Being an ectomorph and looking for suitable ectomorph workouts can often be very frustrating.
Trying all the common workouts from the bodybuilding magazines tends to lead to more frustration and failure.
Believe me, I know how you feel.
The biggest question I kept asking myself was, "Why is it that I can't put on muscle and get big?" Lack of effort was not the problem - in fact it was the reason I was becoming more and more annoyed...
I'd see all these guys who didn't workout as hard as me (or worse didn't even workout at all), yet they'd be bigger than I was, and everyone would always comment on their physique...
particularly the ladies!:( Man, what was I doing wrong?! I soon discovered that much of what I was being told in the magazines didn't apply to me...
I'm not saying it was wrong, just that it wasn't suitable for me, and incidentally is not suitable for most other folks out there.
Here are my top 5 tips to create the perfect ectomorph workout and help you make substantial muscle gains within months.
1/ Workout LESS Often You don't need to be spending 6 days a week down the gym in order to pack on muscle...
most folks just don't have the time for it anyway - I know I don't.
Training too often will also hamper your body's ability to grow and get appropriate rest and recuperation.
3 good all-body ectomorph workouts per week are all you need to get the muscle growth you desire.
This gives you at least a day's rest between each ectomorph workout.
2/ Eat BIG to Get BIG Most ectomorphs and hardgainers make the same mistakes when it comes to diet.
That is they simply don't eat enough.
I was struck when I first came across this idea, and someone told me that I simply wasn't eating enough.
After all, anyone who knows me knows I eat like a machine, but I was making 3 fundamental mistakes...
a)Simply not a high enough calorie intake b)Not eating often enough c)Eating at the wrong times and having no plan or timetable to ensure my body was being re-fuelled.
Most ectomorphs and hardgainers have a very high metabolic rate which means the food they eat is processed superfast.
Eating 5 or 6 times per day is an essential part of any ectomorph workout program.
Calorie intakes depend on the individual but you should be looking at upwards of 3,000 - 3,500 calories per day, instead of the usual recommended amount for the average male is around 2,000 - 2,500.
That may seem like a lot but don't forget that our aim is build bulk as fast as possible...
we can shed off any excess fat later.
Oh, and one more thing - it's quality of calories that count - 3000 calories of Big-Macs doesn't count! :) Focus on your proteins and carbohydrates 3/ Isolation Exercises Won't Get You Big I guess you've read it many times...
Monday is Arms Day, Tuesday is Legs Day, Wednesday is Back Day...
etc.
If you're doing this already, then please STOP! Think about it...
a routine like this only works each body part ONCE per week...
how can an ectomorph get big like that? It goes back to what I mentioned earlier...
3 intense all-body ectomorph workouts per week is all you'll need.
Besides, if you perform them at the right intensity, you won't be able to do more than 3 per week.
Instead of isolation exercises, you're better off focusing on the "Big Basic" exercises in your ectomorph workouts (Squats, Deadlifts, Chest Press, Woodchoppers, Bicep Curls, and Bent Over Rows), which work multiple muscle groups and improve muscle functionality too, helping you to build a well-balanced muscular ectomorph body.
4/ Keep Your Ectomorph Workouts Short Keeping your ectomorph workouts short is key to maintaining consistency, intensity, and effectiveness.
The next time someone tells you he just spent 3 hours down the gym, you can tell him he just wasted most of his time.
A good ectomorph workout should take no more than 45 minutes to an hour.
Any longer than this and you know you're either doing too much, taking too long between exercises, or not working at the right level of intensity, or a combination of all three.
The ideal ectomorph workout should work you up into a sweat and keep the pressure going, to the point where you can't wait to hit the shower at the end.
These ectomorph workouts can easily be performed in your lunch hour at work.
5/ Most Supplements Aren't Necessary Despite page after page of advertisements and whole chapters in the magazines dedicated to supplements, they are not the make-all break-all of bodybuilding that they would have you believe.
Don't forget these companies are trying to make money by selling you their supplements, so they have a vested interest.
In reality, the ectomorph doesn't need many supplements, if any.
Let's not forget old bodybuilding greats like Charles Atlas, who was a classic ectomorph and hardgainer, and got by just fine without the use of supplements.
If you do use them they should be as just that - "supplements" - i.
e.
to supplement you're current diet, not as a substitute for poor food choices.
The real success comes from performing the right ectomorph workout and eating well.
A good pre and post workout protein powder should be good enough to get you started.
Trying all the common workouts from the bodybuilding magazines tends to lead to more frustration and failure.
Believe me, I know how you feel.
The biggest question I kept asking myself was, "Why is it that I can't put on muscle and get big?" Lack of effort was not the problem - in fact it was the reason I was becoming more and more annoyed...
I'd see all these guys who didn't workout as hard as me (or worse didn't even workout at all), yet they'd be bigger than I was, and everyone would always comment on their physique...
particularly the ladies!:( Man, what was I doing wrong?! I soon discovered that much of what I was being told in the magazines didn't apply to me...
I'm not saying it was wrong, just that it wasn't suitable for me, and incidentally is not suitable for most other folks out there.
Here are my top 5 tips to create the perfect ectomorph workout and help you make substantial muscle gains within months.
1/ Workout LESS Often You don't need to be spending 6 days a week down the gym in order to pack on muscle...
most folks just don't have the time for it anyway - I know I don't.
Training too often will also hamper your body's ability to grow and get appropriate rest and recuperation.
3 good all-body ectomorph workouts per week are all you need to get the muscle growth you desire.
This gives you at least a day's rest between each ectomorph workout.
2/ Eat BIG to Get BIG Most ectomorphs and hardgainers make the same mistakes when it comes to diet.
That is they simply don't eat enough.
I was struck when I first came across this idea, and someone told me that I simply wasn't eating enough.
After all, anyone who knows me knows I eat like a machine, but I was making 3 fundamental mistakes...
a)Simply not a high enough calorie intake b)Not eating often enough c)Eating at the wrong times and having no plan or timetable to ensure my body was being re-fuelled.
Most ectomorphs and hardgainers have a very high metabolic rate which means the food they eat is processed superfast.
Eating 5 or 6 times per day is an essential part of any ectomorph workout program.
Calorie intakes depend on the individual but you should be looking at upwards of 3,000 - 3,500 calories per day, instead of the usual recommended amount for the average male is around 2,000 - 2,500.
That may seem like a lot but don't forget that our aim is build bulk as fast as possible...
we can shed off any excess fat later.
Oh, and one more thing - it's quality of calories that count - 3000 calories of Big-Macs doesn't count! :) Focus on your proteins and carbohydrates 3/ Isolation Exercises Won't Get You Big I guess you've read it many times...
Monday is Arms Day, Tuesday is Legs Day, Wednesday is Back Day...
etc.
If you're doing this already, then please STOP! Think about it...
a routine like this only works each body part ONCE per week...
how can an ectomorph get big like that? It goes back to what I mentioned earlier...
3 intense all-body ectomorph workouts per week is all you'll need.
Besides, if you perform them at the right intensity, you won't be able to do more than 3 per week.
Instead of isolation exercises, you're better off focusing on the "Big Basic" exercises in your ectomorph workouts (Squats, Deadlifts, Chest Press, Woodchoppers, Bicep Curls, and Bent Over Rows), which work multiple muscle groups and improve muscle functionality too, helping you to build a well-balanced muscular ectomorph body.
4/ Keep Your Ectomorph Workouts Short Keeping your ectomorph workouts short is key to maintaining consistency, intensity, and effectiveness.
The next time someone tells you he just spent 3 hours down the gym, you can tell him he just wasted most of his time.
A good ectomorph workout should take no more than 45 minutes to an hour.
Any longer than this and you know you're either doing too much, taking too long between exercises, or not working at the right level of intensity, or a combination of all three.
The ideal ectomorph workout should work you up into a sweat and keep the pressure going, to the point where you can't wait to hit the shower at the end.
These ectomorph workouts can easily be performed in your lunch hour at work.
5/ Most Supplements Aren't Necessary Despite page after page of advertisements and whole chapters in the magazines dedicated to supplements, they are not the make-all break-all of bodybuilding that they would have you believe.
Don't forget these companies are trying to make money by selling you their supplements, so they have a vested interest.
In reality, the ectomorph doesn't need many supplements, if any.
Let's not forget old bodybuilding greats like Charles Atlas, who was a classic ectomorph and hardgainer, and got by just fine without the use of supplements.
If you do use them they should be as just that - "supplements" - i.
e.
to supplement you're current diet, not as a substitute for poor food choices.
The real success comes from performing the right ectomorph workout and eating well.
A good pre and post workout protein powder should be good enough to get you started.
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