Usually, when we hear about the need for Americans to exercise and eat right, we think of people who could stand to shed a few pounds. In most cases, this assumption is correct; about seven in ten Americans are overweight, with 36 percent of US residents falling into the “obese” category. For these people, the main purpose of diet and exercise is to lose unwanted weight.
These circumstances certainly don’t apply to everyone, however. Many Americans find themselves struggling with the exact opposite problem – a chronic inability to gain weight in the form of muscle. Through luck of the draw, these individuals have been stuck with an “ectomorphic” body type. In other words, they reach adulthood exhibiting flat chests, thin shoulders, a relatively small bone structure and noticeably small waistlines.
Ectomorphs may have small bodies, but they burn off massive amounts of calories at a rapid pace. Despite gobbling up three solid meals each day, and enjoying small snacks in between, ectomorphs just can’t seem to pack on weight. Consequentially, they are frequently tagged as “hard-gainers,” a term for people who seem like they can eat anything without expanding their waistlines.
Unfortunately, while your genes may giveth, they can also taketh away. Millions of ectomorphs, tired of their lanky and thoroughly unimposing frames, devote countless hours towards adding muscle to their arms, legs and chests. Their efforts are often met with only failure and frustration, as they remain unable to break out of the mold Mother Nature has given them. At times, it may seem as if ectomorphs are genetically destined to be scrawny featherweights.
While it can be easy for skinny people to fall into this self-defeating trap, it is in fact very possible for ectomorphs to gain impressive amounts of muscle. Certainly, ectomorphs have a tougher road to hoe when it comes to adding muscle mass. By making modifications in diet, and by following a more appropriate exercise regimen, ectomorphs can add much-desired bulk to their bodies.
How Ectomorphs Should Exercise
Many ectomorphs hit the gym with the right attitude, but with the completely wrong approach. For example, a workout novice might perform 20 repetitions of a certain exercise with 8 pound weights. This high repetition/low weight strategy might appear to be reasonable, but it usually fails to yield meaningful results.
So, what’s the best workout plan for ectomorphs looking to pump iron and gain muscle? The answer is simple – the exact opposite of the failed strategy mentioned above. In short, ectomorphs are best served by performing only 6 to 8 repetitions for each weight lifting exercise. In addition, it pays to go for the gusto when it comes to the size of the weights you lift, as ectomorphs see much better results when they work out with heavier weights.
The exact size of the weights ectomorphs should lift varies from person to person. However, there is a relatively simple guideline you can follow while weightlifting that should prove helpful. The last repetition that you plan to perform – say you’re aiming to do 6 repetitions, for instance – should also be the last repetition you are able to perform.
The Benefits of Compound Exercises
While exercises that work certain muscles are certainly beneficial – think bicep curls, wrist curls, tricep curls and similar popular stand-bys – ectomorphs should incorporate exercises that work multiple groups of muscles simultaneously. Known as “compound exercises,” these workout techniques hone and strengthen several key parts of the body. For example, dead lifts work no less than four muscle groups – hamstrings, quadriceps, glutes and shoulder muscles. Below are some popular compound exercises that ectomorphs should incorporate into their exercise regimen:
Dead Lifts – This exercise is performed by lifting a barbell from the floor, located right in front of the weightlifter. If you haven’t performed dead lifts before, start by lifting an empty barbell, which should weigh no more than 45 pounds. When standing in front of the bar, place your feet shoulder length apart. The bar should be over the balls of your feet – of course, you can disregard this guideline when lifting an empty barbell.
Squat down and grasp the bar, making sure to keep your hands slightly more than shoulder width apart. With the barbell firmly in hand, lower your hips so that your thighs are parallel to the ground. While doing this, keep your back as straight as possible, with your head staring straight ahead.
Now comes the hard part. Begin lifting the bar, raising your hips and shoulders simultaneously. Remember to keep your back flat – you certainly don’t want to injure your back muscles while performing dead lift. Lift the bar until you are standing straight up; the barbell should be hanging in front of your hips. Don’t lift the barbell any further – this will only put unnecessary stress on your muscles and tendons. Bring the bar back to the floor in a steady manner. Once again, it’s important to keep your back straight while finishing the repetition.
Chin Ups – Chances are, you’ve seen someone doing chins ups on a chin up bar. This exercise is less complicated than dead lifts, yet still exercises multiple parts of your body, specifically the deltoids (located in the shoulders), biceps and several back muscles. Chins ups are fairly straightforward; begin by grasping onto the chin up bar, using an underhanded grip. Keep your hands at slightly more than shoulder width apart. In your staring position, your forearms, hands and shoulders should be facing downward in a perpendicular fashion towards the ground.
Lift your body upward until your chin is above the bar. Curl your legs inward when doing chip ups; you’ll likely see people doing this while using a chin up bar. While lowering yourself back into your starting position, make sure to avoid using your momentum to make the exercise easier.
Squats – In many ways, squats are similar to dead lifts. The biggest difference is that the bar is placed over the back’s muscles, as opposed to being lifted from the floor. Begin by positioning your feet roughly shoulder width apart; if there is too much space between your legs, you greatly increase the risk of injuring your inner thighs. As when performing dead lifts, make sure your knees never extend beyond your toes.
Before you begin your first squat, make sure that you have correctly positioned the barbell over your back. Specifically, the barbell should be located over your trapezius muscle, with your hands grasping the bar about six inches from the edges of your shoulders. Keep your head staring straight ahead, and thrust your hips inward. Though it might be a bit challenging, refrain from hunching your back or sticking your buttocks outward.
As you begin squatting, keep your head looking forward and back straight. Lower your body until your upper legs are parallel to the floor, then begin lifting your body back towards your starting point. Your upper knees and heels, and possibly the balls of your feet, should bear the brunt of this exercise. If you are feeling the most pressure on your knees and toes, your form needs to be adjusted.
Pull Ups – Pulls are performed in virtually the same manner as chips ups. The one major difference, of course, is the way the bar is gripped. Unlike chin ups, which require an underhanded grip, a proper pull up is performed by grapping the bar with the palms facing outward. Lift your body until your chin is above the bar, and then lower yourself back to your starting position.
It bears mentioning that these workout exercises, especially dead lifts and squats, often require a fair amount of practice before they can be performed appropriately. It is not uncommon for inexperienced exercisers to perform dead lifts and squats incorrectly, thus putting themselves at risk of injury. Your local gym should have employees who can help you perfect your form and technique.
How Ectomorphs Should Eat
While exercise is doubtlessly essential for building muscle mass, it represents only half the solution for frustrated ectomorphs. The other half of the equation is a proper diet. While many people are familiar with standard 2,000 calorie per day diet, ectomorphs must follow a different set of guidelines to see a significant gain in muscle mass.
First, there’s the matter of just how many calories a day an ectomorph should consume. Ectomorphs generally have lightening-quick metabolisms, causing them to burn off calories at a higher than average rate. Ectomorphs often lament that they simply cannot put on muscle weight, no matter how much protein they eat.
There is a simple answer to this problem – skinny people just need to eat a greater amount of food than is commonly recommended. Ectomorphs are frequently advised to consume an amount of calories that is roughly 20 to 25 times their body weight. Not surprisingly, this means that ectomorphs must radically adjust their diets. Using this guideline, a rail-thin 135 pound ectomorph should wolf down roughly 2700 to 3375 calories every single day!
This shouldn’t be taken as a license for ectomorphs to eat whatever they want – scarfing down bags of potato chips and fast food will only add the wrong kind of weight to your frame. Instead, concentrate on maintaining a mix of complex carbohydrates, proteins and good fats. Specifically, aim for a diet that consists of 20% fat, 30% protein and 50% carbs.
While this advice is undeniably sound advice, many people would have a tough time identifying foods that qualify as complex carbohydrates and healthy fats. To make things easier for those looking to upgrade their diet, we have provided the following list of foods that can help you gain muscle.
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It should be noted that nuts and fish, in addition to supplying your body with healthy fat, are also high in protein.
In addition to consuming a higher amount of calories, ectomorphs can also benefit from eating 5-6 daily meals, as opposed to the much-touted three meals per day. Try spreading your meals out evenly throughout the day. For example, an effective ecotomorph diet could schedule its meals at 7:30am, 10am, 12:30pm, 4pm and 7pm.
Having a metabolism that rabidly burns through calories might seem like a blessing, but it undermines the efforts of countless ectomorphs to put on muscle. Though it may seem impossible to overcome your body’s genetic tendencies, a carefully constructed diet and exercise regimen can yield impressive and long-lasting results.
The proceeding article was written by an employee of Natural Knowledge 24/7.
