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Having a hard time gaining lean muscle mass?

If your body type is similar to mine (lean, almost lanky) then you will have noticed one particular problem: Lean muscle mass is not easy to come by, quite the contrary: Every time you go out for a run you are jeopardizing the muscle mass you have already built up.

Gaining Lean Muscle Mass as an Ectomorph

I am not a power-athlete, I am not a bodybuilder. That is not what I do. On the other hand, I love lifting, I love science, and I love combining the two. I get results for me and my clients. I work with everything from bodybuilders to triathletes. Those two groups could not be more diametrically opposed and still, both succeed.

What you should not do

If you have a hard time building up muscle mass then there are a couple of things you should avoid at all costs:

  • Deprive your body of sleep: It really messes with your hormone levels.
  • Deprive your body of nutrients: This is not an excuse to go to Mickey D’s. Eat whole foods, don’t cut corners, and don’t have a negative caloric intake.
  • Lift less than 3 days a week: If you are lifting less than three days a week with a super lean body type, you will not retain any significant amount of muscle mass.
  • Skip peri- and post workout nutrition: You are already at a disadvantage. Don’t nuke your training by mis-timing your food intake.

What you should do to pack on lean muscle:

  • Sleep: Get 8 hours of sleep. It is important to keep balanced hormone levels.
  • Lift a minimum of 3 days a week, if not 4-5 days a week for at least 30 min, better 60 min each.
  • Hit each muscle group at least twice a week
  • Progressively increase your training load
  • Change training plans every 4-8 weeks
  • Have about 1 g of protein/lbs of body mass
  • Include some carbohydrates into your diet to be able to maintain high levels of training intensity
  • Take a carb/protein drink during and after your workout (30g of carbs/15g of protein each)
  • Take about 5g of Creatine/day, no loading phase needed.

You can see there are a lot of things to think about when going for muscle. You are fighting an uphill battle compared to some of your spark-plug friends who just look at weights and gain lean muscle. If you are really considering making a difference then you need to take charge now and go for it. Each training is to be designed to make the biggest possible gains!

If you need help with your training then check out our specials to get started at Shape Up Fitness & Wellness Consulting

 

Have an awesome day,

 

Michael

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