Gym trainers call them ectomorphs, or hard muscle-gainers, as opposed to mesomorphs, the naturally muscular body types. Mesomorphs naturally pack muscles with the least effort. Ectomorphs have difficulty gaining weight, much less muscle-building. Paul Kita says, in a Men’s Health article, that skinny men can succeed in muscle-building by first dispelling these myths.
Myth 1: Ectomorphs Will Never Build Muscle
Build muscle by doing repetitive training. In lifting weights, for instance, your knees may wobble and your body may quiver in shock with the impact of the weight. That’s your body’s natural response because it has never been challenged that way before. The body has a natural way of coping; the next time you lift weight, it won’t be as wobbly. Your muscles will prepare for the next impact and rebuild with each challenge.
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It’ll be difficult for an ectomorph to build muscles, but it’s not impossible.
Myth 2: Ectomorphs Will Never Gain Weight
Ectomorphs have fast metabolisms. They’re known for never growing fat even with relentless eating. Men’s Health advisor, Nutritionist Alan Aragon, MS says that skinny people often overestimate their calorie intake, thinking they consumed too much for their daily requirement when they actually didn’t. It’s also wrong to think that packing on calories is all that matters in gaining weight. Don’t eat junk! Eat high-density food such as peanut butter, avocado, and almonds instead. Go high on milk and pack half of your diet with whole-grain carbohydrates.
Having busted those myths, lighten up! Bruce Lee was an ectomorph, and so is Brad Pitt.