5 Reasons Ectomorphs Struggle To Build Muscle
One of the most common reasons athletes, Crossfitters and "skinny guys" consult with me is to add more lean muscle mass to their frame.
They'll often complain that “no matter how much I eat, I just can’t gain any weight!” Naturally taller and leaner body types who find it easy to stay slim often struggle with adding more size.
There are number of factors that can make it more difficult for you to add 10-15 lb. of additional muscle so you can raise your performance in the gym or on the playing field (or just look good naked).
Let’s take a closer look at five common roadblocks that prevent you from gaining lean muscle.
1. Your Body Type
There are three general somatotypes – the technical term for classifying body types – that play a role in determining the ease in which you may be able to add muscle to your physique. An ectomorph body type is typically longer and leaner and they tend to find it more challenging to add muscle.
Comparably, the endomorph or pear-shaped body type – naturally rounder and heavier individuals – tend to gain muscle more easily but also tend to accumulate more body-fat as well (particularly around the mid-section) when not training or following their diet consistently.
Mesomorphs are the naturally athletic, solid and strong somatotype that gain muscle easily and burn fat easily… the genetic jackpot winners!.
Does this mean if you’re an ectomorph you’re doomed to “pipe-cleaner” arms or minimal curves forever? Absolutely not. But it does mean you’ll need to make a more substantial effort with how you eat and be more precise with how you train to achieve your muscle-building goals.
2. Not Enough Calories
You may think you already eat a lot, but if you struggle to add lean muscle you’re probably not consuming enough calories. A surplus of calories in your diet is the biggest ‘signal’ to create an anabolic environment in the body. If you don’t achieve your total intake of calories, you’ll never have enough “bricks” to build the body you want.
One common pitfall that ‘clean-eaters’, low-carb (LCHF) or keto diet followers fall into is a lack of sufficient calories. While LCHF can be a fantastic tool to lose weight and improve your health if you’re overweight, it’s not the best approach to trigger the caloric excess you need to create an anabolic, muscle-building environment.
Carbohydrates help to fuel your performance in the gym, add to your daily energy (aka - calorie) intake, and when combined with strength training provide the ideal foundation for building muscle.
Not only that, carbs are the fuel you need to refill muscle glycogen – the carb stores in your muscle tissue – and bring onboard more water into the muscle to give you a fuller, more muscular look.
3. Not Enough Protein
If you’re looking to hit the ‘sweet spot’ for protein intake - where you maximize gains without feeling like you’re eating all day - then you should aim for 1.6g/kg of protein per day.
Ensuring hit you hit your daily protein target, and divide it throughout the day, is key to trigger muscle protein synthesis (when combined with training). It’s also key to slow muscle breakdown. Expert researcher Dr. Bob Wolfe, PhD, has shown that when you consume protein in at these amounts, you dramatically reduce the rate at which your body breaks down protein. (1)
Worried about how protein affects your kidneys?
A recent study of individuals consuming 3g per kilogram of body weight (1g per 1.36 pounds) over the course of a year showed no adverse effects on kidney function (a common concern for those adopting a high-protein diet) and superior body composition results to others in the study at lower protein intakes. (2)
4. Not Enough Compound Lifts
A common mistake many people make in the gym is not including enough compound exercises in their regime, opting instead for more isolation work to improve their physique.
While biceps curls and leg extensions might be a good way to improve your muscular definition, they don’t create the anabolic environment you really need to pack on muscle.
Major lifts like squats, deadlifts, Olympic lifts and their variations don’t just stimulate muscle protein synthesis, they also trigger much greater increases in testosterone compared to isolation exercises. (3)
Studies show the lifts performed in higher volume (10 sets of 10) or at higher intensity (1RM x 6-10 sets better than 1RM for 3 sets) can both trigger tremendous increases in testosterone, which means both novice and advanced trainees have effective options. (4)
Perform at least two compound lifts at the start of every training session, training 3-5 times weekly, to stimulate the testosterone and anabolic response needed to add lean muscle.
5. Too Much Cardio
When it comes to exercise, more is not always better. On the cardio side of things, be sure not to add too many long, steady state exercise sessions while aiming to gain lean muscle.
This type of training will require you to consume even more calories, and if you don’t fuel effectively, may raise stress hormone levels and accelerate muscle breakdown.
You need to change your mindset and think like a sprinter. Shorter, more intense bursts are what you need to build more power in your strong posterior chain muscles – glutes and hamstrings – that help to build a strong, powerful and athletic body. (5)
Ditch the steady-state cardio and add more sprints to your regime. Aim for two days per week and sprint at a distance of 50 and 100 meters for 3-6 sets. Be sure to rest at least three minutes between sets, as your goal is to run as fast as possible and not to “feel the burn” during your workouts.
To Sum Up
If adding lean muscle is your top priority and you’ve struggled to achieve your goal, get back to basics. You don’t need any fancy equipment or elaborate eating strategy. Increase your calorie and protein intake, and pair it with compound movements and sprints to maximize your lean muscle gains and build the physique you want.
Dr. Marc Bubbs ND, MSc, CISSN, CSCS
ps. Ready to build more muscle?
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>> Learn more about how testosterone impacts muscle in the video below…