From the inhabitant of a bodystick

[Kensho]

Hey everyone.

I'm 18 years old, male, and very skinny. I'd like that to change. I do meditation and a little yoga from time to time, and I do feel reasonably at home in my body as it is. So it is not that I feel awful, I also do some cardio and the general shape of my body seems to be good. My arms and legs, however, are very thin, it almost feels unnatural, and I would like to gain some muscle in these areas espesially, as well as on the rest of my body of course.

I am not wishing for a gladiator's body or anything, but would like to see my height over breadth ratio decrease by a few points. The thing is that I really do not know where to begin.

It would be nice if you could help me with a few exercises and some advice on how to build muscle mass most efficiently. Are press ups a good idea? How long would it take until I start seeing results? (motivation!).

Thanks in advance for your responses.

 

[Trek]

People write books to answer that question. To get you started I would focus on 3 components:
Eat healthy making sure that each meal contains carbs, healthy fats and protein. You need protein to build muscles so be sure to get enough.
Continue with the cardio & yoga for overall conditioning.
Lift weights, you have to stress your muscles to cause them to grow. Be sure to work all of your muscle groups so I'd do squats, dead lifts, bench press and overhead press. Start with light weights and increase as you get stronger.

You should see results in a couple of weeks, maybe sooner. How you feel is more important so continue with the good attitude that you already have about your body.

 

[PLB_old]

I would have to second what Trek said... Try to do a whole-body strength training workout 3-4 times per week with a day of rest in between. You will likely need to increase your overall caloric intake, but keep it healthy!