It’s no secret that from a purely biological perspective, low body fat is considered desirable by others. But what if you have low body fat but no muscle? That is another story.
In this article, we are going to cover what you can do if you have low body fat but no muscle.
It can be very challenging to find confidence in your body if you fall into this category. You might be considered too skinny to be desirable. Or maybe you just don’t have the confidence to approach someone who you are attracted to.
I know all of this because I was once there. I had a low body fat percentage, but my muscle was just not there. And no matter how hard I tried, I just wasn’t growing the muscle that I needed.
I remember one time in high school, I showed interest in a girl, and she told her friend that I was hideously scrawny. That didn’t do much for my confidence, I can tell you that.
But after a while, I finally figured out what it would take for me to build muscle. I want you to keep something in mind. Before I learned about building muscle, I never thought it would be possible for me to put on muscle.
I just thought that it wasn’t something that my body could do. Not only can your body do it, but you can excel at it and completely transform your body if you follow the principles outlined in this article.
You have to eat more than you think
This is the hardest part, which is why I want to talk about it first. For people with low body fat but no muscle, there is a reason why you are skinny. It is because your metabolism is faster than the average metabolism.
And when you combine a fast metabolism with a lack of calories, you end up with no muscle.
But we can combat that. The first order of business is to realize that you aren’t eating enough. Let’s just put it this way, if you aren’t gaining at least a half pound per week, you aren’t eating enough.
So, how do you know that you are eating enough? The first step is to understand your maintenance calorie number. This is the number of calories that your body burns per day on average without gaining or losing weight.
And the reason this is so difficult for some people to understand is because every person has a different maintenance calorie number.
While your best friend might eat less than you and still gain weight, that probably isn’t going to workout for you. It is all about determining what works best for your body.
Once you have that maintenance calorie number, you need to start eating at a caloric surplus. Which just means that you need to eat more calories than your maintenance number every single day. I recommend a starting point of 500 calories over maintenance per day.
So if your maintenance calorie number is 3,000, go for 3,500 calories per day. And if you aren’t gaining a half pound per week, then you should up your caloric intake.
Use an app like MyFitnessPal to track every calorie that you eat, and weigh out your food on a digital kitchen scale to get the most accurate results.
Strength training over cardio
A lot of mainstream fitness advice is geared towards people who are trying to lose weight. Our society pounds it into our heads that gaining weight is bad. But what they don’t tell you is that being underweight is also a bad thing.
We are constantly being bombarded with the latest fitness and diet trends that will help you lose weight in 30 days or less. And the majority of it all is just a scam.
Don’t fall for any of this nonsense.
Here is what you need to do. Make a commitment to workout 3-5 days per week for just an hour each day. And do strength training not cardio.
When you combine strength training with a caloric surplus, you are setting yourself up for massive muscle growth. That is just how it works.
Your body looks for places to put your extra calories. And when you are lifting heavy weights, you are priming your muscles to be fed by your extra calories. Don’t let those extra calories go to waste. Put them to good use.
Make sure that you download our app All Workouts: Personal Trainer (iOS | Google Play). Our FREE workout plans will keep you on the right track to your muscle building dreams.
In fact, my personal workout plan that I created to help me build over 20 pounds of muscle in a year is in this app. It is called 3 Day Overload. Only use it if you are prepared to put on solid muscle.
At the end of the day, you just need to show up to the gym. Just make it happen and don’t let your ego or outside influences get in the way of building the body that you deserve.
Be consistent
Too many people think that being consistent is just about going to the gym. Going to the gym is only a small fraction of the equation. Being consistent means that you are constantly eating towards your goals, going to the gym regularly, and making good choices.
I think the key to getting everything that you want is a series of good choices that align with your goals.
For example, we know that in order to build muscle, we need to eat at a caloric surplus and do strength training.
But we also must consider smaller things like getting enough sleep and avoiding activities that will set our progress back.
There is plenty of evidence to suggest that drinking alcohol stops muscle growth. But it’s not just the alcohol that slows you down. It is the bad food choices, the late nights, the lack of sleep, etc..
You need to be aware of everything that you are doing and how those activities might be negatively affecting your progress.
If you have low body fat but no muscle, you are not alone. There are countless amounts of people that you can learn from that went through this journey. I am one of them.
Consistency is not just about showing up. Learn to be consistent with the best habits that drive progress, and you will be better off in the long run.
Main Point: Low body fat but no muscle?
You now know the steps you need to take if you have low body fat but no muscle. I can understand how challenging this might be for someone who is super skinny and struggles with image issues.
I know because I have been there. And I know that it might seem like you will never get out of this position that you are in. I have good news for you. Not only will you get out of it, but your mindset is going to completely change.
Your outlook on life is going to completely change.
Here is something that I didn’t mention yet. When I graduated high school, I was 6’1” and 135lbs. For those that don’t know, that is what most would consider super scrawny. Sure I had low body fat, but I also had no muscle.
Once I understood what it was going to take for me to put on size, I stuck to those principles. 3 years later, I was 205 pounds, and I was happy to be there. Ultimately, I decided that my ideal weight was between 180 and 190, so I cut back down for a more athletic look.
These are the choices that you can make when you know what you are putting in your body.
Do not be afraid to count calories. It is seriously going to change your life. You will not be able to recognize your former self if you commit to this lifestyle for a year.
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