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Everybodyu2019s body can be classified in one of three ways: endomorph, mesomorph and ectomorph. These terms are used to describe your basic physical characteristics and tie in with how your body will adapt to exercise.<br><br>
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Everybody’s body can be classified in one of three ways: endomorph, mesomorph and ectomorph. These terms are used to describe your basic physical characteristics and tie in with how your body will adapt to exercise.
Very few people are purely one body type, but actually a combination of all three. If you have slender arms and legs but have a propensity for gaining fat around your middle, you are an ectomorph/endomorph. If, however, you have big muscular arms but, despite lots of squats, skinny legs, you could well be a mesomorph/ectomorph.
Ectomorphs are naturally slender. Narrow hips and shoulders, small joints and not overly muscular, ectomorphs are often called hardgainers because of their inherent difficulty adding muscle to their slim frames. Long levers compound this problem and make some exercises unusually challenging.
Ectomorphs are usually better suited to endurance sports than endomorphs and mesomorphs, but that doesn’t mean they can’t gain muscle given the right training program and diet.
Cardio for Ectomorphs Ectomorphs main workout focus is strength training. However, ectomorphs who also want to lose fat should include moderate to high-intensity cardio to lose weight (e.g. running). To combine fat loss and strength training, increase the resistance or incline on the cardio machines in the gym, or look for hills if running outdoors.
Strength Training for Ectomorphs Narrow shoulders and hips, long arms and a shallow chest means that compared to the other body types, most ectomorphs are not as ideally suited for exercises such as squats, bench presses, deadlifts and overhead presses. Their long levers mean that, even if an ectomorph weighed the same as an endomorph or mesomorph, they would probably not be as strong. Still, these compound exercises are very effective for a typical ectomorph.
For an ectomorph to gain muscle, they should train specifically to gain strength the classic compound lifts of squats, deadlifts bench press, rows, pullups and overhead presses. These exercises work multiple muscle groups at the same time so they are an efficient use of training time and energy and also promote a cascade of anabolic hormones to be produced which are essential for muscle growth.
While these exercises may be hard to master initially because of long limbs and disadvantageous levers, with some simple modifications such as a wider foot placement in squats, wider hand placement in bench presses and a sumo stance for deadlifts, these exercises can be made relatively comfortable and very productive.
Focus mainly on major compound exercises such as the bench press, deadlifts, squats, lunges and bent over barbell rows. This forms the foundation of your strength training. Then add a few isolation exercises (e.g. biceps curls, triceps extensions, lateral raises), which target individual muscles, to round out your workout routine .
Ectomorph Workout Plan Ectomorphs need to stimulate their muscles “deeply” in order to increase your muscle mass. Whereas a mesomorph could almost accidentally gain mass, an ectomorph has to start their workout with a well laid out plan.
Sets & reps: Aim for 3 – 5 sets of 6 to 12 repetitions for each major muscle group. Take longer rests between sets (2 minutes or more). This allows you to lift intensively again for the next set. For isolation exercises aim for 10 to 20 reps and slightly shorter rests between sets.
