Hey Scott, I’m new to this page... I’ve been watching your YouTube channel for a while but what’s the best way to gain muscle for an Ectomorph?

I’ve been trying to gain muscle for a while and I’ve done an alright job till now, it’s just trying to increase size. I’ve tried starting calisthenics training but that has been no help. Ectomorph are usually hard gainers and I agree 100% so is there any tips you can give that will help me?

Ive been sticky to deadlifts, squats, all the main compound exercises, but here and there I'll put my own little exercises in that really get the muscles going. The hardest part of training is the biceps, ive been trying for a while but I can not get the biceps any bigger. My arms are currently at 13" exactly, Im trying to really do what Arnold was able to do and have the Bicep size, my age. Currently 15 years old, I would really hope to be like Arnold (he had 15" arms at the age of 15) Im happy with my arms as an ectormorph 13" is quite impressive.

So just again, what exercises can an Ectormorph do to get bigger arms? I know the usual answer being 'Compound exercise is all you got to do' but after a while they get boring. Is there any other exercise that are best for Ectomorphs? Or is it just any exercise apart from isolation exercises? Thanks Kyle

Hey @kylelancelot!

Yeah for beginners it is advised to start with total body workouts then maybe move on to splits after training consistently for a while.

Basically though I would say if you want to grow your biceps you need to focus on training them in isolation along with all your compound movements.

Some people are better off training muscle groups twice a week too...how often do you train muscle groups?

Volume is what builds muscle. Some say about 8-10 sets is heaps for the biceps, but if you respond to high volume you might be better going as high as 15 or more sets.

Obviously you have the bicep curl as your core bicep exercise, as well as pull-ups, preacher curls, hammer curls, incline curls etc. You will also find that back exercises in particular work the biceps, so training your back more may also help increase the size of your biceps.

You'll find that this is all pointless if your meal plan isn't spot on though, especially if you aren't eating enough calories. Being an ectomorph I think is really just a case of needing to eat more calories because ectomorphs tend to have fast metaboolisms.

What are your macros and what is your current meal plan like?

Hope this helps! #HTH

Jordan

Make sure you have a good meal plan and are taking in plenty of calories. How long have you been training? You have to be patient and at your age your Growth Horomones should be about to go Beast Mode. Make sure you work your entire body not just upper and as far as biceps go Chin-Ups(Compound) and Concentration Curls(Isolation) should be top of the list. Pull-ups, rows, arm curls of different variations all are good for the biceps too. Don't foeget your triceps, they make up 2/3rds of your arm. Do 3-4 sets of 8-10 reps and I think if you did Chin-Ups and Concentration Curls twice a week your should be off to a great start.

Just to expand on what adam said bicep has two muscles in it hence "Bi" Tricep has three Hence "tri", So for bigger arms i would definitely be thinkig about throwing in a lot more tricep exercises. I prefer dips, overhead tricep extensions and kickbacks but there are plenty more tricep exercises to choose from press ups targets them pretty well too.

Also as another Ecto I eat a whole lot of food making sure my meal plans and macros are regimental. I probably spend more time measuring and preparing my food than cooking it.

Just to expand on what adam said bicep has two muscles in it hence "Bi" Tricep has three Hence "tri", So for bigger arms i would definitely be thinkig about throwing in a lot more tricep exercises. I prefer dips, overhead tricep extensions and kickbacks but there are plenty more tricep exercises to choose from press ups targets them pretty well too.

Also as another Ecto I eat a whole lot of food making sure my meal plans and macros are regimental. I probably spend more time measuring and preparing my food than cooking it.

basically JUST KEEP EATING in my experiece. still struggeling to gain mass though even though i eat 6x a day. all good stuff though.

Biceps: chinups.. it requires you to pull almost half your bodyweight with each arm. It's great to promote biceps growth and gives good time under tension, especially in full range of motion. Alongside with what Adwag said concentration curls, or also cable curls etc.

it's not so much about "how often" you eat, it's all about how much calories you get in by the end of the day. And if you get enough protein along with it, enough vitamins etc etc. And a good amount of carbs to promote putting on mass.

If you can't put on mass, you are simply still not eating enough.

To be able to help and see if anything is missing, mind answering these 2 questions?

How many calories do you take in at the moment?

How often do you work out per week and how long?

Try switching up the weight and reps you are doing, some people have different types of muscle fibers in their bodies. My arms respond really well to heacy weight low reps, but some other people need high reps low weight

Try switching up the weight and reps you are doing, some people have different types of muscle fibers in their bodies. My arms respond really well to heacy weight low reps, but some other people need high reps low weight

Lots of great advice.

Even though this is an old thread, I feel like which body type you are doesn't really matter. You just need to lift with progressive overload and keep adjusting your macros until you start seeing a difference.

Yeah, I do weighted pullups and pushups with good slow controlled form (not that p90x BS) because non-weighted is too easy. I can do muscle ups and L-stands, pistol squats and anything to do with bodyweight better than most people.

I don't really calorie count, not sure how. my meals are typically:

1) oatmeal w/chocolate & peanut butter, bannana and 3 hard boiled eggs

2) homemade protein shake (whey, hemp protein, bannana, strawberries, blackberries, spinach & almond milk, almond flour for calories)

3) chicken, rice and broc

4) another shake

5) pasta or fish

6) cheese and crackers and nuts

I train 5-6x a week for about 90-120min. I also keep trailmix at my desk at work to snack on during the day.

actually i just started increasing more weight and it's working lol