Ectomorph Article

[pbracinginc]

Let me know what you guys think of this, I just finished and I'm pretty tired so there may be some errors. I already submitted it to the supersite, which was probably too soon. But let me know any ways!
Here is an article I just finished up:

A program has to fit!
There is a ton of information about training for any body type. Whether you are an Endomorph, a Mesomorph, or an Ectomorph, you will have no problem finding articles on training that have "the best" program. But in reality, no one can write up a program that will fit everyone. Every trainer and trainee will have their own view on training. And that is what makes this sport so great.

So, although the program and techniques outline below work well for me, they may not be the BEST for you. In which case you can move on to the next program that interests you. Just be sure to try a number of different routines and styles.

Ectomorph

There are many names Ectomorphs are called, "Skinny" "Slim" Skin 'n Bones" etc... If you are an Ectomorph, you know the anger this creates. It's not your fault after all, these are just the cards you were dealt. But no one can ever wrap that around their heads. Some people are just thin.

An Ectomorph is usually tall and thin. Their limbs are long and their muscles are thin. Shoulders are narrow with a flat chest. They are "hard gainers", meaning muscle mass comes very slow. Calories taken in are usually burned off quickly, making weight gain very difficult, but not impossible.

The program

This is a basic split to produce muscle gains:

Day 1 Legs/Abs

Doing legs on the first day of your split makes it hard to skip. Never skip a leg day.

Warm up:Squats 12-15 reps x3
Begin after your legs feel nice and warm.

Squat 6-8 reps x4
Leg press 6-8 reps x3
Hamstring Curl 6-8 reps x3
Leg Extension 6-8 reps x3
Walking Lunge 8-10 steps with each leg x3
Swiss ball crunch 12 reps x3
Leg raise 12 reps x3
Plank 30-45 seconds x3

Day 2 Chest/Shoulders/Triceps
Warm up: Flat Bench Press 12-15 reps x3

Military Press 8-10 reps x4
Incline Bench Press 8-10 x3
Flat Bench Press 6-8 x3
Decline Bench Press 8-10 x3
Lateral Raise 8-10 reps x3 superset w/
Tricep Rope 8-10 reps
Front Raise 8-10 reps x3 superset w/
Tricep Overhead Extension

Cardio-15-20 min

Yes cardio is important even if you are bulking. Burning those extra calories will increase your appetite and give you the extra hunger to pack in those macro nutrients.

Day 3 Back: Lower/Middle/Upper+ Biceps

Warm up: Deadlift 12-15 reps x3

Deadlift 5 reps x5
Pull up or Assisted Pull Up 6-7 reps x4
One Arm Row 8-10 reps x3
Dumbell Bent Over Close Grip Row 8-10 Reps x3
Dumbell Shrug 8-10 reps x4
Standing Hammer Curl 6-8 reps x3

Day 4: Cardio+Abs
Swiss ball crunch 12 reps x3
Leg raise 12 reps x3
Plank 30-45 seconds x3
Cardio 20 min

The Diet

Your diet is easily 90% of gaining weight. The goal here is to create a calorie surplus. But this doesn't mean you get to eat whatever you want. The goal here is to put on weight as clean as possible.

Now by now you are probably saying, "How can I gain weight while doing cardio?". Well cardio has two places in a bulking program.
1. Cardiovascular fitness. This is important for everyone who wants to live a healthy lifestyle. Your heart is the most important muscle in your body, so lets take care of it.
2. Increased appetite. Personally I consider this my secret weapon when it comes to bulking. People ask me all the time, "Why are you doing cardio? You need to GAIN weight!".
Doing cardio will increase your appetite by creating a greater caloric demand. In simple terms: you will be hungrier because your body is working harder. This gives you extra room in your diet to pack in much needs carbohydrates and proteins.

To build a diet, you first need to figure out your daily caloric needs. The range for males age 14-18 years is 2200-3200 calories. An active ectomorph will probably need to consume between 2500-2700 calories just for maintenance. You're going to want to create a caloric surplus of about 300-500 calories a day. It may seem like a lot now, but once you are exercising regularly, it will be easy.

You diet should be comprised of "clean" foods. Foods like:
-Grilled meats
-Whole grains
-Fish
-Bread
-Pasta
-Fruit
-Green Vegetables

Your percentages of Macro-Nutrients should be as follows:
50-60% Carbohydrates
Carbs are an easy way to bridge the caloric gap for ectomorphs. Carbohydrates contain 4 calories per gram. Carb rich foods are:
-Grains
-Bread
-Bagels
-Breakfast cereals
-Pasta
20-30% Protein
Protein is important to build muscle. Protein contains 4 calories per gram. If you take in enough protein in your diet, a protein supplement may not be necessary.
Protein rich foods include:
-Chicken
-Steak
-Fish
-Nuts
Fats 10-20%
Even though you are bulking, we're going to try and keep fats pretty low. Fat contains 9 calories per gram.
The fats we are looking for are "good" fats. These come from:
-Fish
-Nuts
-Avocado
-Olive oil

So for example:
17 year old Male
Weight: 140lbs
Moderately active
Ectomorphic body type
Daily caloric need: 2700 calories

Macros:
Carbs- 337-405g
Protein- 135-202g
Fats- 38-77g

Try and follow the guidelines given at MyPyramid.gov to build healthy meals every day.

Supplementation
Personally, I don't recommend supplements that often. This is because most people's diet are not to level they should be. Often times people chose to believe the labels on most supplements and fail to really reform their diets.
I'm not saying don't take supplements though, just make sure your diet is spot on before you dive into them.

Once your diet is pretty locked down, you can experiment with:
-Multivitamin
-Protein
-Creatine
-Nitric Oxide

Stay away from products like testosterone boosters. Anyone under the age of 20 shouldn't need to increase their testosterone levels.

Motivation
Probably the main reason you're reading this article, is because you need some motivation. Well by reading this, you should already be packed with some new knowledge and motivation. Here are some other ways to stay motivated:
1.READ. Knowledge is power. The more you learn, the more fun your transformation. Read about anatomy, weight training techniques, cardio programs, etc...
2. Take pride in your work. Another good way to stay motivated is to live for your transformation. Just knowing what you will someday be will keep you going.
3. Don't let bigger guys intimidate you. There is always going to be someone bigger than you, unless you're Ronnie Coleman, and that's probably not true. I bet you would be surprised to learn that a lot of those big guys you see in the gym started off just like you. It all has to start some where.

The key to this whole program is consistency. Keep your diet and workouts consistent and you will be amazed at the results!

[desteph]

if you have that body type, youre going to need a hell of a lot more than 2700 calories a day to put on mass. and milk should also be staple.

[pbracinginc]

if you have that body type, youre going to need a hell of a lot more than 2700 calories a day to put on mass. and milk should also be staple.

Yeah I'm beginning to think that is a little low. It's based on a 140 lb person, and that is just a maintenance level though.

[desteph]

out of curiosity bro, did you send this to the supersite for them to publish it and if they do do they pay you? or is it for one of those competiitions?

[pbracinginc]

I sent it to be published. If they do publish it, they give store credit depending on the article. I've seen some pretty shoddy articles on the site in the past so I thought I should give it a shot.

[desteph]

werd I got ya. good luck man

[pbracinginc]

Also, the numbers in the article come directly from my textbook, so I'm pretty confident on them. They will vary from person to person though.

[desteph]

the numbers for the calories? dude thats a from a textbook. test it before you reccomend to someone. If youre that body type you'll need to be consuming 3500-4200 calories a day to be able to put on weight.

[pbracinginc]

the numbers for the calories? dude thats a from a textbook. test it before you reccomend to someone. If youre that body type you'll need to be consuming 3500-4200 calories a day to be able to put on weight.

I really feel that that is high. I know the general consensus is more is better on this board. But I don't feel that way.

[desteph]

Its really up to the individual. I personally know a few kids who have that body build and have metabolisms that you wouldn't believe. so they need that many calories to put on weight. it all depends on the individual though, and for an ectomorph, most do have a high metabolism, which means they need more calories than normal for gaining weight.

[pbracinginc]

the numbers for the calories? dude thats a from a textbook. test it before you reccomend to someone. If youre that body type you'll need to be consuming 3500-4200 calories a day to be able to put on weight.

And if you think about it, my numbers aren't far off from yours. If you look at the far end of the spectrum: 3200 maintenance + 500= 3700. So I'm going to stick with that.

[denbrkln]

You do realize ectomorphs, endomorphs, and mesomorphs are part of a theory that is not accepted by the scientific community?

[desteph]

You do realize ectomorphs, endomorphs, and mesomorphs are part of a theory that is not accepted by the scientific community?

what does that have to do with anything?

[pbracinginc]

But they are accepted by the fitness community.

And the American Council of Exercise (ACE).

[denbrkln]

But they are accepted by the fitness community.

And the American Council of Exercise (ACE).

Lol none of these "morphs" exist. The "scientist" who conducted the study (only study on this matter) was not even qualified in biology, evolutionary biology, or anatomy. He was a psychologist and based his findings on thousands of nude pictures of Yale students.

Don't make excuses for yourself because "oh im an ectomorph I can't grow..." True, some people will be ahead of the curve and naturally others will be behind it.

[pbracinginc]

Just been neutral repped by a 15 year old with negative rep power. Comment: myth.

Seriously?

[denbrkln]

what does that have to do with anything?

They don't exist.

[denbrkln]

Just been neutral repped by a 15 year old with negative rep power. Comment: myth.

Seriously?

I would suggest doing some research before posting more nonsense.

[pbracinginc]

Lol none of these "morphs" exist. The "scientist" who conducted the study (only study on this matter) was not even qualified in biology, evolutionary biology, or anatomy. He was a psychologist and based his findings on thousands of nude pictures of Yale students.

Don't make excuses for yourself because "oh im an ectomorph I can't grow..." True, some people will be ahead of the curve and naturally others will be behind it.

So you feel those types of people deserve no classification? And that books written and edited by DOCTORS are off base?

[ChosenBrah]

not enough biceps (srs)

[denbrkln]

So you feel those types of people deserve no classification? And that books written and edited by DOCTORS are off base?

There are no credible books on this theory. There was only one study on it, and that was the one I mentioned.

He didn't even have a degree in anatomy or any biological science that would qualify him for his research.

That's like taking a history professor and having him teach economics or military tactics. All 3 of these are related, but a specialist in one is not going to be a specialist in another.

The scientific community rejects Sheldon's hypothesis and any application of it is viewed as a pseudoscience, much like hypnosis and fortune-telling. Both have a large following but that does not give them much credibility.

[Confuzzl3dOn3]

Don't agree with you in that you need to do cardio to 'stimulate appetite'. If you are an 'ectomorph' doing additional cardio is not the way to go.

[xHoward]

I would take the time to research a bit more before writing an article.

The diet and training are just off for someone with similar genetics to a ectomorph.

[pbracinginc]

not enough biceps (srs)

Yeah forgot one. Thanks for that.

[pbracinginc]

There are no credible books on this theory. There was only one study on it, and that was the one I mentioned.

He didn't even have a degree in anatomy or any biological science that would qualify him for his research.

That's like taking a history professor and having him teach economics or military tactics. All 3 of these are related, but a specialist in one is not going to be a specialist in another.

The scientific community rejects Sheldon's hypothesis and any application of it is viewed as a pseudoscience, much like hypnosis and fortune-telling. Both have a large following but that does not give them much credibility.

You know what I find funny about this post? That all the information is pulled from wikipedia, none of which is cited. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/****tot...rn_assessments

Although I agree that these body types may not be accepted by all SCIENTISTS. They are accepted by the fitness community.

[denbrkln]

I can't believe you put the food pyramid in your post...

That's been bashed and destroyed so many times, even on this forum

massivefacepalm.jpg

[denbrkln]

You know what I find funny about this post? That all the information is pulled from wikipedia, none of which is cited. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/****tot...rn_assessments

Although I agree that these body types may not be accepted by all SCIENTISTS. They are accepted by the fitness community.

Are you saying that you would trust the opinions of your fellow brahs more than scientists? This is the kind of thinking that kept man as a barbarian, the sort of thought that tried to hinder the enlightenment, well you get the idea.

Any sport or hobby involving the body tends to be very hearsay-based. Scientific progress is slow and people listen to the big guy more than the nerdy whitecoat in glasses. I'm the nerdy white coat in glasses, for better or for worse.

Many boxers still run 8 miles a day, for what? Their sport is an anaerobic one, so any aerobic training is next to useless and takes up valuable time. Others don't have sex or drink for a month. Trainers have been telling their boxers for years that these things lower test levels, when modern research has refuted both of these claims.

I didn't need wikipedia to back me up. I learned about the fallacy of Sheldon's archetypes long ago.

[pbracinginc]

Are you saying that you would trust the opinions of your fellow brahs more than scientists? This is the kind of thinking that kept man as a barbarian, the sort of thought that tried to hinder the enlightenment, well you get the idea.

Any sport or hobby involving the body tends to be very hearsay-based. Scientific progress is slow and people listen to the big guy more than the nerdy whitecoat in glasses. I'm the nerdy white coat in glasses, for better or for worse.

Many boxers still run 8 miles a day, for what? Their sport is an anaerobic one, so any aerobic training is next to useless and takes up valuable time. Others don't have sex or drink for a month. Trainers have been telling their boxers for years that these things lower test levels, when modern research has refuted both of these claims.

I didn't need wikipedia to back me up. I learned about the fallacy of Sheldon's archetypes long ago.

Right my fellow brahs.
Too bad all of my information was pulled from a text book in which I was thought out of for two years, studied, and was certified by. And your posts have been backed up by...?

[denbrkln]

Right my fellow brahs.
Too bad all of my information was pulled from a text book in which I was thought out of for two years, studied, and was certified by. And your posts have been backed up by...?

Cite your "textbook".

And in your own words (if you know it so well of course) tell me why you think Sheldon's ****totypes are valid and the implications of them. I will refute everything you say and show you why it's false.

https://tnation.tmuscle.com/free_onl...ghting_ability

That's a good thread where several posters make interesting posts.

I'd suggest you do more research in the future. ****totypes are a myth that's here to stay forever, but they are an illogical fallacy nonetheless.

[pbracinginc]

Cite your "textbook".

And in your own words (if you know it so well of course) tell me why you think Sheldon's ****totypes are valid and the implications of them. I will refute everything you say and show you why it's false.

https://tnation.tmuscle.com/free_onl...ghting_ability

That's a good thread where several posters make interesting posts.

I'd suggest you do more research in the future. ****totypes are a myth that's here to stay forever, but they are an illogical fallacy nonetheless.

American Council of Exercise Personal Trainer Manual
Chapter 10 p.314 "For example, an underweight fragile body type (ectomorph) might be thought to have greater flexibility than..."