Written by Garett Reid | NSCA, CSCS, CISSN, M.S.E.S.S
Fact checked by Kirsten Yovino, CPT Brookbush Institute
FACT CHECKED
For some, taking off the weight is impossibly hard, while others seem to maintain an athletic physique with little to no effort. And then there’s a third group, who struggle to add weight of any kind to their tall and lanky frames.
Each of these descriptions describes one of three body types. Otherwise known as somatotypes, the three categories are ectomorph, endomorph, and mesomorph. Endomorphs often struggle with slower metabolisms. And as endomorphs gain fat, it leads to excess weight gain on their shorter statures.
Mesomorphs, on the other hand, have well-functioning metabolisms and the ability to put on and maintain muscle mass with relative ease. The third group, ectomorphs, have a leaner build with less body fat, and typically have a more challenging time with muscle gain.
Curious as to which you are? Wondering how body types came to be and whether there’s truth to them? Concerned your genetics may doom you to look a certain way forever?
Not to worry! We’ve got all your answers (and then some) in this article, which takes a closer look at the ectomorph body type. In this post, we’ll discuss:
- What are the body types?
- Ectomorph body type traits
- Best diet and workout plan for ectomorphs
- How to use your genetics to your advantage
What are body types?
Before we dig into ectomorphs specifically, let’s first touch base on somatotypes in general. About six decades ago, psychologist W.H Sheldon came up with three different somatotypes, categorizing them into different sets of body build and structure.
The somatotype came from a three-digit number (with each digit being a number from 1-7) that was used to categorize a person into one of three categories.
While Sheldon did attribute a person's personality and specific traits to each type of human physique, this article focuses solely on the different physical and metabolic structures attributed to each human body type, and more specifically, ectomorphs. Here’s a look at some of the prominent features of each body type.
Ectomorph:
- Tall and lanky with long limbs
- Fast metabolism
- Hard time gaining weight
- Less body fat and muscle mass
- Narrow shoulders and narrow hips
Endomorph:
- Round and stocky
- Slow metabolism
- Higher body fat percentage
- Susceptible to fat gain
- Larger hips and a generally soft, round midsection
- Large bone structure
- Thick arms and legs, especially the upper legs
Mesomorph:
- Medium frame and athletic build
- Efficient metabolism
- Muscular
- Naturally athletic physique
- Naturally strong
- Hips are often wider than the shoulders
Which Body Type Are You?
Now, there’s a chance you’re reading this and 100% identify with one of these somatotypes. There’s also a really good chance that your current body type has features from more than one of these. And that’s because every body type is different.
These three body types are a great starting place for identifying which traits you have, but you could easily be a combination of 2 or all 3 of them. For example, you may be an ectomorph who leads a pretty sedentary lifestyle and eats a lot of bad food.
As such, despite your genetics, you could be struggling with weight loss, which would more closely align your somatotype with an ecto-endomorph body type. Or, despite a slower metabolism, you could be a muscular endomorph who has maintained an athletic physique due to a dedicated workout plan and following metabolism-boosting tips.
The point of identifying which traits you have is to use that information to create a resistance training and diet plan that will get you your best results. So don’t let anything here discourage you! We’re about to put this information to good use.
What is an Ectomorph Body Type?
If you checked the boxes next to “fast metabolism” and “tall, lanky frame” you’re likely an ectomorph. Ectomorphs are known for having less body fat and a more challenging time building muscle mass.
Ectomorphs may gravitate more toward endurance training, including long-distance running. And if their endurance training far outweighs their strength training, they likely have more type-1 muscle fibers than the other two body types.
Type-1 muscle fibers, also known as slow-twitch muscle fibers, are built for longer endurance movements, including long runs, pilates, low-endurance workouts, or marathons. These fibers are built to produce less force but for a longer period.
On the opposite end of the spectrum, we have type-2 muscle fibers which are fast-twitch fibers. These muscle fibers are meant for more explosive, fast exercises, such as plyo box exercises and max-out deadlifts.
Ectomorph physical characteristics
Ectomorphs may be taller with narrower shoulders and hips. And while you may enjoy eating unlimited cookies with minimal weight gain due to your high metabolism, it may be equally frustrating to lift weights and not see any muscle mass in return.
If this sounds like you and you're struggling to gain muscle, keep reading along as we will cover strategies enabling you to achieve muscle hypertrophy, build muscle, and keep it!
Additional ectomorph body types features:
- Taller and longer bone structure
- Leaner build and lower body weight
- Long thin limbs
- Carries less body fat naturally
- Has a higher metabolism, making it difficult to gain weight
- Narrower body shape in the shoulders and hips
- Narrow waist
- Naturally better at endurance and low-cardio types of workouts
- Carries more type-1 muscle fibers (slow-twitch)
- Relatively thin joints
Ectomorph Diet and Workout Plan
If you’ve been nodding yes to many of the ectomorph qualities, it means you’ve found your body type and can now start using that information to see better results.
And while this is catered to an ectomorph body composition, the mesomorph body type and endomorph body type may also find it beneficial. If you identify with a different body type, you’ll just need to tweak it so it’s better suited for your needs.
Adjusting to your body type:
The endomorph body type typically has a natural tendency to have a higher body mass (see the differences between BMI vs body fat percentage here) and will want to eat fewer carbohydrates than ectomorphs. In addition, if their goal is to lose weight and lose fat, adding in more HIIT or cardio training weekly will help.
Mesomorphs may want to determine how much protein per day they need to build muscle, increasing their protein intake slightly to support their lean muscle. In addition, they typically have no problem gaining muscle when weight training, meaning they don’t need to focus as heavily on training for strength.
Best Diet for an Ectomorph body type
One of the ectomorphs’ most prominent features is their ability to eat as they please without gaining weight. And while it may seem like a blessing when you never have to go up a pant size, it can also be discouraging for ectomorphs trying to put on muscle.
With a faster metabolism, you'll want to increase your calorie intake to support weight gain. In addition, 50% of your calories should go toward carbohydrates.
Ectomorphs have fast metabolisms, and typically their bodies prefer to use carbohydrates as fuel. This means that if you’re not getting enough carbs daily, your body won’t have the energy stores to work out hard, function properly, or grow.
Carbohydrates:
- Rice
- Oats
- White or sweet potatoes
- Carrots
- Whole-wheat bread
- Green leafy vegetables
- Cauliflower
- Quinoa
- Fruits, such as bananas, papayas, and apples
For both fats and protein, dedicate 25% of your daily intake to each of them. Healthy fats will help support weight gain and including them makes it easier to increase your daily calories.
Healthy fats:
- Oils, like sunflower, olive, or canola
- Avocado
- Butter
- Seeds
- Nuts
- Fats from meat, such as fish or organic beef
Protein supports muscle growth, helping your muscles to repair and rebuild after your time in the gym. Lean and grass-fed proteins, nuts, beans, legumes, and dairy are all great options. If you’re pushing to increase your daily calories, opt for whole-fat dairy. This is a good time to invest in some protein powder as well.
Your speedy metabolism may make it tempting to reach for junk food, but we highly recommend picking nutritious options instead.
Proteins:
- Meats, such as fish, chicken, and beef
- Legumes
- Lentils
- Peanuts
- Soy
- Beans
- Dairy
As for calories, since the ectomorph body type typically has a fast metabolism, it means they don't gain weight easily. So for those trying to put on muscle, you need to eat in a calorie surplus. If you don’t know what your current daily intake is, start by tracking what you eat for a few days without changing any of your dietary habits.
Once you have an idea of your daily calories, add 500 to that number. If you’re serious about muscle growth and improving your muscular strength, we recommend tracking your calories daily to not only make sure you’re hitting your calorie goals, but also your individual macro goals.
Also, it is a good idea to eat meals more frequently throughout the day. This may look like having 4 to 5 meals a day with a snack or two instead of your standard three.
Best Ectomorph Workout Plan
Now that you’ve got your diet squared away, it’s time to pair it with a workout routine that will enable your lean, lanky frame to pack on some muscle. We're not targeting high reps aiming for muscular endurance with this plan, but rather heavy weights for strength and mass gains.
If you pair the exercise program we are about to discuss with your macro goals and calorie surplus, you will be setting yourself up for some major muscle gains.
As we mentioned earlier, many ectomorphs have more type 1 muscle fibers, meaning that endurance-type workouts and aerobic exercises may be their preference or what they naturally gravitate toward.
In addition, a fast working metabolism, paired with endurance activities that may burn a lot of extra calories, can make it ultra challenging to put on any type of muscle.
This means that an ectomorph strength routine is going to focus on heavy lifts, using heavy weights, with fewer reps to support muscle mass growth.
Here's what this plan takes into consideration.
1. Lift for strength:
The plan highlighted below is a 5-day split that pairs one to two muscle groups together per workout. In addition, the plan reduces the number of reps and sets, instead focusing on lifting heavier. Your rest period between each set should be between 2 to 3 minutes.
This is because when you lift heavier and with less repetition, you do not use your glycolic system to perform the workout.
Rather, you are using your ATP-CP muscle structure and our fast-twitch muscle fibers first, which helps break down the muscle fibers only to build back larger and stronger.
2. Program the routine for building muscle mass:
Ectomorph programming will look more like 3-5 sets for each exercise with a maximum of eight reps per set. This is different from endomorphs, who should train in the 15 to 20 rep range, and mesomorphs who do better in the 8 to 12 rep range.
When you increase your repetitions, like with endomorphs and mesomorphs, your body tends to use type-1 muscle fibers and your glucose system, and that’s a no-no for the ectomorph body type!
For weights, you will want to choose a weight that is around 60-80% of the maximum weight you can lift for that exercise with one repetition. We are going for weight gain here. Also, notice that cardio does not take center stage in this program as we want to avoid muscle catabolism.
Let's talk more about the cardio aspect.
3. Limit Cardio:
We love cardio training as much as the next guy. But ectomorphs tend to struggle to put on muscle mass, meaning that burning hundreds of calories doing endurance training, circuit training, or assault bike workouts will not get you there.
If you don’t want to cut out cardio entirely, we suggest replacing your aerobic sessions with walks at a moderate pace.
4. Strategically schedule your sessions:
Here is an example training plan to add muscle for ectomorph somatotypes. Notice the 5-day split provides 2 rest days per week. We suggest placing one after your abs & glutes day and the other after your total body day, using those days for muscle recovery.
This means your workout schedule would look something like this:
- Monday: Chest & Back
- Tuesday: Legs
- Wednesday: Abs & Glutes
- Thursday: Rest
- Friday: Biceps & Triceps
- Saturday: Total Body Day
- Sunday: Rest
5 Day Ectomorph Split:
|
Chest & Back |
Legs |
Abs & Glutes |
Biceps & Triceps |
Total Body Day |
|
Bench Press: - 3 sets X 8 reps - 1 set x 5 reps - 5 sets x 3 reps |
Deadlift: - 5 sets x 5 reps - 1 set x 3 reps - 1 set x 1 rep (max lift) |
Russian Twists with Weighted Plate: - 3 sets x 8 reps per side |
Triceps Push Ups: - 3 sets x 8-10 reps |
Turkish Getups with KB: - 2 sets per side x 5-8 reps |
|
Bent Over Dumbbell Flys: - 5 sets x 5 reps |
Front squats: - 3 sets x 8 reps |
Weighted Plank: - 3 sets x 1 minute |
Hammer Curls: - 3 sets x 8-10 reps |
Deadlifts: - 5 sets x 5 reps |
|
Weighted Push Ups: - 3 sets x 8 reps |
Sissy Squats: - 3 sets x 8 reps |
Hanging & Weighted Leg Raises: - 3 sets x 8-10 reps |
Tricep Extensions: - 2 sets x 8 reps |
KB Swings: - 3 sets x 1 minute |
|
Bench Open Flys: - 3 sets x 8 reps |
Single Leg Romanian Deadlifts: - 3 sets x 8 reps per leg |
DB Glute Kickbacks: - 3 sets x 8-10 reps |
Pull Ups: - 3 sets to failure |
Inchworms: - 2 sets x 8 reps |
|
Lat Pulldowns: - 3 sets x 8-10 reps |
Calf Raises: - 3 sets x 8-10 reps |
Single Leg DB Deadlift: - 2 sets x 5-8 reps |
Single Arm Bicep Curls: - 2 sets x 8 reps |
Weighted Lateral Lunges with Shoulder Press: - 3 sets x 8 reps |
|
|
Weight Barbell Lunges: - 2 sets x 5 reps per leg |
Weighted Hanging Pike Holds: - 3 sets to failure |
Bent Over Tricep Kickbacks: - 3 sets x 5-8 reps |
Woodchops: - 3 sets x 8-10 reps per side |
|
|
Hip Thrusts: - 3 sets x 5-8 reps |
|
|
Finisher Superset: Front Squats: - 5 sets x 5 reps Back Squats: - 1 set x 3-5 reps Burpee Finisher: - 1 minute |
Ectomorph Programming Tips
When performing this workout plan, it is important to test and see what your maximum lifts are for each exercise. To do this, you will need to choose an exercise for the day that you plan to max out.
Take deadlifts, for example. To start, pick a weight for your barbell you feel you could do 5-8 times without failure.
The goal here is to be able to pick up that weight following that many repetitions without struggling.
Determining your ideal weights:
Let's say to begin you know that you can deadlift 145 pounds five times without fail. Your five reps should be equal to about 85 to 90% of your maximum. So the next step is to test your 3 reps maximum, which should fall somewhere between 90 to 95% of your one rep maximum.
Doing a little math, you can calculate adding another 5 to 10% of your weight from 145. This would equal 155. If you can successfully do three repetitions at 155, then you will need to calculate adding in the additional 5% of 145 on top of your 3 rep maximum lift.
So in theory, your 1 rep maximum would be then equal to roughly 163 pounds.
You can use this formula for all lifts by figuring out your 5 rep maximum and doing some simple math to add 10% of that lift to calculate what your current maximums are.
And make sure to keep increasing your weight week to week, as this is what will help you build muscle.
Ectomorphs: Think Strategically When Training and Dieting
Using a workout plan that targets all the large muscles while hitting primary compound exercises, and pairing it with the accompanying diet, the ectomorph body type can gain and maintain muscle. It's all about training the right way for your body type.
Not one size fits all, but this guideline has proven incredibly successful for those who are the ectomorph body type.
Remember, by consuming a diet that focuses on carb intake, reducing your endurance load, and focusing on building up your type-2 muscle fibers you will be able to hack your somatotype and achieve your body goals. And as for dietary supplements, creatine can make you gain weight, leading to more muscle mass. In fact, we'd go as far to say creatine should be an ectomorph's new best friend!
And in the end, keep in mind, that consistency is key. It takes time for your body to react and adjust to a new diet and training plan.
We strongly suggest doing training blocks anywhere from 8-12 weeks to see the full results of this training plan. Now, get out there, get bulked, and build that muscle!
Related:
- The Absolute Best Powerlifting Program for Pure Strength
- 5 Best Strength Programs (With Spreadsheets): Beginner to Advanced
- Strength Vs. Hypertrophy Training: How Does Training For Strength & Size Differ?
Garett Reid
Author