Nutrition for gaining muscle mass: correct, balanced, fractional... What else should it be?

Many beginners who come to the gym are sure that in order to gain muscle mass they must do heavy deadlifts, squat with heavy weights and bench press the barbell all the time. In pursuit of heavy weights, very often they begin to have problems with joints, ligaments and the spine, and as a result, the desire to train disappears. This is how various myths appear that weight training only harms health and does not bring any benefit. In fact, you can build the body of your dreams with light weights without putting your health at risk.

General rules

A high-quality program for selecting a nutritional system/training process for gaining muscle mass in a man should take into account a number of factors, including genetic prerequisites - body type (somatotype), which are genetically determined at birth.
Body type is a combination of characteristics of bone density/size ratio, muscle mass, subcutaneous fat level, and basal metabolic rate. Most people are of the mixed type with a predominance of one or another component in the body constitution. Let's consider sports nutrition for men who belong to the ectomorph . This somatotype is characterized by thinness and relatively tall stature, narrow shoulders and a flat chest, thin long muscles that hypertrophy extremely slowly, low levels of subcutaneous fat, small muscle mass and an accelerated metabolism . The strength level of ectomorphs is low, however, the degree of endurance remains high. This characteristic indicates that ectomorphs have difficulty gaining muscle mass.

To increase muscle mass, ectomorphs need special nutrition. A diet for an ectomorph should be high in calories, contain a certain set of foods in the diet and include a certain diet.

The diet for body weight must be formed based on the requirement for a significant excess of calorie intake over the energy expenditure of the ectomorph’s body - the formation of a positive energy balance. Thus, the accelerated basal metabolism is compensated. Quantitatively, the diet for weight gain of an ectomorph is calculated using the formula WEIGHT (in kg) x 50 = ... Kcal. That is, with a weight of 65 kg, the calorie content of the daily diet should be 3250 kcal. At the same time, the ratio of BJU should be: proteins - 25-30%, fats - 20-25% and carbohydrates - 50-55%.

It is the high content of the carbohydrate component that is a distinctive feature of the ectomorph’s diet, since carbohydrates serve as the main source of energy to solve the problem of increased metabolism. To roughly calculate the body's need for carbohydrates, it is necessary to multiply body weight by 7. The carbohydrates in the diet for weight gain should include predominantly complex carbohydrates (foods with a low glycemic index): pasta from durum wheat, lentils, porridge (oatmeal, buckwheat, millet , corn), rice, beans, potatoes and other vegetables. The consumption of simple carbohydrates (candy, sugar, sweets, baked goods) must be limited.

Ectomorph nutrition for weight gain involves a high protein content. When calculating the protein content in the diet, we proceed from the ratio of 2-2.5 g/kg body weight. In this case, only animal protein is taken into account. Its main sources are: meat, fish, seafood, chicken eggs, cottage cheese, milk, containing a complete amino acid profile. Sports nutrition for ectomorphs allows the inclusion of specialized nutritional supplements containing protein in the diet. There are fast-digesting whey protein, slow-digesting protein and complex protein, the peak concentration of which is reached within 1 hour after taking it and provides protein nutrition to the muscles for 3-4 hours.

However, protein supplements cannot completely replace protein in the diet and are intended only to supplement the diet. Plant proteins contained in legumes, soybeans, and nuts should also be present in the diet, but they are not taken into account as a protein component. Abuse of excess amounts of protein is strictly prohibited, since excessive consumption of the protein component is not absorbed by the body, but at the same time, the load on the liver increases, the processes of putrefaction in the intestines and the excitability of the central nervous system/endocrine glands intensify.

The consumption of fats is reduced mainly to the consumption of vegetable fats (vegetable oils, nuts, seeds) and to a lesser extent animal fats - fish oil (mackerel, tuna, herring, salmon), dairy fats (dairy products, butter). It is also necessary to include fiber-rich vegetables, garden herbs and fruits containing various vitamins and microelements in every meal. To facilitate vitaminization and mineralization of the diet, you can take complex vitamin-mineral preparations. And don’t forget to drink enough free fluid – 2.5-3 l/day. When calculating the caloric content of your diet, you should not forget that the basic caloric content must be obtained from natural products.

The second most important principle of ectomorph nutrition when gaining muscle mass is the diet. Meals should be taken every 2-3 hours (6-8 times a day) and, if possible, with snacks between them. This diet is due to faster and more complete absorption of food nutrients when they enter the body in small quantities, but often. In addition, it should be borne in mind that frequent meals increase the level of testosterone and insulin , which promote the growth of muscle mass while reducing the level of cortisol , which is produced during training and inhibits muscle growth (catalyzes the breakdown of proteins, breaking down muscle tissue into amino acids).

An important issue is the distribution of food nutrients throughout the day. The best option is to take the carbohydrate component preferentially in the first half of the day, and proteins in the second, since during the day the body needs more energy, and at night - in building material (protein). In general, the proportion of carbohydrates changes throughout the day.

In the morning there are a lot of them, in the evening there are less and less, at the same time, carbohydrates should not be included in the last 2 meals at all, but contain only boiled protein dishes and salads without dressing with oil, using garden herbs, lemon juice, balsamic vinegar. Alternatively, to neutralize the processes of catabolism and “launch” anabolic reactions, immediately after sleep, take a portion of a high-quality protein-carbohydrate cocktail.

The last meal before training should include carbohydrates and proteins, and fat content should be kept to a minimum. This will replenish glycogen and provide the body with energy. It is recommended to drink a high-quality protein-carbohydrate mixture 30 minutes before training to increase insulin levels in the blood and improve energy tone, and also take carbohydrate drinks every 15 minutes throughout the workout. After training (within 60-120 minutes), to stimulate anabolism, it is necessary to take a loading dose of easily digestible carbohydrates (simple carbohydrates) and fast proteins (whey isolate).

Before going to bed, it is recommended to take a “long”/“overnight” protein, such as casein . A diet for gaining muscle mass for an ectomorph during intense training involves the complete exclusion of white bread and bakery products, animal fats, smoked meats, confectionery, sausages, fatty foods, and caffeine-containing drinks from the diet. As an additional sports nutrition, ectomorphs can include specialized nutritional supplements in their diet - whey protein , BCAA, CLA, creatine , glucosamine omega-3 preparations .

Recommendations for training for weight at home

An important feature of the ectomorph is the high metabolic rate, which means not only the absorption of food, but also the rate of energy loss from food during exercise. Thus, the duration of a skinny guy’s workout should not exceed one hour. Both in the gym and at home, the training program should consist more of basic exercises with heavy weights. Do not overload with a large number of isolation exercises for one muscle group (4 or more). Design your program in such a way as to work several major muscle groups in exercises at once. For an ectomorph, it is recommended to perform 8-10 repetitions, 3-4 sets. Rest between sets no more than 2 minutes.

Authorized Products

The diet for an ectomorph when gaining muscle mass includes:

• Chicken eggs in any form.
• Chicken, turkey, lean red meat (veal, beef), rabbit meat.
• Sea/river fish (tuna, herring, perch, hake, sardines, pike, salmon, trout, cod), seafood (mussels, shrimp, crabs, squids).
• Grain bread/without yeast, bread with bran, grain bread.
• Wholemeal pasta, cereals (oatmeal, wheat, buckwheat), white rice.
• Soups with low-fat broth, cabbage soup, borscht.
• Low-fat dairy/fermented milk products (yogurt, kefir, milk, cottage cheese, fermented baked milk), hard cheeses.
• Legumes (beans, chickpeas, peas, lentils), soybeans and soy-based products (tofu cheese, milk).
• Nuts, seeds, bran, seaweed, sesame and flax seeds.
• Non-starchy vegetables (carrots, onions, cucumbers, tomatoes, sweet peppers, cabbage, zucchini), garden herbs.
• Unrefined virgin vegetable oils (corn, olive, sesame, flaxseed), fish oil, butter.
• Unsweetened fruits/berries (red/black currants, apples, citrus fruits).
• Herbal tea, freshly prepared juices from apples, oranges, pomegranates, plums, purified still water, rosehip infusion, green tea with lemon.

Table of permitted products

Fully or partially limited products

A diet for an ectomorph when gaining muscle mass excludes:

• Fresh wheat bread, pastries, cookies, waffles, puff pastry products, pastries, cakes, semolina, pancakes, dumplings, dumplings.
• Fatty pork, goose, duck, sausages, canned food, smoked meats, animal fats, fast food products, products containing food additives, semi-finished products.
• Sugar, honey, condensed milk, chocolate, ice cream, jam, dried fruits (raisins, figs, prunes, dried apricots, dates), jams, candies, sweet desserts.
• Caffeinated drinks, alcohol.

Table of prohibited products

Advantages and disadvantages

Who are ectomorphs?

Content

A person belongs to one of three body types:

• endomorphic;
• mesomorphic;
• ectomorphic.

The first two types are prone to rapid weight gain, with mesomorphs gaining predominantly lean muscle mass, and endomorphs easily accumulating fat.

Ectomorphs, on the other hand, have a faster metabolism, which means it is much more difficult for them to gain weight. They are almost always tall in appearance, with long, thin bones and noticeable thinness.

For an ectomorph, gaining weight is always a difficult task.

Reviews and results

A diet for an ectomorph along with intense training allows you to achieve an adequate gain of muscle mass. The disadvantages include the need to constantly monitor the ratio of food nutrients and calorie intake, which creates certain difficulties.

• “... At a certain stage of life I decided to bring myself to a more or less normal state and build muscle. By structure I am asthenic, one of those who are called “nerds”. They recommended a good training center and a coach, who told me that to achieve results I would have to work hard for at least six months. I agreed. They outlined the training process and nutrition for gaining weight. I’ll say right away that I switched to enhanced nutrition, it feels like I’m constantly eating. In addition to the main 4 meals, I also have 3-4 snacks. I carry sandwiches all the time. I mainly consume cottage cheese, fish, poultry, fermented milk, nuts, cereals, vegetable oils, and vegetables. Additionally, I use sports mixtures, vitamins and minerals. And of course training. To be honest, I didn’t believe that something could come of a weakling like me, but after 4 months I saw the first results and didn’t even believe that it was me. It’s good that I recorded my initial anthropometric indicators. This inspired me to continue my studies, and my health improved significantly and I gained a sense of self-confidence. I think that my appearance and rhythm of life will suit me.”

Difficulties in gaining weight in ectomorphs

The active metabolism of an ectomorph helps burn calories much faster than a mesomorph and endomorph. In his youth, the ectomorph has such a fast metabolism that he can often eat only high-calorie fast food, and at the same time he will have almost no fat deposits. With age, all metabolic processes will slow down, and a person may begin to grow a belly due to poor nutrition, which will noticeably stand out due to the fact that the person is otherwise thin.

Very often, novice athletes, out of desperation to gain weight, begin to consume the maximum possible number of calories, thinking that the result will come faster. But due to the fact that most of the calories are useless for gaining muscle and health, a person may simply lose his last hope and give up. Therefore, it is important to initially choose the right approach to your body.