I have always had trouble gaining weight and muscle going to the gym because i have such a fast metabolism and i was wondering if anyone had any experience on this first hand. I gained a few pounds eating meat like crazy a few years back but i feel like i hit a point where i just couldnt get any more muscle mass, and plus im just not a big meat eater in the first place. And even though larger people might say its a blessing its still a curse to me.. lol. Ive tried looking online but everyone seems to offer some different method or make you pay for the full routine or whatever.. so anyone knowing anything about this subject i would appreciate a chime in. thanx.

 

consistency in the gym.
and eating habits.

Check out some threads created by Deathmetal
he got his eating down to a science.

which means you'll have to plan out your meals and such.
check out his threads

 

I am in the same category but i run and don't want bulk up. I'm 135-140lbs 6' but i run a decent amount so that helps.

 

i was always under the impression that running and cardio just burns fat and furthers you from gaining any weight?

i checked out his thread and it said his body type was able to gain weight easily.. its the opposite for me.. and diets differ hugely between fast metabolism people and slow metabolism people

 

Protein. I used to be pretty thin/lean 6'4 175 and I quadrupled my protein intake. I'm 225 now. When I do alot of cardio I usually get down to 205-210.

Took about a year and it's hard to eat (or drink) all that protein sometimes but it was well worth it.

 

increased protein and more lifting (heavy lifting). you will most likely not get massive bulk as an ectomorph, but you can gain lean muscle and a lot of strength. ectomorph's have to work really hard to build bulk and keep it. deathmetal is more of a mesomorph from what i can tell.

 

You know I'm also an ectomorph and I've heard mixed things about mass gainers. Some say they're pretty much ideal for ectos whereas others just say they're useless and to stay away. I've posted this before and got no response. Anyone have anything a bit more concrete? I really have no intent of buying a spendy supplement that could turn out to be a waste.

 

Time for a crash course (If this is already known knowledge, i'm sorry):

I think the big reason people go back and forth on Weight Gainers is because if you know how to eat right... weight gainers are almost a waste of money. I say almost because they come in handy in days where you just can't get the food in that is needed.

For an Ectomorph the diet is HUGE. You'll want to find your Macronutrients and try to stick to them every day. Macronutrients are broken down into Protein, Carbohydrates, and Healthy Fats. Most mass gain diets recommend 40/40/20 for a daily consumption. So 40% of your calories come from Protein, 40% come from Carbs, and 20% from healthy fats.

1g Protein = 4 Calories
1g Carbohydrate = 4 Calories
1g Fats = 9 Calories

So if you have for example my diet of 3300 calories a day.
332.6g of Protein = 1330.4 Calories
332.6g of Carbs = 1330.4 Calories
74g of Fats = 666 calories

This makes it a ton easier to shop for your diet. Make a list for each day and just grab stuff you want to eat and start subtracting from your daily total.

Workout Wise:
Compound Lifts are your best friend for weight gain to start. Squats, Dead Lift, Bench Press, Military Press, Etc. Isolation workouts will make your muscles bigger, but one at a time. Compound workouts do most of the body at once.

Also, Heavy Weight, Lower rep. I shoot for 5-6 reps during working sets.


Personally I don't use the weight gainer shakes anymore. I enjoy the food much more than a shake that tastes okay only half the time. I will throw in a Casine Protein shake in at night, and a lean shake in the moring, but the rest of the day is food.

 

Well I think the idea with Mass Gainers/Weight Gainers is that you get a bunch of calories without pigging out. I'm an ectomorph and I get full pretty easily. I guess it's more of a convenience thing since we (even on training days) don't have too huge of an appetite.

My main concern is that I'm really unsure of what kind of calories it's dumping into your system.... I keep getting reminded of that old South Park episode... Weight Gain 4000.