Skinny to Muscular (Ectomorph Plan)

 Skinny to Muscular

First lemme just quickly explain the 3 main bodytypes:-

1) Ectomorphs: These are the naturally skinny people, putting on weight in the form of both muscle or fat is harder this category. 

2) Endomorphs: These are the naturally big people, putting on weight in the form of muscle or fat shouldn't be much of a struggle for them, but they will have to put a little extra effort if they wanna cut up or slim down.

3) Mesomorphs: These are the middle men/women, naturally athletic, losing weight and gain muscle could be easy or hard.

So if you're someone who wants to gain weight in the form of muscle but still maintain lean muscle mass.... don't worry, the workout routine and diet plan given below will be crucial. I will also provide you with necessary guidelines in order for you to develop your own workout routine and diet plan that suits you the most. Make sure to read the whole article so that you don't miss out on some important information. (Dont worry, I'll try not to bore you too much😋)

Let's get to it

We have seen a few Hollywood celebs too who were skinny and had to pack on muscle for roles. (Ex. Brad Pitt, James McAvoy, Tom Hardy, Tom Holland and more)

Diet

Let's start with the diet cuz that's the most crucial part. I'll first provide you with some guidelines on how to structure a diet plan best suited to pack on muscle without getting fat.

One of the most obvious methods most people will say is it to first bulk up by following a calorie surplus and focusing mainly on lifting big, then cut down by following a calorie deficit lift lighter weights and add cardio. This method is a useful and smart method and could follow it. 

I personally didn't use this, I was able to cut down and add muscle without calorie counting or doing these bulking and cutting phases. For those who are wondering, I am a mesomorph. But that shouldn't hold you back. I don't think the bodybuilders from ancient times used these phases either. BUT keep experimenting and find out what works best for you. 

Here are some necessary guidelines:-

-Eat more protein (but don't overdo it, eat just about the right amount for you)

-Consume both fibrous and starchy carb sources (don't cut out starchy carbs!)

-Most people opt for more frequent meals (eg. 5-7 small meals a day)

-Intermittent Fasting works too

-Be more confident in your self!

Sample Meal Plan:-

9 am: 3 Whole Scrambled Eggs, 1 Chopped Cucumber, 2 Slices of Bread

11 am: A cup of milk/ protein shake

1 pm: 1 Chicken Breast, 100g of Brown Rice, 1 Bowl of Salad

3 pm: Protein Shake

5 pm: Handful of Nuts

7 pm: 1 Chicken Breast, 100g of Brown Rice, 1 Bowl of Salad

Sample Meal Plan (Veg):-

9 am: Oats with 1 Banana, 1 Cup of Milk, 1 Scoop Peanut Butter, 2 Scoops of Protien Powder(Optional)

11 am: A cup of milk/ Protein shake

1 pm: 1 Cup of Chickpeas/Kidney Beans, 100 g of Brown Rice, 1 Bowl of Salad

3 pm: Protein Shake

5 pm: Handful of Nuts

7 pm: 1 Cup of Chickpeas/Kidney Beans, 100 g of Brown Rice, 1 Bowl of Salad.

Workout

Finally, it's time for the fun part.

Let's get started. I will include several different types of cardio. I definitely recommend you do cardio regularly. I want you to get stronger as well as bigger, so instead of a muscle split I'm doing a movement split.

Here are some important guidelines to remember:-

-Lift both light and heavy for the most burn

-Include both Calisthenics and Weight Lifting

-Focus less on the number reps and more on the quality of the reps (let me say this through experience, quality is wayyy more important than quantity)

-Make sure it focus on forearms is bigger forearms will make your arms appear bigger.

-Get your workout in!

Sample Workout Routine (Weekly):-

Monday ( Push )

Strength

5 sets of 5 each (Heavy Weights)

Barbell Bench Press

Barbell Overhead Press

Hypertrophy (Lighter Weights)

4x12 Incline Bench Press (Dumbell)

4x12 Bench Fly (Dumbell)/Cable Chest Fly/Pec Deck

4x12 Dips

4x8 Tricep Extension

4x8 Overhead Tricep Extension

4x8 Side Shoulder Raises

Blowout

4xAMRAP Pushups

Tuesday ( Cardio )

30-60 Minutes (Walking, Cycling, Running)

OR

20-30 Minutes of HIIT (Sprints, Jump Rope)

Wednesday ( Pull )

Strength

5 sets of 5 each (Heavy Weights)

Weighted Chin Ups

Bent Over Barbell Row

Hypertrophy

4x12 Lat Pulldowns

4x12 Dumbell Rows

4x12 Cable Rows

4x12 Back Extensions/Supermans

4x8 Bicep Curls

4x8 Hammer Curls

Blowout

4xAMRAP Pull Ups

Thursday ( Cardio )

30-60 Minutes (Walking, Cycling, Running)

OR

20-30 Minutes HIIT

Friday ( Legs )

Strength 

5 sets of 5 each (Heavy Weights)

Barbell Deadlift

Back Sqaut

Hypertrophy

4x12 Leg Extensions

4x12 Hamstring Curls

4x12 Goblet Sqauts

4x12 Weighted Calf Raises

4x12 Seated Calf Raises

Blowout

4xAMRAP Jump Squats

Note**

-For the strength portion lift as heavy as possible pick a weight with which you can do 7 reps max, take longer rest (3-5 mins). Take a 5 min break before starting hypertrophy

-For the hypertrophy portion (hypertrophy means building muscle) switch to moderate weights something that allows you to do 15 reps max then do 4 sets of 12.

-My most recommended cardio would be 30-60 minute walk or HIIT.

-Because I don't want y'all losing necessary muscle mass, I would recommend to avoid fasted cardio and consume some protein an hour or two before the cardio session.

That is all for now, thank you so much everyone!