuilding forums has formulas to determine the amount of calories/protein/carbs/fats depending on your weight/height/age so you have an idea of what you need to consume to gain weight. Its not accurate, so you'll have to tweak it from time to time until you start seeing results.

[Rap]

Continue doing squats. You might also want to incorporate some form of running, or biking, as well. Do calve raises for your calves to get bigger. There's also another exercise you can do on a bench, where you put your legs under those things and lift the weights with them, but I forget what it's called. That one will also help out a lot.

[uffie]

stop reading, start doing push ups

[Iced]

Squats and Oatz

[WintersTale]

Originally Posted by uffie

stop reading, start doing push ups

Or lift a bunch of books. That would help you gain muscle mass.

[mrdeez]

I would say it's something wrong with your exercise, diet, or rest. If you are doing the following three things I would be very surprised that you aren't putting on any mass:
-Eating alot (at least 800calories/day more than you are used to)
-Doing squats with good form and increasing the weight once/twice per month
-Resting your legs enough (getting enough sleep, not overtraining them)

[proximo20]

Originally Posted by im2cool4u54

I am a true ectomorph. I do squats, but I still dont see any gains.

Any pointers?

Another important thing is the rep range. When it comes to legs 12-25 rep range works better.