Goal weight: 118 159 lbs 1-2 pounds per week Calorie intake for weight gain: 2500-3500

0 per day

Training Day Menu

Meal 1: 8 a.m. 10 egg whites 1 cups oatmeal (dry measure) or 1 raisin bagels 8 oz. orange juice or 1 cup mixed fruit Meal Totals: 669 calories, 58 g protein, 93 g carbs, 7 g fat Meal 2: 11 a.m. 8 oz. chicken breast 1 small to medium potato* Meal Totals: 409 calories, 56 g protein, 37 g carbs, 3 g fat Meal 3: 1 p.m. Whey protein shake (2 scoops) 6-8 rice cakes* Meal Totals: 450 calories, 48 g protein, 58 g carbs, 2 g fat Meal 4 (postworkout): 3 p.m. 8 oz. turkey breast 2-3 cups cooked pasta or white rice* 1 whole-grain roll^ Meal Totals: 1,096 calories, 78 g protein, 177 g carbs, 4 g fat Meal 5: 6 p.m. 8 oz. ground beef (95% lean) 1 slice low-fat cheese 2 slices whole-grain bread 1 piece fruit^ Meal Totals: 593 calories, 59 g protein, 57 g carbs, 13 g fat Meal 6: 9 p.m. Whey protein shake (2 scoops) Meal Totals: 170 calories, 40 g protein, 2 g carbs, 0 g fat DAILY TOTALS: 3,387 calories, 339 g protein, 424 g carbs, 29 g fat

* If you have a hard time staying lean, eat the smaller portion of carbs at this meal. ^ Optional. If you start the plan and find youre adding bodyfat, drop this menu item.

Non-Training Day Menu

Meal 1: 8 a.m. 10 egg whites 2 slices whole-grain toast w/ low-sugar jam Meal Totals: 344 calories, 46 g protein, 35 g carbs, 2 g fat Meal 2: 11 a.m. 8 oz. chicken breast 1 small to medium potato Meal Totals: 409 calories, 56 g protein, 37 g carbs, 3 g fat Meal 3: 1 p.m. Whey protein shake (2 scoops) Meal Totals: 170 calories, 40 g protein, 2 g carbs, 0 g fat Meal 4: 3 p.m. 8 oz. turkey breast 1 cup brown rice 2 cups mixed vegetables Meal Totals: 734 calories, 75 g protein, 70 g carbs, 4 g fat Meal 5: 6 p.m. 8 oz. ground beef (95% lean) 1 slice low-fat cheese 2 slices whole-grain bread Meal Totals: 483 calories, 59 g protein, 27 g carbs, 13 g fat Meal 6: 9 p.m. 8 oz. chicken breast Medium green salad w/ fat-free dressing Meal Totals: 302 calories, 55 g protein, 10 g carbs, 3 g fat DAILY TOTALS: 2,442 calories, 331 g protein, 181 g carbs, 25 g fat

Chest Pump
Perform as many pushups as you can in 1 minute. (Keep count.) Without resting, move into a modified pushup position, your knees on the ground. Do as many repetitions as you can in 1 minute. (Keep count.) Then, hold yourself about 2 inches off the ground for 20 seconds -- or as long as you can. That's one superset. Rest only long enough for the burning in your muscles to subside, then repeat the superset twice. Your goal is to not let the amount of either type of pushup drop by more than five each superset. If you can do more, your rest periods are too long.

Arm Pump
"Remember that the upper-arm muscles are 60 percent triceps and only 40 percent biceps. You want to work the triceps just as hard as the biceps. Rest 4 to 5 minutes between these exercises.

Overextension Kickback
Grab a light dumbbell in your right hand and place your left hand and knee on a bench. Plant your right foot flat on the floor. Bend forward at the hips so your torso is parallel to the floor. Hold the dumbbell next to your thigh with a neutral grip (palm facing your leg). Lift the weight up and back. As the weight clears your butt, slowly rotate your palm up toward the ceiling so that the back of your hand faces your body by the time your arm is straightened. Pause, then slowly return to the starting position. Do three sets of eight repetitions with each arm. Rest 2 to 3 minutes between sets.

Bench Dip
Place your hands behind you on the edge of a bench and your feet on another bench a few feet in front of you. Ask someone to place a few weight plates on your lap and steady them so they don't fall. Lower your body until your upper arms are nearly parallel to the floor. Pause, then press back to the starting position. As you fatigue, ask your spotter to remove one weight plate at a time; continue until you can't do any more with only your body weight. Now, place your feet flat on the floor with your knees bent as if you were seated in an invisible chair; lower your body as before, completing as many repetitions as you can.

Supinating Dumbbell Curl

Hold light dumbbells at your sides, palms toward you. Curl the weights up, rotating your wrists inward 180 degrees by the time the weights reach your shoulders. Reverse this motion as you lower the weights. Do three sets of eight to 12 repetitions, resting 2 to 3 minutes between sets. Rest 5 minutes and perform one set of preacher curls. Start with a weight that's about 80 percent of your maximum and do as many repetitions as you can. Remove 10 to 15 percent of the weight and start again without rest. Continue removing weight and curling until you can no longer curl the bar.

Ab Pump
Tire the obliques first so your rectus abdominis -- the six-pack -- is isolated later, Rankin says. Perform this workout as a circuit, with no rest between exercises. Do three circuits, resting 60 seconds after each.

Modified Bicycle Kick

Lie on the floor with your hands behind your head, your right leg straight and off the floor. Bend your left leg so your knee is pulled to your chest. Lift your shoulder blades off the floor and take a count of two to touch your right elbow to your left knee. Pause, lower your elbow and shoulder blades back to the floor (again to a count of two), then immediately repeat the move on the other side -- bringing your left elbow to your right knee and straightening your left leg. Complete 15 repetitions on each side. Now do 30 conventional crunches.

Reverse Crunch
Lie faceup on the floor with your arms straight above you or braced on the sides of a doorway. Bend your knees and lift your heels off the floor and toward your butt. Roll your hips up, bringing your knees toward your chest. As your lower back rises off the floor, straighten your legs, point your toes to the ceiling and lift your hips. Pause, then slowly reverse the motion. Do 20 repetitions.

Rollup
Lie faceup on the floor with your legs straight and your arms at your sides. Push your heels into the ground and slowly lift your shoulders and back off the floor. Pause when your upper body is perpendicular to the floor, then slowly lower your body to a count of five. Perform 10 repetitions.

Get protein right after your workout

An important thing to remember is you need to make sure you are eating breakfast every day and also getting a lot of protein in right after your workout. Most guys that are skinny have problems getting enough protein, so 20 oz+ of chocolate milk right after a workout will help. You can also eat protein after your workout, but chocolate milk is just much easier to deal with. Strive to eat 3 meals per day with 3 snacks, with about three hours between meals. A sample meal plan follows. When in doubt, just friggin eat!

Meal plans for gaining weight and building muscle

6:00 am 4 eggs scrambled, serving of home fried potatoes with green pepper and onion and a cup of oatmeal with mixed berries. 9:00 am 8 oz glass whole milk, large handful of walnuts and a fruit cup of melon and pineapple. 12:00pm Stir-fried chicken and broccoli with a large serving of brown rice. 3:00pm Turkey sandwich on whole wheat bread with lettuce, tomato, and mustard. 1 apple with natural peanut butter. 6:00pm Grilled steak with tomatoes, peppers, and onions wrapped in a whole wheat tortilla with cheddar cheese and black beans and a side salad of raw spinach. 9:00pm 8 oz. glass whole milk, 1 banana and large handful of raw almonds

Recap what you should be eating

Protein Eggs, chicken, pork, steak, burgers, tofu, almonds, walnuts, peanut butter, chili, beans Carbohydrates Potatoes (mashed or baked), whole wheat pasta, whole wheat bread, rice (w/beans) Vegetables and Fruits Bananas, oranges, apples, strawberries, green beans, lentils, broccoli, cauliflower Dairy Whole milk, plain yogurt with fresh berries