It hurts typing this out, no it's not a sob-story, I've got some "great" DOMS going on in my biceps from my first wight lifting session in many many years, gotta love it.
I am 29 years old now, and with it comes wisdom and a decreased metabolic rate. The latter one has actually been a big part of my motivation for starting up again. You see, when I was 17 I lifted like crazy, 4-5 times a week, but with me being an ectomorph and having trouble eating without really being hungry, I faced the wall and I didn't have the will-power to break it. Now that I am ganing weight without having to go to the gym, I feel it might be easier and so my motivation sparks along with my general interrest in knowledge and research.
Back when I was 17 I did not have a clear goal, I just wanted to get bigger and stronger in order to look after my self. I did not do any real research before heading to the gym either, but this time, I've been watching videos and reading articles that spesifically targets my body type and my goal, and the exersizes that make up my weekly plan.
At the moment, these are my stats:
Height: 176 cm (5'11)
Weight: 60 kg (130 lbs)Muscles: Non existant in upperbody, but my legs are lean from playing soccer, but not as ripped as they could be.
Fat: Yes Sir! Even the skinny guy starts gaining fat when he approaches 30, and in all the wrong ways (looking like a starving african child)
Diet. Here is where I feel I'm at a loss. I'm a fan of easy food, be that junk or a more healthy baggete, does't matter to me. It might matter to my workout, but what I gather (at least until I hit the wall again) is that I'll go on as usual when it comes to food for the time being, as I am getting enough calories (and then some) as it is, and I am an ectomorph and I after each workout, and on the resting days I drink protein supplements (20g). Sounding good for now?
So you fellow ectos (and others that feel they have something to say) who have done the transformation, what do you think about this setup?
This is the weekly plan:
Day 1 - Chest / Triceps (Mon)
- Bench Press - 12, 10, 10, 8
- Incline Dumbbell Press - 3x10
- Dumbbell Fly - 2x12
- Dips - 12, 10, 10, 8
- Skull Crushers - 3x10
Day 2 - Back / Biceps (Wed)
- Wide-grip lat pulldowns - 12, 10, 10, 8
- Bent over barbell rows - 12, 10, 10, 8
- Dumbbell rows - 3x10
- Standing barbell curls - 12, 10, 10, 8
- Alternating dumbbell curls - 2x10
Day 3 - Fun (Thu)
- 45 minutes of cageball (soccer on a very small pitch, 4vs4, fun/cardio)
Day 3 - Legs / Shoulders (Sat)
- Barbell squats - 12, 10, 10, 8
- Leg press - 3x10
- Leg extensions - 3x10
- Lying leg curls - 3x10
- Calf raises, on Smith machine - 12, 10, 10, 8
- Barbell Shoulder Press - 12, 10, 10, 8
- Lateral raises, with dumbbells - 3x10
- Upright rows, with dumbbells - 3x10
Ketil,
The routine you have chosen, or most any routine for that matter, will produce results and will cause your muscles to adapt. You can modify/change your routine over time to match how your body is responding. That is the easy part. The hardest part to any transformation is diet and nutrition. Having a solid, healthy physique is 90% nutrition and 10% exercise. As they say, "You can't out-lift a bad diet". :-)
What we really need to help you is your meal plan - your needed daily calories, current body fat level, macro breakdowns, and goals (gain muscle or lose fat). Without this, all the exercise advice we give you is worthless. Also, don't get too caught up in the whole ectomorph, endomorph, mesomorph stuff. These are generalizations that have no real applicability to physique transformation goals. All being an "ectomorph" means is your metabolism is very efficient at using calories so as such it is "harder" to put on weight. There is no such thing as fast and slow metabolisms. It comes down to efficiency - some people's metabolisms are very efficient at processing calories meaning they use more of what they take in and store less as fat and others are not. The reason you are "skinny fat" is due to poor diet choices especially around carbohydrates. While it is true hormone levels decrease and the metabolism starts to slow down as you get older, these processes can be slowed down dramatically thru proper nutrition and exercise. I am 51 and have around 10% body fat and the testosterone levels of someone in their early 30's :-) But, I also eat a very strict and nutritious diet 24/7/365 and exercise very intensely 4 days a week.
Use the MEAL PLANS tab at the top of the MS.com home page to put together your meal plan. It is OK to "guesstimate" your body fat levels to get a starting point for your calories needed at rest (RMR) and the calories you will need to either gain muscle or lose fat. Once we have this info, we can better help you put together your entire program - lifting routine AND meal plan :-)
John
