ExRx.net

Article makes the interesting distinction between hard-gainer, whom he boldly labels as one who doesn't eat or train hard enough, and true ectomorphs, who are simply skinny.

This quote induced a Eureka moment: "Remember, you already have a ridiculously fast metabolism; therefore your goal is not to burn a motherload of calories in the gym. Muscle grows at rest and not during the actual training session, so practice that." Knew both of those already, never put them together.

http://www.t-nation.com/free_online_art ... morph_grow

totally contradicts about a million other articles on training for ectomorphs

That guy is still a kid. I couldn't gain fat if I wanted to at his age. Now it's a battle all the time. Sure, start lifting as a teen and you can get muscular but being an ectomorph doesn't mean you're never going to have to fight the battle of the bulge. Still, it would have been nice to read this 30some years ago.

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Let thy food be thy medicine, and thy medicine be thy food.~Hippocrates
Strength is the adaptation that leads to all other adaptations that you really care about - Charles Staley
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Thanks TimD

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Thanks TimD.

How many serious Trek TOS fans are out there? Who would know this line, "I must reevaluate". Say it in a robot voice and you might remember.

This article recommends a few things that have worked very well for me. I rarely even go to 5 reps, do 3-4 moves max per session (as I learned here on these forums actually), and have seen progress in Dead and Squat.

The idea of going to floor presses for awhile is very intriguing.

Pondering...

and plenty stating the opposite. I have read countless times that long limbed individuals need more isolation work for the limbs, particularly shoulder and arms, and are more slow-twitch in general so respond better to higher rep ranges.

That was certainly true in my case, and I absolutely fit the classic definition of ectomorph.

The problem I have with the article though is to suggest that all ectomorphs need to train the same. Different people will respond to different things. The fact that you respond better to low volume, high intensity and I respond better to the opposite with both of us being ectomorphs just proves that there is no one way that an ectomorph, or any other somatype for that matter, should train.