What is an ectomorph?
Ectomorphs are also known as ” Hardgainers ” and are very difficult to build muscles . Hard gainers do not gain weight or are rarely prone to fat accumulation. The amount and nutritional value of the food are irrelevant. Due to the inadequate utilization of energy in the metabolism of the ectomorphs, effective muscle building as a hardgainer is only possible with appropriate protein and carbohydrate (i.e. high-energy) foods or supplements. In a nutritional plan for building muscle, care should be taken to ensure that hardgainers replace low-energy foods with high-energy and nutrient-rich foods that are primarily made up of proteins, fluids and carbohydrates to achieve an excess of energy necessary for building muscle mass.
How can I build muscles as an ectomorph / hardgainer?
Ectomorphs tend to achieve harder muscle mass during muscle building training, but they only build little. Hard gainers should only include little fat-burning cardio training (e.g. jogging, swimming, cycling) in their training plan in order to prevent the unnecessary breakdown of muscle mass through catabolic metabolic states and energy deficits.
The best variant that can ensure reliable muscle building in ectomorphs is a well-planned diet with a (from a sports physiological point of view) sensible macronutrient distribution (carbohydrate-oriented), as implemented in our nutrition plan for ectomorphs.
So that hardgainers can build up muscle mass, at least 2 but a maximum of 4 intensive strength training units per week are useful. The workout shouldn’t be much longer than 60 minutes because an ectomorphic metabolism can only provide enough energy for long-lasting strength training up to the maximum repetition of the muscles for a short time. The rest periods should also strictly adhere to hard gainers. The permanent supply of proteins, carbohydrates and other nutrients to the body must be ensured by regular meals on training and rest days in order to support the reduced regenerative capacity of ectomorphic metabolism.
Which supplements are suitable for hard gainers?
In principle, hard gainers are not restricted in their choice of supplements. In addition to the classic whey proteins and multi-component proteins in fitness training, massgainers containing carbohydrates are useful in order to provide the body with a lot of energy in a short time. In the long term, the intake of creatine is useful for building mass and leads to significant weight gain.
What are the characteristics of ectomorphs?
- Building muscle mass is difficult
- slim build with long limbs
- little to no fat deposits
- Insufficient energy utilization
- Overly active metabolism
Effective muscle building as an ectomorph is a tedious business. In any case, hard gainers should not be quick training successes expect. Training goals can only be achieved with optimal nutrition and a lot of strength training. But beware! Hard gainers do not only build up little and slowly muscles. The adaptation of the tendons and muscles to the increasing load also takes place rather slowly compared to mesomorphs and endomorphs. Risk of overtraining!
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How do I achieve the fastest muscle growth as an ectomorph?
Very simple: with the right knowledge. It doesn’t matter how many hours you spend in the gym if you don’t know how to move your muscles for targeted hypertrophy (adjustment). Without an adequate hypertrophy stimulus, your muscles will not grow. Your diet cannot change anything about that.
That is why we developed the Hypertrophy Guide, which explains all the fundamentals on over 250 pages. Physiology + training + nutrition. In addition, we have explained an impressive number of essential questions that arise in almost every training session.