So I am a skinny hard-gainer. I am naturally lean and have no fat, in good lighting I appear ripped. However I look like this at 0 gains. 

I am serious about training, have all day to train and train very hard. Probably too hard.

I am worried I won't be able to recover from the intensity. I can train for hours.

So I was thinking of starting a diet where every two hours I eat in bulk, lots of brown rice and sweet potato every 2 hours.

Force feeding myself. I was thinking of taking steroids, but I've been natty all the way so far, and can't afford them.

So I need to find a way to get big at naturally and a I need a good protein supplement that isn't too costly.

I have hard ass work in check, I have access to food. I just need to know if the rice idea will be bad or not and if it will help my body to recover.

So in conclusion:

1) A good protein supplement that isn't too costly - anyone know?

2) Will a meal prep for every 2-3 hours where I eat in bulk in an attempt to gain bulk be effective (brown rice and sweet potato main source)

3) Can I get really big natty because I need to get big very soon

Thanks.

My input/guidance for your questions:

1) I use Optimum Nutrition products. They are high quality, clean, and relatively affordable. While I understand many people don't have a lot of extra money to spend, it is better not to buy any protein supplements if you can't afford quality and put the money into wholesome food. Protein supplements are there to supplement your nutrition plan not replace quality food. Bottom line: buy a quality protein supplement (whey, casein). If you can't afford to buy quality, then don't waste your money. A low quality protein supplement just creates expensive urine and little benefit to muscular growth.

2) Increasing carbs (rice, sweet potatoes) will help with both powering your workouts and powering protein synthesis. However, the simple key to growth is you must be eating more calories than you burn - regardless of how you divide your macros. If you are lean and light weight naturally, this means you may need to eat 3,500 to 4,000 calories a day to have enough for growth. I would not force feed yourself. It is better to eat when you are hungry as hunger is your body's signal that it needs more nutrients. Food timing is irrelevant as your body treats calories the same regardless of when you eat them or how often. Bottom line: do not force feed yourself. Find a TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditure) calculator and add 500 calories to that number each day to fuel growth.

3) The muscular size you can reach naturally is pre-determined by genetics. Everyone is different and the rate and amount of size you will experience can only be determined after a few years of consistent lifting and a nutritious meal plan. Humans are not meant to be very large and muscular on average as muscle tissue is very expensive metabolically and actually increases the chances you would not survive periods with little to no food. This has been programmed into are genetic code over millions of years and can not be changed. Using steroids overrides some of these limitations and pushes the body beyond its natural limits. It still requires hard work and proper nutrition but the long term effects are not worth the short term gain. It is a personal decision but Scott is not a proponent of steroid use and I can tell you as a former steroid user when I was younger they are not worth the risk and they can cause problems when you get to be my age. They already have slightly for me and I only used them for 3 years in my early 20's. Bottom line: maximum growth potential is genetically pre-determined. The best path to natural growth is eating enough quality calories, training intensely and consistently, and being patient.

If you want or expect results quickly, then you are headed down the path of steroid use as natural growth takes years to achieve. Steroids, while providing quick gains, become mentally "addictive" in the sense that you will be discouraged and depressed when all the gains you made while on are lost when off. This will make you constantly want to be on them year round to keep the physique you are now accustomed to. Unless you plan on being an IFBB pro and make bodybuilding your career and primary source of income, this is a slippery slope and one that will be hard to escape - and it will come back to bite you as you age and your health has issues. I personally experienced it and it was hard to stop but I am glad I did. You will quickly learn as you get older that being huge and ripped doesn't pay the bills and most people are not impressed nor care how big you are.

John

Yeah I understand that about the diet. I am on currently eating pasta, Greek yogurt, kale, sweet potato and chicken breast prepared.

I wouldn't supplement if I didn't think I needed to or if I wasn't already eating enough wholesome food.

I wanted to put size on for next June and July.

Thanks for giving me a good reply.

I don't measure my food, I use a cup and divide my plate into quadrants to make it easier.

If I'm training hard for 40 mins, reckon that's enough if the intensity is at its fullest?

Don't wanna overtrain, been doing that recently.

Ectomorph hard-gainer over here as well. It is good that you have a low body fat % (Im assuming from your post) to start with, which I did not so it was a pain (I was skinny fat).

I track all my meals, I measure with cups, use scale for protein sources etc. Currently I need 3.700 cals to maintain my current 76.5kg (168) at 5'10 and around 3,900-4,000 for a steady but slow growth which for other body types this might be beyond what they need to grow but this is what I have to work with.

In pounds I have gone up 28lbs (after leaning up first) until now, which is 1 year and 7 months so I get where you're coming from.

In response:

Force feeding is no good, you might get digestive issues eventually. I eat around every 3 hours in my case because I get really hungry after 2 hours already. As for training for us nattys, frequency is king: PPL split 2x week really changed my body.

IME Always eat carbs with a protein source, not just carbs alone as there's some science behind it that you can read about.

1) They say the best protein source is...the source: chicken breast, fish, lean ground beef or turkey, plain greek yogurt, classic tuna in water for emergencies lol. But as for supps, ON works fine for most but for me I don't tolerate it well, so I get Dymatize Iso 100 or BioTech

2) Again eat when you're hungry (3 hours apart you're probably going to be), carbs with protein.

3) Hard work, consistency, good diet, and genetics: some of us have a small frame or some call it small muscles thus get a harder time getting big. IF you are going to use gear eventually, reach your natural limit first and know the science behind it.

Good workout sessions can be achieved in the time you posted. I usually never go beyond 1 hour 10 mins with weights

Hope this helps

A

Thanks bro, yeah I always eat them together.

Do you if you can powerlift everyday, like 1rm bench everyday?

You can not do 1RM everyday. If you do, you will see your strength decrease versus increase. The CNS and muscles can not handle frequent 1RM training everyday - especially when natural.

John

No problem man.

About the 1RM everyday, it will tax your body and nervous system too much so it will be counterproductive.

However, you can keep a workout log book (like I do lol) so you can get stronger weekly within your desired rep ranges (8-12, 6-8 for some, 12-15, etc) writing your workout weights and reps down.

This is also known as progressive overload, therefore you will need an active rest week (deload) every certain number of weeks (8 for most)

A.