Training for the Hard Gainer (Ectomorph)

[mattcanning99]

(Any Comments / Criticism Appreciated)

First, let’s begin by defining the ectormorph physical type:

Ectomorph : The ectomorph is the extreme somatotype. An ectomorph is characterized by smalls bones and very little muscle mass. An ectomorph will have a very steep angle in his or her thorax, and the ribs are closer together. Ectomorphs are generally better endurance athletes than bodybuilders by nature, and may excel in cross country running. That is not to say an ectomorph cannot bodybuild. It is very possible to achieve great gains in mass and strength regardless of being an ectomorph.


Usually you will commonly see hard gainers in the gym. There are many reasons for this, and the most powerful of all being the ability to change his or her body to look very mesomorphic. If you are a hard gainer, it may take a lot of work to help you achieve a
mesomorphic look, but with proper emphasis on nutrition and training, it’s not only possible but inevitable. With each workout, you will get stronger, and your body will get used to your newly adopted training lifestyle. In little time, you’ll probably find the
bodybuilding way of life becoming second nature. If you keep hard at work, what you can get out of bodybuilding are almost limitless, but only in terms of the physique you’ll sculpt for yourself, but you’ll also enjoy higher levels of confidence and self esteem. Enough with this introduction, now let’s start talking about how you can achieve your bodybuilding and fitness goals:


Training Frequency


The hard gainer approach to bodybuilding is based on a system in which you perform three to four workouts per week, divided in a split, so that you train each body part only one single day a week. It might not sound like much, but you’ll be surprised just how far you can go with this. Most hard gainers will contest to working out on three non consecutive days per week, as illustrated in the sample split seen below:



Monday: Chest, Biceps, Abs
Wednesday: Shoulders, Legs
Friday: Back, Triceps



As you can see, training with just such a split allows you to hit each body part one day a week, and as mentioned above, you would be surprised just how much you can get out of a simple split such as the one illustrated.

On the other hand, you may want a split where you are working some body parts together as a unit, because they are all synergistic. An example of this type of split is illustrated below:

Monday: Chest, Triceps, Shoulders
Wednesday: Quads, Hamstrings, Lower Back, Glutes
Friday: Biceps, Forearms, Abdominals



The reason for such a split is due to the fact that some movements, such as bench press, work more than one muscle. While the primary muscle being worked in a bench
press exercise is the chest, the triceps and the front deltoids also do much of the work. It is important to remember not to train a body part when it is still sore. As a result, the split above will prevent anyone from doing so, and is preferred by many beginners.

Remember Basic Movements!

The most important of all exercises to remember as a hard gainer are the basic movements to use as the principle aspect of your mass building training. For the larger muscle groups, such as chest, back and legs, you should pick two large, basic
movements, and for the smaller muscles such as triceps, and forearms, only one will be adequate. Below is a list of some body parts, and the basic exercises which are associated with them.

Body Part Basic Exercise
Quads, Glutes Squats, Angled Leg Presses
Hamstrings Stiff - Legged Dead Lifts
Lower Back Dead Lifts
Lats Seated Cable Rows, Front Lat Pull Downs
Trapezius Barbell Shrugs
Shoulders Military Press, Upright Rows
Chest Barbell Bench Press, Incline Barbell
Bench Press
Biceps Regular Grip Standing Barbell Curl
Triceps Close Grip Bench Press
Forearms Reverse Barbell Curls
Calves Standing Calve Raises
Abdominals Crunches



Keep Sets Low

There is no need to perform a lot of sets for each body part below is a list of recommended sets for the beginner (each performed one day per week in a total body split).

Body Part Number of Sets
Quads, Glutes 6
Hamstrings 6
Lower Back 6
Lats 6
Trapezius 3
Shoulders 5
Chest 10
Biceps 6
Triceps 6
Forearms 4
Calves 6
Abdominals 4 - 6

Matt Canning

 

[Phenotype X]

Great post MAtt, I'm an ectomorph and after 5 years of strict training, no one can really tell that I was one. They just think I'm a mesomorph who never works out

 

[zlivan]

I tend to agree, but might have something to add.
Although you can't tell now, I was or still am a typical ectomorph. I started at 110 lbs and now I'm around 205-210, height is 5'11".
It is my strong belief, from almost 15 years of training and watching others train, that ectomorph can gain very fast with certain things in mind.
First and most important - food. One must eat enough, and try hard not to skip meals. This is VERY important. No need to overeat because excess food will most likely be rejected or perhaps stored as fat.
I also believe ectomorphs recover pretty fast, so for beginners, I would recommend doing more frequent workouts with less sets. Full body routine, done 3 times a week, 2-3 sets per bodypart is a good way to start. Later, as working capacity increases, more volume and reduced frequency should work very well too. Training heavy is recommended. I got most out of low to mid rep sets, and I absolutely hate 20-rep squats

So, if you are an ectomorph, try to lift heavy, but NEVER EVER skip meals or ignore your hunger. Otherwise, instead of gaining 20-40 lbs in one or two months, you might end up calling yourself "hardgainer" and blaming nature for your lack of progress.

 

[mattcanning99]

i agree with you on that most important topic: FOOD.

it seems being an ectomorph is like a good disease, where basically everything you eat gets converted to lean mass...so to capitalize on that, eat often. i'll edit the article to include some diet tips, and when i do, i'll let you know.

thanks for the good words guys.

matt

 

[b fold the truth]

Ectomorph : Need More Food.

Eat like there is no tomorrow. I do not believe that there is anyone that can eat with me and not grow or get fat. I had a buddy that I lived with for a semester who swore that he could not put on any weight...not even fat. Well...by the end of that semester he had a nice little belly. Guess what? He ate a lot!!!

B True

 

[zlivan]

People who fail to gain always forget about their nutrition. They focus so much on training, overtraining, frequency, sets, reps, and totally neglect everything else.
What b fold said is true, there is no way not to gain if you eat, but there are things that may work better for ectomorphs.
Although my eating and working capacity has greatly improved over the years, I still can't eat all that much in one meal. It's probably even worse with beginners, give 'em a big meal and they won't be able to eat again soon enough. There is also a big chance that good part of that large meal is wasted. Ectomorphs do not have tendency to store anything at first.
So, what I'm trying to say is that it's much easier to get large ammount of calories in frequent, smaller meals, making sure they are all used to maximum. If you need to eat 10 times a day - do it.
This "Hardgainer Manual" is a great idea, Matt. I'm so sick of all those skinny kids complaining about genetics when, in fact, they have no idea how lucky they are.

 

[SAGAT]

nice post....its funny.....my training split is exactly the same as the first example....does this mean im an ectomorph....heaven forbid!

 

[frorider6]

Ectomorph here. Food truly is THE most important aspect for gains.

Next would be the training routine you're on. I've seen incredible gains on my current workout. It's of the full body 3x a week nature. An integral aspect of it is INTENSITY. Every lift must be perfect form and correct weight. Also as impostant is changing your routine on a regular basis. And I mean TRULY CHANGING IT. I'm going to start rotating between the 1 bodypart per day routine and the full body per day 3x a week routine.

http://boards.elitefitness.com/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=98518

A training log has also been vital to my success. It saves me time each workout. I know EXACTLY how much weight to start with and how much to use for every set. And it allows me to push myself by adding weight often, even if it's a little as 5 pounds on my squats last set.

 

[Phenotype X]

I was an ectomorph who ran track, and played basketball, and soccer. I stopped most of these activities which kept me too lean and stopped me from gaining weight since it increased my metabolism. I went straight to lifting consistently without the addition of these fat burning activities, which brought me to the state that allowed me to gain weight. It made a big difference.

 

[brown_bomber]

Hardcore ecto here.Started of at 110 ,now 160(nothing great but not bad given my genes).My 2 cents:Sleep (atleast 7 hrs)+afternoon naps.SLEEP is the most imp thing after food for the ecto. One needs to eat,but there is no need to give a single cent to Weider or Cell Tech.Using a cheaper protein mix works wonders esp for a beginner.Eating heavy,fatty meals at night helps gain weight(I know some of it is fat,but when u are 110 who cares about being ripped!).Lift heavy,but NEVER neglect form and keeping the wk outs < 1 hr helps prevent overtraining and ensures complete recovery before the next one.