Building a hard muscular physique you can be proud of is a dream for many skinny guys. While it's an uphill battle for hardgainers to build muscle due to their genetics, it's certainly possible to gain muscle mass provided you adhere to certain rules.

Start with some bodyweight exercises

When I first got started in resistance training, this is what I really got into. I hardly ever touch a weight. All I know was push-ups, pull-ups, dips and bodyweight squats. I was skinny at this point in my life and I have to say thanks to bodyweight exercises because they have allowed me to gain some muscle mass and improved my strength as well. The trick to make bodyweight training really work is to perform them intensely enough. If you do 5 push-ups and call it a day, that's not enough. You'll need several sets to feel your muscles working. If you're a beginner, you need to start slowly and build up gradually though. Bodyweight training is actually the foundation for any weightlifting program for me. What I mean is after you perform bodyweight exercises for a couple of months or years, it's much more easier to get into weight training and make some solid progress much faster as you already have some decent muscle mass and more strength.

Lift heavy weights

Once you're used to bodyweight training and hit a plateau, it's time to hit the weights to make more muscle gains. If you have adequate space at home, you can buy some free weights like dumbbells and a sturdy bench or if not, simply join a gym. Go heavy on the weights. Here, I'm not talking about doing heavy bicep curls. Forget about isolation exercises. Focus more on compound movements like bench press, deadlifts, rows, squats, military press. These exercises will also allow you to lift heavier weights. How many pounds can you curl compared to how many pounds you can deadlift? Since compound exercises solicit several muscle groups, they will also increase your testosterone levels naturally and enable you to build muscles faster.

Eat eat eat

Being skinny, you have to eat to get big. You need to increase your calories from nutrient-dense foods not junk foods. Create a shopping list and do your groceries. Foods like wholegrain oats, sweet potatoes, yams, brown rice, quinoa, oat bran, chicken breast, lean beef, buffalo, fish, canned tuna, eggs, cottage cheese, milk, greek yogurt, legumes, nuts, vegetables and fruits should be on your list. You should try to stick to 4-6 small meals a day every 3 hours or so. By eating right, you'll have the proper fuel for your body during your hard workouts. This is really important, if you don't eat right, your training will badly suffer.

Use supplements

Using supplements wisely can give skinny guys an edge in building muscle faster. Supplements like creatine, weight gainers and whey protein are handy and convenient. Weight gainers can also be used as meal replacement or post-workout at times and a whey protein isolate shake with some dextrose is your ideal choice post-workout. Eating whole foods and using supplements sparingly should be your goal.

Sleep sleep sleep

Your muscles really develop when you're resting not when you're exercising. While it's great to have a good pump at the gym, that's only temporary as your muscles will be back to their initial state unless you feed them properly with quality nutrition and have adequate rest as well. Don't neglect the sleeping part of your life. If you're training hard and eating right but spending late nights for instance, this will be counterproductive for your muscle building goals. Sleep early rise early is recommended. A reasonable sleeping time will be 23h PM - 7h AM. You should aim for at least 7-8 hours of sleep every night.

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