Skinny-Fat Concerns

I am 20 and have been lifting for 4 years pretty consistently. I am 6'2" and weigh 180lbs. I am naturally skinny, and am trying to gain. The muscle i have put on seems loose and jiggly compared to my friends. Like if i shake my arms, by bi's and tri's shake all over the place. If i hold my arms out to my sides, you can see my tri's sagging down below my bi's. I have pretty big pecs, but you can squeeze them and they feel all soft and jiggly. Is there anything i am doing wrong or is that just how my body is? I feel like my muscles aren't as 'hard' as they should be.(from Paul)

What you are describing isn't muscle. Muscle doesn't sag or jiggle but rather stays tight to the body. My guess is you have a little more body fat than you might imagine. Here's the test: Pinch as much tissue as you can on your pecs (or anywhere), pinch hard and then pull away from the body. Anything remaining in your pinch is fat - You can't pull muscle away from the body like that without causing yourself extreme pain.

Though you may be thin, the fitness term "skinny-fat" may be applicable. It describes people who are thin and at first glance look to be in need of mass training but on further analysis have a high body fat percentage. If this is the case, you are best to postpone mass training and instead focus on losing body fat. Keep up your weight training but reduce your calories (not too much or you'll be sacrificing too much muscle) and add cardio (3-4 times a week, 30 minutes at a time, preferably first thing in the morning on an empty stomach). When you see some definition, then consider starting back on a mass building program.

Do strongly consider buying a set of cheap body fat calipers (like these Accu-Measure Calipers)and doing skin fold measurement every couple of weeks (see here on the body fat percentages page). The percentage you come up with probably won't be accurate but it will tell you whether you are gaining or losing body fat if you remain consistent with your measurements.

Generally, for a man, anything over 15% and one should consider concentrating on fat loss rather than mass gain but again be aware that the percentage you come up with may be far from accurate. Sometimes just fairly appraising yourself in the mirror is more telling.

Despite your training efforts, genetics does play a role in how the body develops. Additionally, your diet is probably a contributing factor. Try increasing your protein intake and decreasing your carbs. Make sure you are getting your essential fatty acids.

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JP