Ectomorphs, unlike other body types, gain dry weight. Find out how to turn the disadvantages of a lean physique into a real advantage. Ectomorphs are characterized by a lean body, narrow skeleton, long limbs and minimal subcutaneous fat. Among the famous ectomorph athletes, Frank Zane is immediately remembered.
It is very difficult for owners of this type of physique to gain muscle mass, and this fact is largely due to the small amount of myogenin synthesized in the body. This substance is formed when food protein compounds are converted into muscle fibers. This results in an energy deficit and, as a consequence, makes it difficult to work with large weights.
At the same time, ectomorphs, if desired, can create an excellent figure, because this somatotype also has some advantages. Perhaps the main one is the low percentage of body fat. This makes it possible, with a properly planned training and diet, to gain only muscle mass. Also, ectomorphs will not have to fight fat in the abdominal area and the "cubes" will be clearly distinguishable.
However, for ectomorphs, the most important thing is not even to gain muscle mass, but to maintain the existing one. Weight can be reduced if a lot of energy is expended or the athlete is not getting enough calories. If this happens, then the mass quickly begins to fall and, worst of all, not only fat is destroyed, but also muscle mass. This is due to a lack of nutrients necessary for the body and a high metabolism, which leads to this situation. The situation is similar in the case when the ectomorph athlete stops training.
Features of training ectomorph
Before we begin to consider the features of the training program for ectomorphs, it is necessary to recall the stress associated with everyday life. When a person is worried, the body synthesizes cortisol, which destroys muscles. Ectomorphs need to try to eliminate all possible stress in their life. Of course, this is very difficult to do and yoga or breathing exercises can help. You also need to sleep for about nine hours.
Since the metabolism of ectomorphs is very high, they often lack energy. For this reason, it is necessary to exclude all types of cardio loads or reduce to a minimum. During the week, you should not visit the gym more than three times and classes should last about one hour. However, you need to rest well between sets.
In the body of ectomorph athletes, glycogen accumulates very hard, but it is necessary both for exercise and for muscle recovery. Therefore, you need to rest for a long time after training. The best option is two or even three days of rest after class. Especially when talking about large muscle groups, for example, legs or back. If your body has not recovered after the last lesson, then you should not go to the gym again.
In your workout, focus on your legs, back and chest. Along with the basic exercises, you should also master the isolation exercises. For example, when you are tall, it is not always convenient to squat and you can do leg press. To develop the muscles of the back, in this case, the deadlift can be replaced by pulling to the belt and pull-ups with weights. Your long arms will give you the advantage of increasing your range of motion, as well as the ability to handle larger weights. Develop your back. This will allow you to visually eliminate thinness, and with the growth of the back muscles, the upper body will noticeably increase. Beginning ectomorphs during the first six months need to forget about isolated exercises and focus on basic ones. Only after the first results appear, you can switch to a split with a weekly cycle. During one session, you need to work on one or a maximum of two muscle groups.
Increase the number of sets, reps and weights throughout the month, and then add or subtract some of the exercises to prevent the body from adapting to the load. Rest between sets should be 3 to 5 minutes with eight reps. Moreover, every last repetition must be canceled. You can experiment and increase the number of repetitions to 12 or 15, but be careful not to overtrain.
When performing the movements, concentrate on your muscles, thereby minimizing the stress on the bones. Gradually, you will be able to maximize the load on muscle tissue. Weight should only be increased if you were able to achieve the ideal technique with the previous one. Isolation exercises are not really necessary for you, as they will burn energy and for this reason you should focus on the basic movements.
Ectomorph nutrition
Ectomorph nutrition is a very important part of the entire training process. You can eat a lot and you shouldn't cut back on fat and carbohydrates in your diet. The ectomorph athlete should receive a maximum of nutrients with food. At the same time, of course, fats should be useful unsaturated ones.
Not only are they high in calories, but they also contain everything you need to build muscle. At the same time, it is necessary to maintain a certain balance between fats and carbohydrates. Indeed, it is carbohydrates that are the main suppliers of energy and, with a high metabolism, are not converted into fats.
After a workout session, consume gainers to help your body restore glycogen stores. Vegetable carbohydrates such as cauliflower and slower ones such as pasta and oatmeal are also important.
During the day, you should eat food 5 to 7 times. You should consume 3 to 4 grams of protein compounds per day and 40 calories per kilogram of weight. Your diet should contain 50 to 60 percent carbohydrates and 20 percent fat. Foods familiar to many bodybuilders will not be so useful for ectomorphs, and they need to consume more high-calorie foods.
If you eat and exercise right, you can achieve a lot.
For more information on how ectomorphs eat and exercise, see here:
