How to gain lean muscle mass (ectomorph)

The main problem of ectomorphs that impedes muscle gain is a quick metabolism. The body instantly burns the calories received, so representatives of this type look not just slim, but thin and “dried up”. People of such a physique are recommended to adhere to a special diet, be sure to visit the gym, and do not forget about the rest.

Weight Gain Diet

How fast the weight of an ectomorph will increase depends on the diet. Nutrition should be high-calorie and balanced at the same time, so that an attempt to improve the appearance does not cause health problems.

The daily calorie requirement is calculated by the formula: The current body weight is multiplied by 50, in some cases by 60, if the weight of the ectomorph varies between 40–55 kg.

It is necessary to consume from 2500 kcal daily, gradually increasing the figure to 3000–3500 kcal.

Proteins account for 25% of the diet, fats - up to 15%, and the remaining 55-60% go to carbohydrates. The body will receive energy sources that can be spent on sports or something else, plus building material to increase muscle volume.

Protein suppliers will be:

• eggs (4–5 per day);
• skim dairy products: yogurts, kefir, fermented baked milk and milk (from 1 l);
• low-calorie cottage cheese (up to 0.5 kg per day);
• diet fish (300-400 g);
• legumes: soy, lentils, beans and others;
• plus meat: recommended chicken, beef, turkey and rabbit.

Bad choice:

• processed and hard cheeses;
• semi-finished products, sausages and sausage;
• pork and lamb, which accumulates lard, not muscle.

Good sources of carbohydrates:

• nuts: walnuts, pistachios, forest, cedar, almonds with cashews and others (grams 100-150);
• fruits: bananas, especially in combination with milk, grapes, apples, pears and a variety of berries (up to 300 g per day);
• vegetables, both raw and stewed or boiled. Suitable corn, potatoes, beets and carrots, spinach and a variety of salads (up to 250-300 g per day);
• cereals: buckwheat and oat, wheat and semolina, plus pasta of hard varieties;
• bread, recommend black and bran, white is not so useful.

Bad choice:

• fast food;
• sweets;
• a lot of sugar;
• jam;
• Bakery products.

The body must receive fat from fish: salmon, mackerel, flounder and others. You can eat river varieties and seafood. It is recommended to reduce the amount of butter, sunflower and olive oil, to abandon lard and margarine.

Tip: Fiber is good because it improves digestive processes. But ectomorphs are better off focusing on products of animal origin, and not get carried away with fruits and vegetables, because they do not contribute to the collection of muscle mass.

General recommendations:

1. A day should be from 5 to 8-10 full meals. The portions are small so that the stomach has time to digest food.
2. If you urgently need to gain weight, it is recommended to use cottage cheese or chicken fillet 2-3 times at night, you can not do without protein shakes and special additives.
3. Drink up to 3 liters of fluid per day, otherwise the dehydrated body begins to lose kilograms earned by hard work.
4. Before going to bed, be sure to eat a pack of cottage cheese to protect the muscles from destruction.
5. To increase appetite, it is advised to take tincture of echinacea. Sweet apples, oranges and pears cause hunger.
6. Before training, it is useful to eat a portion of porridge or drink a protein shake, be sure to feed the body after exercise. If the body does not have enough energy, the muscles suffer first, and only then the fatty layer.
7. You need to eat through strength, even if there is no appetite. Despite the absence of hunger, the ectomorph body regularly needs calories, so you will have to literally stuff food into yourself.

Tip: We recommend weekly weighing, and record the results in a special notebook. Body weight should increase by at least 800 g in 7 days. If this does not happen, you need to consume more calories.

Weight gain menu

In order to get 50 g of protein at breakfast, you will have to eat 2 eggs, boiled or in the form of a steam omelette, 100 grams of boiled chicken breast with a slice of black bread, and finish the meal with a glass of milk or yogurt.

After 2 hours, add a plate of porridge, avoid varieties of instant cooking, plus milk or kefir, you can replace with natural juice. This is an additional 15 g of protein.

Lunch should be hearty: a serving of soup, you can fish or with meatballs, 100 g of chicken or beef, or steam salmon. Snack with brown bread, up to 100 g. Plus 40 g of protein in a piggy bank.

Have a snack at 4 p.m. - 5 p.m. cottage cheese (150 g) with a spoon of honey and Borodino bread. Such an afternoon snack will cost about 20 g of protein.

Dine granola (100 g) with milk or yogurt. Before going to bed, eat 250 g fat-free cottage cheese. Total 30–40 g of protein.

Tip: You won’t bring a bowl of soup or a thermos with borscht to work, in which case sandwiches with bran bread, salmon or cottage cheese will help out. An alternative is protein bars or smoothies plus bananas with grapes.

Weight Gain Supplements

Professional athletes use a variety of dietary supplements and drugs that stimulate the absorption of nutrients and muscle growth. Ectomorphs are recommended to enrich the diet:

1. Multivitamin complexes that increase stamina and provide the body with all the necessary components for an active life.
2. Protein gainers to give the body building materials to produce muscle tissue.
3. Carbohydrate replacement creatines. The supplement replenishes the reserves of energy spent during training.
4. Digestive enzymes that promote the absorption of nutrients and normalize the digestive tract.

There are stimulants of endogenous testosterone responsible for building muscle mass: Ecdysterone, Tribulus and Ecdysten.

Important: Digestive enzymes can not be taken continuously, otherwise the stomach and intestines will not work to work on their own. When deciding to introduce any of the additives into the diet, it is necessary to strictly follow the recommendations written in the instructions.

Right training

Ectomorph should visit the gym no more than 3 times a week. Muscles recover slowly, so excessive exercise does not lead to weight gain, but to weight gain. The first day can be devoted to training the chest with triceps and abs. The second is for the back and biceps. The third - to the legs and abs, you can add exercises for the shoulders.

First sunset
Recommended bench press:

• lying on a horizontal and inclined surface;
• French variety and narrow grip;
• push-up, better on the uneven bars, and extension of the arms for triceps with a vertical block;
• breeding dumbbells in a supine position;
• lifting the case on a special bench or simulator.

Second day
Mandatory traction:

• to the chest with the upper block in a sitting position;
• two-handed rods;
• deadlift;
• dumbbells with each arm individually, with tilts.

For biceps:

• classic bar hoists, and with a top grip;
• lifting dumbbells with supination.

Third day
With barbell:

• bench press in a standing position;
• shrugs;
• squats.

With dumbbells:

• bench press;
• swing your arms.

To build legs, you need:

• perform lifting on toes using special simulators;
• do bench press with lower limbs;
• raise your legs while lying down.

General recommendations

1. The duration of the training should not exceed 1.5 hours. Otherwise, a body that is not used to intense loads will begin to lose mass.
2. Visit the gym three times a week, devote each workout to a separate muscle group.
3. The maximum number of approaches is 4. If more, catabolism is triggered in the body, which leads to the breakdown of muscle fibers, which means weight loss.
4. Be sure to rest for 1.5–2 minutes between sets. Ectomorph is recommended not to rush, especially at the initial stage, so as not to overload the body. After squats and other heavy exercises, you can relax for 3 minutes or longer.
5. For large muscle groups, it is recommended to do from 6 to 8 repetitions, for small ones you can increase it to 10. Only the lower legs and trapezium are intensively trained.
6. At the initial stage, training is based on basic exercises designed to gain mass. After 6 weeks, you can add a few insulating, so that the relief contours of the body appear.
7. You can not miss the warm-up and hitch, the duration of which is from 10 to 15 minutes.

Important: Increase the load is recommended gradually, because the muscles grow due to the increase in weight and the number of approaches.

Lazy ectomorph - happy ectomorph

The body needs rest after intense exercise with a lot of weight. During the load, microscopic muscle fibers are torn, and during the rest period are restored, and gradually increase in volume.

What is useful

1. Walking after work, which helps to relax, and enrich the blood with oxygen. Growing muscles need rest and nourishment.
2. A visit to the pool, but no 2 km swim. It is better to splash with pleasure, or to lie still in the water to relieve tension in the limbs and back.
3. They recommend not denying yourself little joys, and arrange watching TV shows or movies with a bowl of turkey roasted on the grill.

Important: The main task of an ectomorph during a vacation is to spend a minimum amount of energy. Stir only if absolutely necessary so that the calories obtained are deposited in the subcutaneous layers.

What is harmful
You can’t work out for 1.5 hours on Monday in the gym, and on Tuesday go to boxing or take a bike ride with friends. Ectomorph, who is actively involved in football and aerobics, plus attends martial arts clubs or likes roller skating, depriving his own muscles of the opportunity to recover. The fibers are constantly subjected to a load, therefore, not only do not grow, but also decrease in volumes.

They recommend temporarily abandoning athletics and a bicycle, and stop exclusively on the barbell and dumbbells. After 3 months of active classes, you can gradually return to previous hobbies, add flexibility exercises and for stretching.

General recommendations

1. An 8-10 hour sleep is useful, during which the body is restored, and energy is gained. A tired body consumes more calories to stay active.
2. It is recommended to sleep after a hearty dinner, 30-50 minutes.
3. Stress is a poor weight gain helper. You can get rid of irritability and tension with the help of yoga or tai chi gymnastics.

Ectomorphs are the lucky ones that nature has endowed with a quick metabolism. They may not worry about being overweight, but due to proper nutrition and training, they instantly turn into slender and seductive Apollos.

Video: ectomorph or how to build lean