The Best Workout Tips for Ectomorphs and Hardgainers
Hardgainers are those naturally skinny folks who, no matter what they eat or how often they hit the gym, generally seem to stay the same body weight and size. These people are often referred to as the somatotype “ectomorph.” If that sounds familiar, here are some tips for you.
Brock Armstrong
An ectomorph is a naturally skinny (and often lanky or tall) person who has trouble gaining weight, whether in the form of muscle or even fat. On the other side of things, the somatotype known as endomorph often finds it quite easy to gain weight or put on some amount of muscle. Finally, between those two on the somatotype scale is the mesomorph, who is a naturally muscular person, and for them, gains in muscle and reduction in body fat come rather easily provided they train and eat well. But back to those hardgaining ectomorphs.
I know ectomorphs get frustrated because the majority of society is focussed on losing weight when all they want to do is gain some. But let me remind you that being lean is not a terrible thing in athletic performance and sport because ultimately, if you have low body fat, strong muscles, and lots of gusto, you likely have one of the most important aspects of most sports: power-to-weight ratio.
But if you’re a hardgainer and you have a goal of adding a few more pounds of muscle to your body, the good news is that it definitely can be done—with some effort. Most hardgainers I have worked with can add 10 to 15 pounds of muscle with a moderate amount of focused work. It’s after that 15 pounds where it gets more and more difficult to continue gaining and even harder to maintain.
If you have low body fat, strong muscles, and lots of gusto, you have one of the most important aspects of sports: power-to-weight ratio.
If you really want to put on some meat, here is where I would encourage you to start.
Food for Ectomorphs and Hardgainers
From a nutritional standpoint, I would first recommend that you make an effort to eat about one gram of protein per pound of your lean body mass per day. I am usually not a huge believer in rushing out of the gym and pounding a shake but for you hardgainers, a high-protein post-workout snack is important. I would still encourage you to eat a high-protein food of some variety rather than a protein supplement. Real food is always best but bars and shakes can be helpful in a pinch.
I would also encourage you to include more healthy fats in your diet. Fats from things like avocados, nuts, fish, and olive or coconut oil can enhance the conversion process of food protein to muscle protein. They are also dense sources of calories. You don’t need to get carried away but also don’t shy away from them.
Workouts for Ectomorphs and Hardgainers
Get ready to do some lifting because there is no way around lifting harder and heavier if you want to get the best results. Specifically performing some compound movements that use those larger muscle groups (gluteus maximus, lats, traps, quads, and hamstrings), which aside from giving you the best bang for your buck also pump out HGH (human growth hormone) immediately after a workout. Just like it sounds, that is the hormone that helps you grow muscle and bone but it also helps regulate your body composition, body fluids, sugar and fat metabolism, and heart function.
If you need some guidance on where to start, the following exercises tend to be effective for ectomorph or hardgainer bodies:
- Squat to press.
- Deadlift to press.
- Clean and jerk.
- Push press.
- Dumbbell chest press.
3 Quick & Dirty Hardgainer Tips
Here are three useful tips to keep in mind if you are a hardgainer who wants a beefier body:
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Lift heavy and to failure. Your ectomorph body will likely be naturally gifted at cardio and light weights, which means doing more of this won’t get you the results you seek. Instead, do some full-body, heavy-weight training, three or four times per week and make sure you are always training “to failure.” If you aren’t absolutely struggling to do the last rep or two, choose a heavier weight next time.
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Eat more and include protein. Ectomorphs tend to be notorious carbivores, and if you rarely eat even close to the amount of food (including protein) that you need to build tissue, you will have trouble gaining or toning your muscles. Again, for each pound of body weight, aim for one gram of protein, and if you aren’t seeing the gains you want, simply eat more healthy and nutrient-dense food.
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Limit cardio and take recovery days. Between those lifting sessions, avoid those long, slow cardio sessions and instead throw in some short and explosive sprint intervals. This will give you the boost of energy that we love without limiting the amount of muscle you can gain. And don’t skip your recovery days. You don’t have to hit the couch but some light movement sessions will improve the circulation between muscles and help you recover faster.
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About the Author
Brock Armstrong was the host of the Get-Fit Guy podcast between 2017 and 2021. He is a certified AFLCA Group Fitness Leader with a designation in Portable Equipment, NCCP and CAC Triathlon Coach, and a TnT certified run coach. He is also on the board of advisors for the Primal Health Coach Institute and a guest faculty member of the Human Potential Institute.Â