The ectomorph training program is of interest to all lanky individuals with a small percentage of muscle tissue, as well as thin bones and minimal physical strength. Regular athletic training will help a skinny hardware lover transform into a chic man with sculpted muscles. To achieve this goal, it is necessary not only to constantly load yourself with heavy physical exercise, but also to eat abundantly and rest.
An ectomorph is a body type. Such people are prone to thinness and weakness. It is impossible to become an ectomorph, since this condition is a physiological feature of a person, but getting out of it is quite possible.
The article will tell you in detail about what this body type is and how you can get rid of it. The ectomorph training program provided in the article will give you the opportunity to get positive results after just a couple of weeks of training. The most important thing is to strictly follow your goal and not give up when faced with minor setbacks.
Body type
An ectomorph is a fairly rare body shape. As a rule, among weak athletes there are ectomorphs with a minimal amount of mesomorphism. Such people are distinguished by thin bones and small muscles, but at the same time their body is beautiful, attractive and symmetrical in a masculine way.
Among the most striking examples of ectomorphs are actors such as Jackie Chan and Jean-Claude Van Damme. Similar body types were also found among bodybuilders of the last century - Jack Lalane, Frank Zane, John Grimek. Each of these people had their own ectomorph training program. Thanks to their efforts, they were able to not only achieve good results for themselves, but also provide motivation to those around them.
If the percentage of muscularity is minimal, then it is quite difficult for a thin person to achieve great success, unlike his weaker “colleagues”. To build muscle, you need to constantly increase the working weight several times and train as often as possible. Not everyone can withstand such stress, but well-motivated individuals will definitely achieve their goal.
Why beginners should not take anabolic steroids
For most people, the very phrase “gaining muscle mass” is associated mainly with taking anabolic steroids. Everyone understands that without taking steroids or, as they are also called - “pharma”, “chemistry”, it is extremely difficult to achieve stunning results. And also for a long time! And, as it turned out, all this is not so harmful to health. But still…
- Most of these drugs are contraindicated under the age of 21-25 years.
- A considerable number of side effects - masculinization in women, gynecomastia in men, increased blood pressure, toxic liver damage, testicular atrophy. Although most of these changes are reversible, the risk is still high.
- In order to achieve results from the use of steroids, you must already be an “advanced” athlete, that is, be able to train, rest and eat properly. In addition, “pharma” is mainly used by professionals who can assess the potential harm of drugs and make an informed choice.
- It is unethical for an athlete to gain an advantage over an opponent by taking anabolic steroids, and unethical in relation to the very essence of sport: after all, its goal is health. This is the opinion of the International Olympic Committee.
- According to the legislation of the Russian Federation, criminal liability has been established for the sale of anabolic steroids under Article 234 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation.
Good luck
Features of ectomorph training
An ectomorph's muscle tissue is quite dry and of high quality. These points are very important for professional bodybuilding. Thanks to this, ectomorphs have a slight advantage over endomorphs, which is that they will need to spend significantly less effort on “drying”. Otherwise, a lean bodybuilder will have to expend an order of magnitude more energy and effort.
As a rule, an athlete with an ectomorphic physique begins to perform exercises with a weight one third lighter than his body weight. But to conduct a high-quality training for an ectomorph for mass, you will need to increase the working weight by approximately double, which will take at least a year. And in order to increase muscle mass by at least 10 kilos, it can take much more than one year.
From skinny to muscle
My skinny friend, who now weighs about 50 kg at the age of 25, sometimes asks me if he can really bulk up? The question is very relevant, because... Indeed, is it worth spending time on the gym, hard training, control over nutrition and other restrictions if you are not naturally, genetically, as it were, created for rapid muscle growth?
I agree with you that some people actually gain an impressive amount of muscle mass in a relatively short period of time, while others work out for years and show virtually no progress.
But the fact is that a genetic predisposition to rapid development is not always a guarantee that a person will progress quickly. Very often it happens exactly the other way around.
A person with disgusting genetics who has a hard time gaining muscle mass has greater determination and motivation, and, as a result, shows more progress than his “gifted” opponent.
Talent is only an opportunity for greater progress, but not a mandatory factor.
The world is full of fat or skinny people with gifted genetics, as are quite a few ectomorphs among professional bodybuilders.
For example, three-time Mr. Olympia Frank Zane had an ectomorphic physique. Once at a competition, he even beat Arnold himself, although he was behind him in muscle volume and height. Arnold even said that he realized then that just because you're bigger doesn't mean you're better.
If I'm growing slowly, does that mean I'm an ectomorph?
Indeed, many people think so. After all, slowly gaining muscle mass is indeed a characteristic feature of ectomorphs. But don't rush to conclusions, friends.
For high-quality muscle growth, a lot of conditions must be met. For example, even if you are a pure mesomorph (and I’m willing to bet that, most likely, this is not the case), then with incorrect training, poor-quality, infrequent nutrition and constant lack of sleep, even you will have a very difficult time growing, if at all.
Exercises
At the beginning of his sports career, the training plan for an ectomorph should consist of basic exercises aimed at developing all muscle groups. Exercises that a weaker athlete should perform throughout the year include squats, triceps extensions, bench and standing presses, deadlifts, biceps curls, and classic bent-over barbell rows.
A man should not start a training program for an ectomorph to gain muscle mass until he reaches an average strength level. A year is considered the minimum amount of time during which a weakly gifted athlete can achieve at least some heights.
At an intermediate level, the athlete should be able to:
- five repetitions of the bench press with an additional weight that will be one and a half times the person’s body weight;
- fifteen standard squats with the same weight.
When this level is reached, you can begin to develop impressive muscles. Otherwise, it will simply be a waste of time, effort and money, because weak muscles, working without the synergy of other muscle groups, will not be able to develop the necessary force to damage the muscle fibers and increase their size.
General recommendations for a thin person
Gaining muscle mass for an ectomorph is a difficult but doable task. The following principles should be the main ones when working on yourself:
- In your training super nutrition and diet for ectomorphs, you need to include a menu with a lot of calories.
- The consumption of valuable elements must be reduced by consuming protein.
- They exclude cardio exercises, pay more attention to strength training, and you can do full body training.
- Protein intake is calculated individually. For the norm, a coefficient of 1.8 is taken, which is multiplied by its own weight. The amount of protein obtained is calculated in grams and must be consumed daily.
Nutrition should be based on split meals: up to 6 times a day. Proper balanced nutrition and strength training should become a habit. Weakening concentration in any of the modes is unacceptable, as this will lead to rapid weight loss and loss of muscle mass.
Aerobics
In bodybuilding, aerobics is the prerogative of all athletes. Many ectomorphs, before and after training according to a regular program, try to do basic aerobic exercises, which is not worth doing. These exercises must be present for an athlete of this physique, both during the “drying” period and in the intervals between them, but you should not perform these exercises too often.
When using heavy weights and low reps, a person's lungs and heart are stressed. Neglecting aerobics during this period can worsen your health. To protect yourself from adverse consequences, you do not need to run for an hour on a treadmill every workout, since 15 minutes of work on a bicycle ergometer or ski machine will be enough. The second option is especially good on leg training day, when the muscles are already tired from squats. But after a hard bench press, you can safely run on a treadmill.
Power cycle
Strength training for an ectomorph is especially important. It is necessary to prepare for it not only physically, but also mentally. As an example, you can take a regular three-day split. You should perform no more than three sets of four repetitions for each exercise. In this case, it is necessary to use the maximum possible weight, without changing it throughout the entire ectomorph strength training. For pullovers, you should select a weight with which you can do about 10 repetitions. You are allowed to rest between sets for three to four minutes.
The three-day ectomorph training program is as follows:
- Chest and triceps (pullovers, bench press, French press, 45-degree dumbbell press, dips).
- Back and biceps (pull-ups, deadlifts, standing biceps curls, dumbbell rows, simultaneous or alternate curls with dumbbells).
- Legs and shoulders (lunges, squats with a barbell, vertical rows of the barbell to the chest, leg press in the simulator, dumbbell press in a seated position).
Mass cycle
For an ectomorph, mass training is no less important than strength training. In this case, the program is also designed for three days. It differs from the previous one by clearly defining the number of approaches and repetitions for each exercise. The weight should be selected in the same way as for the strength cycle. You are allowed to rest no more than a couple of minutes between approaches.
The mass cycle will be like this:
- Chest and triceps. These include: parallel bars press (3 sets of 12, 10 and 8 repetitions), arm extension on a block (4 sets of 12, 10, 10, 8 repetitions), dumbbell press in a lying position at an angle of 30 degrees (4 sets of 8 -10 repetitions).
- Back and biceps. On this day the following are performed: deadlift (4 sets - 10, 10, 8, 8 reps), bent-over barbell row (4 sets - 12, 10, 8, 8 reps), concentrated biceps curls (4 sets from 8 to 10 reps), biceps curls (4 sets - 12, 10, 8, 8 reps).
- Legs and shoulders. The main exercises are: squats with a barbell (3 or 4 sets - 12, 10, 10, 8 repetitions), seated press (5 sets 8 to 10 times), lunges with dumbbells (4 sets, 8-10 repetitions each) , calf raises (4 sets of 15 to 20 reps).
For an ectomorph, leg training may seem too difficult, but this feeling will go away literally after the second or third session. The most important thing is not to give up what you started and not to forget what you need to strive for.
Advanced program for ectomorph
Here I will not list everything in a circle, if only because it is a waste of your and my time. After you gain 10 to 15 kg of mass, you can move on to an advanced level of training. As a matter of fact, such an increase in mass is a kind of signal notifying you that the muscle growth mechanisms have been launched and are working perfectly.
Advanced training should be supplemented as follows: you perform one basic exercise per day in the same way as before, but in parallel with it you train any two small muscle groups. To make it easier for you to navigate, below I will provide a list of large and small muscle groups.
Large muscles of the body: pectoral; quadriceps; latissimus and trapezius dorsi muscles (usually work in pairs).
Small muscles of the body: biceps, triceps, deltoids, upper trapezius, abdominals, lumbar back, forearms, calves, etc.
By varying the training of these muscle groups, you will continue to quickly increase mass, and at the same time you will be able to work out individual muscle groups in more detail. Don't make classic rookie mistakes! Remember that there is simply no point in working out the same small muscle more than once a week.
Additional tips for an ectomorph
I would also like to add a few nuances to the recommendations I gave above.
- First, there are “responsive” and “unresponsive” muscles. The first ones swing easily and grow quickly, while the second ones, on the contrary, are very difficult to swing. This feature is determined by genetics and, in order to “explode” it, you need to train this muscle group once a month using the superset method. This will allow you to change the type of load on the muscles and thereby stimulate rapid muscle growth.
- Secondly, never train more than one large muscle group at a time, or, for example, three small ones. This is due to the limited amount of blood in the body, which simply will not cope with such muscle volumes. Remember that an athlete’s body contains more than 30 kilograms of muscle, but no more than 3 liters of blood.
- And thirdly, don't forget to rest. If you do not devote proper time to rest, then your muscles will not have time to recover and, therefore, you will not receive any muscle growth.
And finally, I’ll let you watch an interesting video: “What to do if you are an ectomorph?”
https://youtu.be/-lc5MdTPfvY
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Training on the horizontal bar and parallel bars for an ectomorph
Despite the fact that today there are various fitness clubs and gyms in every city, not every person can afford to visit these places. There may simply not be enough money or time for regular training with special equipment, but this is not a problem at all. Ectomorphs can easily find a solution to their problem by finding regular horizontal bars and parallel bars nearby. Oddly enough, with the help of these equipment, lean athletes can also achieve incredible results while saving money.
Sports grounds are located in all courtyards, so you won’t have to look for them for long. They contain various equipment that helps strengthen the muscles of the back, arms, legs, abs and chest. In this case, the shoulders are used a little less, but you can easily pump them up at home.
The training program will be quite difficult for beginners, but after some time the muscles will get used to such loads. Regular training on the horizontal bar and uneven bars is the key to the success of every athlete. You need to train no more than three times a week, gradually increasing the weight of additional equipment, which can be used:
- dumbbells;
- barbell pancake;
- backpack filled with stones.
All these weights can be easily hung from your belt and you can train as usual.
Beginners are recommended to start with a two-day system, where on the first day the muscles of the back, chest and abs are more involved, and on the second - the arms and abs. The program is quite easy to remember:
- Hanging leg raises, pull-ups with a wider-than-shoulder grip, dips on parallel bars with your legs thrown up, pull-ups with a palm-facing grip.
- Classic hanging raises of both legs, dips, wide-grip pull-ups, and then reverse.
Daily workouts are not recommended for people with an ectomorphic body type, because the muscles will not be able to regenerate. Each of these exercises must be performed in 3 sets of 8-10 repetitions. At first, weights are not needed, but when the muscles get used to it, you can start adding additional equipment.
Training Tips
By eating right but neglecting exercise, you will gain weight, but it will not be muscle. But we need elastic forms, right? Therefore, well-structured training is no less important!
Start with a fullbody
The fullbody training program involves performing exercises for all muscle groups in one workout. 1-2 exercises are enough for each muscle group. And the entire workout will take no more than an hour a day and three workouts a week.
Give preference to basic movements (bench press, deadlift, squats, pull-ups). You girls can do deadlifts on straight legs instead of deadlifts. Don't chase the scales and strictly follow your technique. We don't need injuries.
Get more rest
Training should be intense, but not too intense. Rest 1-2 minutes between sets, and 2-3 between sets. You can take a photo for Instagram at this time.
During your daily rest, sleep at least 8 hours! If you want, you can sleep during the day while your boss isn’t looking.
Less cardio
Cardio uses up a lot of calories, and for you they are worth their weight in gold. You’re already having a hard time gaining without additional activity. But don’t put your running uniform in the far corner of your wardrobe, it will still come in handy.
To maintain normal endurance and cardiovascular system, do 1-2 short cardio sessions per week. Only on non-training days!
be careful
Ectomorphs do not have strong ligaments and joints, and their bones are usually thin. Therefore, work with iron as technically as possible. Don't increase the weight until you know you can perfectly perform the set number of reps with that weight.
Repeat is your friend
The muscles of some ectomorphs respond better to high-repetition training (12-15 repetitions). And you are also a representative of the weaker sex. Therefore, regardless of body type, high repetitions will be beneficial! But only as a supplement.
The basis of training should be basic training in the range of 8-12 repetitions!
Nutrition
As for any athlete, nutrition for an ectomorph must be plentiful and competent. A minimal lack of protein and carbohydrates can easily ruin several weeks of hard training. A mesomorphic bodybuilder can afford to neglect carbohydrates a little, but an ectomorph is strictly prohibited from doing this.
Carbohydrates are the main source of energy. If their consumption is insufficient, the body will begin to absorb muscle tissue as fuel, preventing it from developing. Complex carbohydrates contain much more nutrients than simple carbohydrates, so attention should be paid to them.
A standard portion of rice porridge after training will help an exhausted and tired ectomorph restore ATP more quickly, unlike buns or ice cream. At the same time, it should be remembered that complex carbohydrates can constantly saturate the human body with energy, while simultaneously allowing it to well absorb proteins and various healthy fats.
Genetic limit
No matter what diet the athlete follows and no matter how he exercises, home workouts for an ectamorph can give the same effect as going to the gym, but over a longer period.
But modern pharmacology throws a lifeline to those who wish to exceed their genetic potential. To do this, you need to use various hormonal or stimulating drugs that will give the body an impetus for additional growth.
However, this method has its pitfalls. If you do not consult an endocrinologist before use, you can get serious problems with the body.
In addition, after an athlete completes a course of medications, the resulting progress may quickly disappear as the body will not maintain hormone levels at the same level.
If used incorrectly, such drugs can reduce the levels of naturally occurring substances.
Muscle pumping period
Nutrition for an ectomorph during training for mass gain requires special attention. During this period, a weakly gifted athlete needs to consume exactly 2 g of protein per kilogram of his weight per day. In addition, the diet must contain carbohydrates (4 g per 1 kg of weight) and proteins (0.5 g per 1 kg of weight).
Many athletes simply do not attach importance to this rule, which is why the process of increasing muscle mass becomes much more difficult for them. It is people of ectomorphic physique who suffer the most in such cases. Their already small body weight becomes significantly less if the body does not receive the required amount of nutritious calories. But at the same time, in order not to overdo it, you should not force yourself to constantly consume foods that are rich in protein and complex carbohydrates.
You can take a variety of protein powders between regular meals. Along with them, it would be nice to include carbohydrate-protein gainers in your diet. Such supplements are as easily absorbed by the body as possible, saturating it with calories and essential nutrients that stimulate anabolic processes.
During the day after physical activity, it is recommended for an ectomorph to increase the dose of carbohydrates consumed to 6-7 g per kilogram of body weight. During this period, it is important that carbohydrates in the diet are complex. After 24 hours after exercise, it will be possible to slightly increase the amount of protein consumed, taking 3-3.5 g per kilo of weight.
Such control in the diet of an athlete with an ectomorphic physique has considerable benefits. Thanks to this, the processes of anabolism in the athlete’s body are accelerated and his overall tone is maintained.
Destruction and restoration
While training in the gym, the ectomorph damages its muscle fibers. The increase in muscle mass occurs due to the fact that in places of microtear the tissue becomes thicker.
Thus, recovery time plays an important role in the entire training process. It is better not to overexert the body and not waste energy on aerobic sports such as running, swimming, etc.
The human body produces what is called "growth hormone". Thanks to it, all tissues in the body begin to grow more actively, and it also affects the speed of recovery.
It is released most of all during sleep. Therefore, the athlete should get enough sleep at night, at least 7-8 hours, and it is advisable to devote 30-40 minutes to rest during the day.
