7 Tips For Ectomorph Weight Gain

Gaining weight as an ectomorph is incredibly difficult and certainly one of the main reasons most ectomorphic individuals (also known as "hardgainers") give up with their quest to have an increased body mass and physical presence in general. But if you want to overcome your skinny genes, and especially if you want to build muscle, gaining weight is a necessary aspect of life that I hope to make a bit easier for you to adopt.

1. Crunch the numbers. Take your bodyweight, in pounds and multiply it by 20. That is approximately how many calories you need to eat each day to put on weight. This can seem like a scary number, but when it's out in the open your subconscious will begin to work out ways to attain this milestone on a daily basis.
2. Pack in the calories. Did you know that 1 tablespoon of olive oil contains around 100 calories? For most skinny guy's thats a decent portion of the calories they need on a daily basis. Some folks simply sip the oil like vodka, but I think the more clever way is to simple integrate it into meals. For example, I usually put a couple of tablespoons on the frying pan when I'm frying eggs, and mixing it in with pasta would be another good use to. The goal isn't to add olive to everything, but be creative with how you pack calories into meals.
3. Track what you eat. You really need to know what you're consuming. It's likely that you greatly overestimate what you put into your body and that's the prime reason you have such a skinny frame. It's okay to not be incredibly scientific with this tracking (too much depth and you'll be sick of it within hours) but just make sure you keep it up and then adjust your diet based on the data you collect.
4. Weigh yourself weekly. It's silly to just hope that you're a bit heavier. Be scientific and weigh yourself on a weekly basis to determine your progress. If, after each week, you're not putting on any weight increase your caloric intake. Otherwise, keep doing what you're doing.
5. Ease the pressure. Don't feel you have to commit to X amount of calories per day straight away. For some that leap can be too overwhelming. Start simply by focusing on smaller stepping stones such as just making sure you eat 6 meals per day, or eat 80% of the calories you need to be eating.
6. Collaborate with another ectomorph. While most ectomorphs are fairly self conscious (myself included) it's still likely you know someone else who's also an ectomorph and would like to gain weight. Decide to keep each other accountable by monitoring each others food intake and sharing ideas to pack more calories into smaller meals.
7. Be persistent. Weight gain takes time. Remember what you're striving for - the reason that being bigger is important to you - and hold to that ultimate purpose tightly. There will be setbacks and "failures" but in the long run it's not that unrealistic to put on a few much-needed pounds.

Are you an ectomorph? You may want to learn more about the ectomorph body type.

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