Despite the fact that most of the world's population struggles with excess weight, and obesity has taken a leading position in the list of diseases of the twentieth century, nowadays you can often find people in gyms pursuing opposite goals. Gaining weight for a skinny guy is by no means an easy task. The body type of such people is called ectomorphic. Since it is more difficult for an ectomorph to gain weight, special training methods have been studied and developed. There are many recommendations specifically for this type of constitution that must be followed at all times.
Ectomorph nutrition for muscle gain
Nutrition rules for an ectomorph trying to gain weight
- Reduce hunger to a minimum. Any foods high in carbohydrates and proteins are suitable for this.
- The number of meals should be increased as much as possible, and sports supplements should be taken between them. It is recommended to eat at least 6 times a day.
- Before training, it is important to “load up” with high-calorie foods rich in carbohydrates, and then take a meal or a portion of a protein-carbohydrate cocktail.
- To maintain energy, as well as to avoid the destruction of muscle fibers, you should take an amino acid complex, both full cycle and BCAAs (branched chain amino acids).
What should an ectomorph's diet contain to gain weight?
- In the morning, immediately after sleep, when the body is deprived of nutrients, you should take an amino acid complex, after which, after doing the usual morning procedures, have a hearty breakfast;
- An athlete's diet, be it breakfast or dinner, should contain complex (slow) carbohydrates . They are best obtained from cereals: rice (unpolished), buckwheat, wheat, corn and oatmeal. Also important sources high in fiber are vegetables: cabbage (all types), carrots, zucchini, cucumbers, tomatoes. And also, an ectomorph cannot do without simple carbohydrates with a high sugar content - honey, baked goods, dried fruits and fruits as a snack for a quick jump in blood glucose. Do not forget that any food received is completely absorbed by the ectomorph’s body, and to prevent catabolism (destruction) a quick load of easily digestible food is necessary. Each meal includes carbohydrates at the rate of 3-4 g per 1 kg of body weight per day.
Calculation: body weight (60 kg) x 4 g = 240 g net carbs. Divide the total amount of carbohydrates by the amount of food: 240/6 = 40 g of carbohydrates per meal.
- Proteins are crushed in an amount of 2-3 g per kilogram of the athlete’s weight. Proteins are found in large quantities in: meat, poultry, fish, eggs, dairy products or protein shakes. Two to three hours after breakfast, you can make a snack of proteins and fast carbohydrates, for example, cottage cheese and nuts with honey;
- Essential sources of nutrients for the growth of new muscles are also fatty acids - Omega-3, 6, 9. Fats are consumed at the rate of 1-2 g per 1 kg of weight. Sources of fats should be: unrefined oils, nuts, fish;
- It is important not only to prepare food before training, but also after. Consume a meal of protein and carbohydrates within 40 minutes of your workout. Drink plenty of water at all times.
Read about the rules of water consumption during training in this article →
Food and water
Thanks to their fast metabolism (metabolism), ectomorph people can consume more fast carbohydrates without the risk of gaining excess weight. Therefore, to gain weight, they need not only a large amount of protein, but also a large amount of carbohydrates (both fast and slow) to provide the body with energy and better recovery.
With these same fast carbohydrates, mesomophic people need to be a little more careful: they should also be present in considerable quantities, but their excess will lead to an increase in subcutaneous fat, and you will think that you are “on the mass”. This is not entirely true. So do this: a little more slow carbohydrates, a little less fast. Balance them. Well, and, of course, a lot, a lot of protein.
As for water, everything is simple: drink a lot, and even when you think you don’t want to drink. Dehydration of the body negatively affects weight gain. You need to drink before the start of classes, during them and after their completion.
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.
Principles of Weight Gain
The key to weight gain is creating a calorie surplus. To do this, it is advisable to calculate the normal and actual daily nutritional value of the diet. For the first you will need formulas, for the second - a diary. You need to enter information about what foods you consume and in what quantities. Using the tables, you should calculate the energy value of food and calculate the total amount at the end of the day. If your weight stays the same with this diet, add 100-200 kcal and watch the results.
The basic principles of weight gain lie in a balanced nutrition system.
After calculating your energy value, determine your goal. You need to decide how many kilograms you want to gain and in what time frame. It is advisable not to strive for rapid weight gain. This is more dangerous for health, since the body does not have time to adapt to new conditions. If you need quick results or your metabolism prevents you from gaining weight, you can use medications. This should be done only after the doctor’s permission to prevent deterioration in health.
The most commonly used means are:
- Vitamin and mineral complexes. Promote the growth of muscle tissue, improve the absorption of lipids and protect the body from toxins that can be ingested along with foods. Vitamins can increase appetite.
- Brewer's yeast. This is a natural supplement that not only promotes weight gain, but also heals the body. It stabilizes the functioning of the nervous system, relieves stress and depression and strengthens the immune system. If possible, brewer's yeast should be taken in its pure form. In other forms of release, the supplement provides less benefit. With the help of brewer's yeast you can achieve an increase of 3-4 kg.
- Dietary supplement More effective, but may cause side effects. Most often, proteins and protein-carbohydrate mixtures - gainers - are prescribed for weight gain.
- Hormonal drugs. They greatly increase appetite, but can cause generalized disorders in the functioning of internal organs. Prescribed only by a doctor. Hormonal drugs are more often used by professional athletes.
Training program for ectomorph at home
To gain weight, it is advisable to have a barbell, dumbbells and a bench press. If you don't have a barbell, the exercises can be performed with dumbbells. Do not exceed the number of repetitions and duration of training. The program is designed for three days a week.
Day 1
- Squats.
- Farmer's walk.
- Romanian cravings.
- Shin, standing on one leg.
- Seated dumbbell press.
- Barbell row to the chin.
Day 2
- Pull-ups.
- Row of barbells (dumbbells) to the belt.
- Hyperextension.
- Barbell curls for biceps.
- Hammer grip dumbbell curls.
Day 3
- Bench press.
- Dumbbell fly.
- Pullover.
- French press.
- One-arm dumbbell extension while sitting.
Workout
Workouts
You can start with bodyweight exercises, such as pull-ups and push-ups. In addition, it is worth acquiring dumbbells with interchangeable weights and other equipment available to you. Gradually increase the load so that the load constantly increases. Also, you should not do cardio exercises, or do them, but in small volumes. On the Internet you can find a huge number of exercises that are available at home for everyone, choose those that you like.
Before starting a workout, you need to do a warm-up lasting 5-10 minutes, and at the end of the workout, a cool-down. Don't overdo it; an hour of training a day is enough. For starters, 2-3 workouts a week is enough, over time, when you get used to it, increase the number of workouts, but don’t forget about rest, because muscles grow when you rest.
Recommendations for gaining weight on rest days
As for training, you need to take precautions so as not to lose muscle mass during the training. Damage to the fibers necessary for mass growth is repaired during sleep. In the presence of proper nutrition, calculation of BJU and an excess of calories (energy), the athlete needs at least eight hours of sleep. This is a daily condition. As for days of rest from exercise, food remains unchanged in quantity and quality; you cannot reduce the amount of food on such days. The same goes for taking amino acids after sleep and taking additional protein from sports nutrition products.
Sportspit
- As mentioned above, an ectomorph’s morning begins with taking amino acids or a protein shake;
- Before training, take full cycle amino acids, and after - BCAA;
- After training, you can use a protein shake or gainer instead of eating;
- 30-40 minutes before training, ectomorphs are recommended to take creatine, a natural substance to increase strength and training performance.
conclusions
Unfortunately, this body type, the ectomorph, has the most difficulty gaining muscle mass, so strictly following all the recommendations will bring you closer to success faster. Don't expect quick results. Most professional and amateur bodybuilders, whose athletic form with an ectomorph constitution shows crazy results in gaining mass, claim that they have not resorted to the use of hormonal steroids. Know that it is impossible to gain huge muscles without using synthetic testosterone. But if you choose a healthy, but longer path - good nutrition, taking sports nutrition and heavy exercise will definitely lead to your goal.
