New design! We’ve recently redesigned the site, so please bear with us while we get everything working as intended. 🙂

Mass Gaining for Ectomorphs

Gaining mass can be a tricky thing if you're an ectomorph. Ectomorphs are thin and their bodies do not retain muscle very easily. Rather ectomorphs breakdown muscle and use it up for energy very easily. To overcome the difficulties that ectomorphs have in gaining muscle, they must first put a stop to muscle breakdown. The way to do this is through a high calorie intake. If the body always has calories available, it will cease to break down muscle and can begin to build it up. The second part of the equation for mass gain for the ectomorph is powerlifting. There are two main lifts that must be done to increase overall body mass, strength and size.

First, let's start with diet. Diet is by far the most important tool you have when it comes to putting on serious muscle. You can work out all you want, but if you are not taking in enough of the right calories you won't see any gains. Ectomorphs must be sure to eat at least six times a day and consume at least 1 g of protein, per pound of body-weight, per day. They must have a diet filled with complex carbs and multiple sources of protein such as beef, chicken, fish, turkey and pork. Complex carbs break down slowly in the body, which helps keep the body in a more anabolic state. Casein protein is another important part of an ectomorph bodybuilder's diet. Casein is a slow burning protein that releases amino acids into the bloodstream over an extended period of time. Overnight is normally when the most muscle mass is lost, that is why it is so vital to drink casein protein before bed. Fats are also important. Good fats, such as avocados and nuts can actually help you keep your body fat percentage low and are important for overall health. Remember, it's not just eating a lot, but eating a lot of the right things that's going to help you get big. You must be sure to eat every 2 to 3 hours and your meals must be well balanced with complex carbs, proteins and healthy unsaturated fats. It can be difficult to eat this many calories and is frequently, which is why weight gainers can be a very useful tool. You can substitute a high-quality weight gainer for one or two meals a day. True Mass by BSN is one of the best weight gainers on the market. Otherwise, you can make your own weight gainer shake with ingredients like rolled oats, eggs, peanut butter, bananas, whey protein powder, yogurt and cottage cheese.

The two most important lifts for any body trying to gain muscle mass, ectomorph or not, are squats and deadlifts. Using both of these powerlifts together can quickly increase overall body strength and size. These are both compound lifts that work almost every muscle group in the body. You're going to want to lift heavy weights at lower reps without breaking form. Using bad form on these lifts can result in injury. Other than these two lifts, benchpress, pull-ups, bentover rows, power cleans and clean jerks can also be helpful lifts. When trying to gain muscle mass, isolating muscles is not nearly as helpful as doing heavy compound lifts such as the ones mentioned above. Ectomorphs, many times, have high metabolic rates, which cause their bodies to burn calories very fast, which means that they have to be careful not to over-train. Your body is already burning enough calories at rest, so when you train too much your body doesn't have any nutrients left to rebuild muscle. Start off with powerlifting 2 to 3 times per week. Ectomorphs can do cardio workouts, but must be careful not to do too much because they can actually start breaking down muscle at a certain point.

In conclusion, a high calorie diet, containing complex carbs and multiple sources of protein and an eating regimen consisting of food intake every 2 to 3 hours, along with a powerlifting routine can bring any ectomorph from skinny to bulky and muscular, in a relatively short amount of time. The more strict you are about your eating schedule, the faster you will build mass. Missing meals is the worst thing an ectomorph, who's trying to build muscle, can do.

Advertisement:

About The Author:
I'm a student in Canada. I like learning new things on my own, but don't like to be told how to learn. I also like writing. Interests: fitness, martial arts, writing, photography, games, psychology, alternative education... and more.
(Read more posts by )

Posted in: Health by on February 24, 2012 @ 8:04 am

(No Comments)