Unfortunately like many others in the world of weightlifting I was dealt the cruel sentence of being issued a ectomorph somotype(I know, I know I am lucky to be able to eat alot and not gain fat). I could go on like many others have and give up weightlifting/bodybuilding(bodybuilding in the simplest terms I would never devote my life to pursue a life in bodybuilding contests) or just allways you ectomorphy as an excuse. So I searched for the many causes of a hardgainer. What follows are some contributing factors:
No particular order
A majority of slow twitch fibers.
Possible solutions- a)Use training programs to optimize the fast twitch muscle fibers that you do have.
b) Use a time under tension that targets your individual fibers w/ the 80% fiber test or just use the common hypertrophy range of 40-70 seconds
High cortisol levels/low testosterone levels
Possible solutions: Lowering cortisol levels; get to bed as much as possible before midnight(circadian rythym/adrenal function), get enough carbohydrates, snack throughout the day, lower cardio, lower training session/days, do yoga, tai chi, or meditation.
Raising testosterone levels: proper intake of EFA’S, think like a winner as much as possible, and do squats/deadlifts.
Improper digestion: Many hardgainers lack a proper release of hydrochloric acid which leads to impaired use of protein intake
Possible solution: take digestive enzymes w/ meals especially high protein meals and chew your food thoroughly
Impaired immune function: this effects your ability to train at a high intensity on a consistent basis without overtraining.
Possible solutions: Take multi vitamin/antioxidants, eat 5-10 servings of fruitsand vegetables daily, colostrum, fish oils, glutamine and get 8 hours of sleep daily.
Improper oxygen usage: old time bodybuilders and many alternative medicine experts believe that oxygen is the most important factor in health and body composition(this is one of the reasons why breathing squats have worked so well for many people).
Possible solutions: deep breathing exercises, allergy/sinus treatment, and rib cage stretches(vacuums, etc…).
Structural problems: proper posture affects so many functions in the body.
Possible solutions: Chiropractic treatment, proper stretches, fix muscle imbalances, and massage treatment
7)Nervous Constitution: raises cortisol levels and causes burnout.
Possible solutions: raise self esteem and do anything that relieves stress in your life.
I hope some of this advice that I have gathered helps others as much as it has helped me.
Jack: Excellent post! All of these things certainly can be contributing factors, but it appears that you missed the three major ones that will be emphasized OVER and OVER again on this site:
1)Not ingesting adequate numbers of calories (ala “Appetite For Construction Articles/Massive Eating”).
2) Lack of workout intensity. (We could discusss this “ad nauseum”!)
3)Lack of Progessive Resistance.
If these three things do not take somewhat of a priority, the other factors become almost mute. In other words, these three are “the basics”. Hope this helps!
Mufasa,
Thank you very much. Those three should definetly go at the top of the list. Pointless to worry about details if the basics are not taken care of.I always try my best to take care of those three things (massive eating and the get big diet have summed up the calorie issue the best).Early in my training life even when following these basics others would still make better progress which led me to search for reasons for this.
Thanks again Mufasa
Jack J
Nice research, J.J.! Mufasa is right; ectomorphs need MORE calories!
The ectomorph-soma type thrives on a hi-carb/pro diet. Lastly -
STAY AWAY FROM FUFU ISOLATION EXERCISES! I see far too many
“ecto types” at my gym, wasting too much energy doing endless
sets of 1 arm/12 rep isolation movements. These are the very
same guys who claim they want to gain 50 lbs. Think about it - how
is somebody ever going to slap 50 pounds of bulk muscle on their
frame by doing 1 arm tricep pushdowns??? …Those skinny bastards
need to be deadlifting! Just some thoughts, Joey Z.
That reminds me of the famous story of guy(will just say he was a T-guy) walking up to the skinniest guy in the gym who happens to be doing concentration curls and asks why he is doing them. The skinny guy replies"I’m doing them for definition". T-guy responds with"What are you trying to define, your bone???"
Great post Jack. I feel like I’m reading the outline of everything I’ve learned in the last few years. I would encourage all the newbie hardgainers to listen to all of the above advice. I’m an echtomorph type as well. My best gains so far has been in the last year thanks in large part to keeping a food journal and tallying up all the calories.
Here’s a funny story that sums up why I think 90% of people who lift don’t see the progress they want (most of you here know the story as it’s FAR too common-but this is for the relative newbies and can’t be overstated). A few weeks ago, I had the weight room all to myself. Then in walks this super ripped (but under-muscled) guy. He sat down at the pec dec and squeezed out a few reps, the whole time watching me finish up my OH DB presses out of the corner of his eye. I noted the set in my training log, and just as I was ready to move on to E-Z bar curls, he walked up to me and said “I want to know the secret to being big.” As flattering as it was (I’m barely 168 at a hair under 5’4”-not exactly huge) I took his question seriously. I told him to check out T-mag and read every back issue. I also told him to hit the big lifts (deep squats, chins, deads, bench and powercleans) for about six months, and to track his progress. In addition, I mentioned the need to keep an accurate training log and adopt an appropriate diet. He had the exact same problem EVERY so-called hardgainer I’ve ever met has: He didn’t perform big compound joint movements, and he didn’t eat for muscles. If you newbies get these two things right, you won’t be skinny for long. You’ll see fantastic progress right away. Now, if you already have these two basics down and are still not gaining, then I would look at the physiologic stuff that Mr. Johnstone mentioned.