# The ectomorphs thread



## VIncymon (Apr 16, 2009)

The ectomorph is designed as the low fat body type with long limbs, extremely efficient metabolism, and a particular depropenity to weight gain / muscle growth.

If you are like me, then being superskinny, does not help your SA right ?

Well I've started training last year, and definitely feel better. A few things I've learned.

1. Running, is not the exercise you want to do the most of. It basically undermines your weight training. Just run enough to keep your heart good.

2. Even if you are trying to gain muscle, you shouldn't jump weights until you are really comfortable with the one you are on.

3. Be sure to include exercises that use your own body weight, or else you will find that you can bench 100 lbs, but can't do 10 push-ups ... and that's just embarrassing.

4. You are not exercising to run marathons, .However, you should not *eliminate *running, because as you exercise your body gets heavier, you need to do some running so that your heart and legs get used to your increased body weight.

Trust me I used to be able to run 3 laps around my university, but when I started weight training (no running), and I tried to run again after 3 months... I could hardly make 1 lap around the school.

So let's help each other. What exercise routines do you propose ? or have worked for you ?

p.s. i'm to paranoid of internet porn & blackmail to post pics of myselff:|


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## Syndacus (Aug 9, 2011)

I do a lot of cardio work, and my legs are strong and built, but my upper half is having the most problems, especially around the shoulders and arms. I can't get them bulked up enough. My forearms are really thin, and my biceps aren't that defined in a non-flexed position. Weight gainers, whey protein shakes, and creatine doesn't work and I've done it on a 3-6 month regimen.


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## Aedan (Jul 21, 2011)

I also have this kind of metabolism and it's indeed more difficult for us to gain weight, but not impossible.

I've used an AWESOME body weight training method written by a French guy. He talked about exercice of course (you can do almost everything with the material you have at home), but also goes into more detail concerning nutrition, and lifestyle in general. Some people have used this method to become bodybuilders (yes, it's possible with only body weight exercices), but most of us have used it as a mean to just be in better shape, and to have a better _body_ shape.

So yeah, you should NOT do too much cardio training while trying to gain body mass. And if you're only goal is to gain body mass (and you don't care much about becoming stronger), then you should eat much more and do the exercices below maximum fatigue, and do less series of each exercice.

Personnaly, I aimed to gain strength AND body mass, so I tried to mix the two extremes, and it has worked wonder on me as long as I kept a good nutrition program. But now I got lazy and am just exercising once a week, just to maintain my body shape and I don't care at all about nutrition anymore, it was just too much of a hassle.


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## Insane1 (Jul 25, 2011)

I'm an ectomorph myself.. I'm 16 year old around 1.70 and used to have 50 kilos,i've started weight training 3 months ago and I've gained 4 kilos. It's pretty dissapointing,but I see results. I've been eating 6 times a day but then i stopped for a week and started eating 5 times a day since I started to feel bad from all the food. My biggest problem is I have heart problems and I'm not allowed to lift much.. oh and also I kinda have a small belly now :/ Can't get rid of it..


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## UnseenVigilante (Jan 25, 2005)

Ectomorphs are sexy! =D. I'm an Endomorph looking for an Ectomorph. >.>


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## Monsoon (Aug 18, 2011)

Three tips I've heard for ectomorphs to gain mass:

1. Eat a small healthy meal every few hours (probably the hardest because of scheduling, time, cost etc)

2. Minimize cardio (already mentioned by previous posters)

3. Minimize lifting session time. Keep your exercises short and explosive, and use moderately challenging weights. For ectomorphs, a 20 minute but very intensive workout is better than and hour and half of pumping a really light weight. 


From one skinny foo to another! =)


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## VIncymon (Apr 16, 2009)

Monsoon said:


> Three tips I've heard for ectomorphs to gain mass:
> 
> 1. Eat a small healthy meal every few hours (probably the hardest because of scheduling, time, cost etc)
> 
> ...


Could you expound on that last point ? I know that you're not supposed to kill-out yourself but _mininmize, 20 mins?_


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## Aedan (Jul 21, 2011)

Minimizing a lifting session and keeping your series short and moderately challenging is a good idea. But don't make it too explosive or intensive.

20 minutes sessions with intensive rythm is called "Tabata training". It's used to loose weight and to have a MUCH better endurance and heart strength. I've tried this method and it has litteraly killed me. If you're doing it right, you would want to throw up the first times you do the Tabata training. It's _that_ intense.

But it's also not recommended for ectomorphs (I hate this word btw). As I said in my previous post, if you want to gain weight - and that is applicable to any body type - you should do moderately intensive sessions with shorter series of each exercice, eat a lot and sleep well for your body to develop muscles. Oh, and please, don't exercize everyday. You should wait at least a whole day between your sessions to give your body the time to recover and to build new muscle.


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## Aedan (Jul 21, 2011)

Hi again.

Someone asked me what was the body-weight training method I used. I'm gonna put the link right here, maybe others will find it useful too.

But, warning to those who want to buy the book : it's in French. I don't think there's any translation to English out there. Sorry guys, but I'm sure there are other methods written in English that are as good, as comprehensive and, most important of all, as serious, as Olivier Lafay's method. He not only covers exercises in great depth, but also nutrition, sleep, and other stuff. It's a complete method and you'll see the results quickly if you're a dedicated learner and practitioner.

So here's the link : http://methode.lafay.free.fr/

Don't be scared if you see a bunch of pictures of bodybuilders types in the site, there are thirteen levels (if I remember correctly) to become a bodybuilder. I stopped at level 5 (the maintenance level), when I was happy with my body appearance, and then I only did one maintenance session per week.

Good luck guys ! (oh, and there's also a version of the book for ladies that want to loose weight and have a sexier and more well-defined body, only for French-speaking ladies unfortunately... :lol)


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## John316C (May 1, 2011)

http://www.socialanxietysupport.com/forum/f11/gym-and-no-results-139770/index4.html check out some of my posts they will help you. im an ectomorph too. id just like to contribute some ectomorphs will find it easier to grow muscle even lots of muscle then others who will gain hardly anything because of myostatin. google it. some fat people will loose weight easier than other others will not. ive found exercises that support you and give you leverage help a lot for instance unless you have a lot of mass or a a sturdy frame you wont sturdily lift certain weights. you dont need squats to grow muscle and strength. ive been leg pressing the last few yeas with a 45 degree and a straight foot L shape foot rest. a 2.5 months ago i started sqauting for fun 300, and i found it simple, the same with any supporting exercises like bench press where 1 arms supports the other instead of barbells. barbells or machines or supporting ex. dont make a differnnce the only real factor is intensity by weight in a factor of time. you cn b an ectomorph and lift as much weight as anyone else, ive been training intensly for 7 years.


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