A guide to gaining weight and muscle mass for ectomorphs

In the 1940s, American physiologist and scientist William Sheldon divided body types (somatotypes) into 3 basic ones: the endomorph, the mesomorph, and the ectomorph.

It should be said right away that rarely anyone belongs solely to one type, but most are some combination. Professional bodybuilders, for example, often find it difficult to say with certainty which body type they belong to because they carry so much muscle mass.

Briefly about the other two somatotypes:

Endomorph:

• soft and round body
• gains both muscle and fat relatively easily
• stocky builds
• it is difficult to get rid of adipose tissue
• slow metabolism

Mesomorphs:

• athletic materials
• "hard", well-defined musculature
• of square shape
• gently gains good quality muscle mass, and gains fat easier than an ectomorph
• the best body type for bodybuilding

Ectomorph

An ectomorph is a typical skinny who is thin and thin since he knows about himself. The bone structure, and also the body, is generally linear, fragile in structure. It has long extremities and a narrow trunk. What little muscle the ectomorph has is well defined.

One of the important characteristics is that it is very difficult to gain weight of any kind, whether fat (from the perspective of an endomorph they are lucky, because they can eat large amounts of anything without weight gain), or muscle mass, and often binds to them name hardgainer. Although the term hardgainer is often misused and used as an excuse by all those who have not devoted enough to adequate nutrition and training, the ectomorph is a true, classic hardgainer.


Naturally, the ectomorph has a significant proportion of slow-breaking fibers and is generally less bodyweight, so it can be said to have been created for long-distance running rather than power sports. Nonetheless, there are examples showing that persistent training and continuous intake of adequate amounts of adequate nutrients can be "deceived" by mother nature and that the ectomorph may nevertheless accumulate a certain amount of good muscle mass. It will only take much more effort and discipline than the other two body types.

Ectomorph nutrition

We have already mentioned that the ectomorph is a prototype of hardgainers, which means that it gains very much weight. Since ectomorphs metabolism is very fast, their biggest problem (and the first logical step in diet planning) is meeting the high calorie requirement. Let us dwell a little on the problem of rapid metabolism, and here we come to the thyroid (thyroid) gland, which is the main and responsible for the rapid metabolism of ectomorphs.

Hormones secreted by the thyroid gland, simply put, speed up metabolism. Hardgainer is typically on the above reference when it comes to secreting thyroid hormones, and often exceeds that limit (hyperthyroidism). I'm usually not a fan of counting calories, but in this case I'll make an exception. Specifically, ecto-types must make sure that both calorie intake and consumption are controlled. The intake can start from 45 calories per kg of body weight. Many will need much more than just to get something on them, but somewhere must begin.

So start = 45 calories / kg intake for at least two weeks. After 2 weeks, an evaluation should be made as to whether or not such progress is making. If progress has been made, we continue with this tactic until the plateau is reached, ie until stagnation occurs. In this case, as if we did not reach the stated goal, we would increase our calorie intake to 50 calories / kg. It should be noted that calorie intake also depends on a person's daily activities. It is not the same whether one is sitting in an office or professionally engaged in a job that requires great physical engagement.

Ectomorphs can be thin people who don't like to eat, but there are also many who kill themselves in foods that endomorphs would kill for without gaining weight. For both "subtypes" the basic golden rule applies: persistence and continuity!

One tip would be to prepare meals for the next day the night before, to avoid the excuses like "I didn't have a niche to eat" or "I had an appointment to meet so I couldn't throw anything in my beak". A 5-minute meal break can always be inserted, for example, instead of a chick break (which btw. Does not favor someone with a rapid metabolism). It helps if we are surrounded by people with the same or similar goals, so we motivate each other. Ok, so much about organization and motivation.


Now a little about macronutrients. As we know, it does not matter what calorie foods come from, but it is important that the body can use them properly. It should be said right away that if we really want quality, not any kind of mass, we need to eat calorie-dense foods. So, get rid of junk food, bakery, etc. Instead, the choice includes quality whole foods: protein from eggs, meat (poultry, red meat) and fish; carbohydrates from rice, potatoes and cereals; useful fats from nuts, olive and linseed oil.

Otherwise, I always recommend as many vegetables as possible (green vegetables, salads, etc.) and some fruits, but this is not the case here. Why? A mass-seeking ectmorph does not need to be loaded with salads for the simple reason that it will not bring in the large amount of calories he needs. There is another reason against vegetables: vegetables are voluminous, so they "occupy" space with foods that are more useful in this context.

Unfortunately, there are still a lot of people craving for fat, but they are useful for the very opposite reason that vegetables are not useful. In fact, a small amount of fat contains a lot of calories (1g of fat = 9 kcal), so it is much easier to absorb the ectomorph's caloric intake by entering fat.

And now we come to protein. Although at first glance a logical recommendation would be to consume a dizzying amount of protein, this is not a good idea. The reason is that digestion of proteins results in a loss of energy in the form of heat which then accelerates the already rapid metabolism of ectomorphs.

Protein has a rather large TEF, which means that the body consumes a lot of energy to digest protein. So, enough but not too much protein should be ingested. The indicative rule would be 2.5g / kg. The rest of the calories should be sourced from the aforementioned carbohydrate or fat sources.


In terms of energy intake (fat + UH), it is very difficult to give universal guidance. The reason is the level of physical activity you exercise during the day and the speed of the metabolism itself.

Indicative energy intake values for a person weighing 70 kg:

70 * 45kcal = 3150 kcal

Protein = 2.5g / kg = 175g = 700kcal

UH + fat = 2450kcal, divide by approx. 1: 1, therefore,
UH = 1225 kcal (approx. 300g)
Fat = 1225 kcal (cca 135g)

These are the initial settings so the quantities will adjust depending on how the body composition changes (first evaluation after 2 weeks of strict adherence to the regimen).

Meals should be distributed throughout the day (approximately every 2-2.5 hours), and it is okay to have a nightly meal as well (of course, if we estimate that such a practice does not interfere with rest and recovery).

Overall, as far as nutrition is concerned, it is equally important to ensure a positive calorie balance as well as to prevent catabolism.


For this purpose, nutrition should be accompanied by supplementation. It is a recommendation here to avoid any "cranes" that raise your pulse. Emphasis should be placed on supplementation with creatine, amino acids and quality proteins.

An example of a one-day diet for a 70kg weight ectomorph:

1st meal:

• 3 whole eggs and 4 egg whites
• 130 g of oatmeal
• 15 g of linseed oil

2nd meal:

• 175 g chicken breast
• 100 g of rice
• 30 g of nuts

Training

PWM:

• 40 g whey protein
• 75-100 g of dextrose

3rd meal:

• 175 g veal steaks (or other red meat)
• 100 g of rice
• 15 g of linseed oil

4th meal:

• 250-350 g fish
• 400 g of potatoes
• 15 g olive oil

5th meal:

• 300 g of cow's cheese
• salad with 100 g rice or pasta
• 15 g olive oil

This is just an example, of course, for a specific result it is necessary to adjust the quantity of foods to the specific person and his needs.

Ectomorph training

First thing: cardio out! The ectomorph does not need an activity that will eat up all the calories it consumes and, along the way, erode the hard-earned muscles.

Ok, now that we've settled that, let's see what training in the gym should look like. For the ectomorph, the best principle is hit-and-run training. This means that training sessions should be relatively short and intensive. The number of repetitions should be low, best limited to 6-8. Training should be based on basic (multi-hinged) exercises (squat, deadlift, bench press), and then add isolation exercises.

Just as important as training and nutrition is rest and recovery. For the ectomorph, this component is even more important than for the other two body types. It should aim for at least 7-8 hours of night sleep, and shorter naps during the day (especially after training and meals and post-workout supplementation) will be useful.

An example of an ectomorph training program:

Monday - legs

1. Rear Squat - 4x6-8
2. Foot thrust - 4x6-8
3. Step (with bar or dumbbells) - 3x10-12
4. Foot extension - 3x6-8
5. Romanian Dead Lift - 4x10-12
6. Foot flexion - 4x6-8
7. Sitting or standing leaves - 4x10-12

Wednesday - chest, shoulders, triceps

1. Flat thrust with bar - 4x6-8
2. Dumbbell sloping extension - 4x6-8
3. Dips (with or without load) - 3x10-12
4. Military Press - 4x6-8
5. Dumbbell Removal - 4x6-8
6. Standing Rowing with Rod - 3x10-12
7. French thrust from forehead - 3x6-8
8. Cable thrust - 3x6-8

Friday - back, biceps

1. Dead Lift - 4x6-8
2. Joints (with or without assistance) - 4x6-8
3. Rowing in the bow - 4x6-8
4. Pulling on Lat Machine - 4x6-8
5. Bend with bar - 3x6-8
6. Hammer dumbbell bend - 3x6-8
7. Fold on Scott's Bench - 3x6-8


Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday - Holiday