Weight gain is something that isn't easy to do and you probably know this already. Ectomorphs are genetically gifted with a "slim body type" and they have the body type with the fast metabolism which makes gaining weight rather difficult.
The key to weight gain for this group is to do everything BIG. You have to eat big and exercise safely but with heavier resistance.
It is very important to increase your food intake with good healthy foods. Junk food will put on fat and have negative affects on the whole body and its intricate systems. Read more…..
Don’t overdo on the aerobic exercise.
These are 7 simple steps to gain weight:
- Weigh yourself.
- Estimate how many calories you would usually consume in a normal day. This is an extremely important step, so try to be as exact as possible.
- Starting the day after you counted calories, eat 500 calories MORE than your norm. So, let’s assume that you estimated your calorie intake at 2000. For the rest of the week, you would now eat 2,500 calories a day. Instead of eating 3 big meals a day or eating all day all the time, spread the calories intake over 5-6 smaller meals. Eat one meal every 2 and a half to 3 hours. To increase your weight, you have to increase your food consumption. And if you find the extra 500 calories a strain, start with a 250 calorie increase and slowly but surely get to the 2,500.!
- Chew your food well to allow for the maximum number of nutrients to enter the digestive system in a form that can be easily extracted and circulated by the system.
- Weightlifting! Get in the gym and lift! This is another important step on how to gain weight, so make sure you are doing it correctly and safely. Explain your needs to the Instructors and work according to their plan.
- At the end of that week, weigh yourself. You'll notice that you're gaining just after one week! Now, don't expect to see a 10lb increase. Gaining anymore then 1 or 2 pounds a week is unhealthy. This may sound a lot but it does add up to 5-8 pounds a month!
- Please note! At some point, you will stop seeing weight gain. At this point, you will have to eat even more. So, when you stop gaining for at least 2 weeks, it means it is time to start eating an extra 250 calories a day. Every time you see you haven't gained weight for at least 2 weeks, add an extra 250 calories.
More tips for how to gain weight (extremely important!)
- Stay away from bad fat! Even though weight gain is your goal, you don't want to be gaining fat by eating junk foods. Get rid of the chips and candy. No more fast food – in fact nothing fried. Stick to high protein, low (saturated) fat foods like tuna fish and other seafood, chicken breast, turkey, lean meats, rice, pasta, fruits and vegetables, nuts, flax seed oil, etc.
- Track your progress! Weighing yourself once a week is extremely important, but so is figuring out if the weight you are gaining is muscle or fat. In order to know this information, you need to keep track your body fat percentage!
- WATER! Drink water! Drink around a half gallon a day, more if you can. Yes that's a lot of water, but it's that water that will give you the energy you need to gain that weight! In addition, muscles are made up mainly of water.
- Sleep! YES! Sleep! The easiest, yet most over looked step. Get at least 8 hours of sleep a night. You are going need all of it!
Now the concern some people have about how to gain weight, is how to do it without putting on extra fat. But as long as your diet is as described above, any extra fat gain will be in proportion to the extra muscle and is acceptable.