Please Help This Ectomorph

[Pure]

God is currently testing my patience and fortitude...

I've been working out now for about 15 months with the intention to gain weight and strength. I have come up short in my goals and I'm starting to get frustrated again. Well, I'm cool now but I really need some good advice on the BEST way to gain weight.

I started the 5x5 this last two weeks (upper body cuz of knee injury) from a 6-day split workout. My diet hasn't been solid, but it hasn't been bad this last couple of months. However, if I step on the scale and see 162lbs. again I'm going to break it over my head.

I've heard of the this Pyramid routine: 10,8,6,15 reps of 3-4 sets, hitting each muscle group once 3x/week w/1-3 min. rest in between sets.
The author of the also said the 5x5 isn't the best routine for an ectomorph (hardgainer, or someone who is skinny that couldn't put on weight if he ate like a slob most the day).

Any feedback would be much appreciated.

[psprimont]

I put on 20 lbs of muscle (for the most part) in 2 months doing 5x5 and eating big and eating clean.
Lift heavy. Eat clean and eat a lot. Sleep well.
For I while I was eating around 4500-5000 cals a day, so don't be afraid to eat eat eat.

[bluestreak]

psprimont - great job on the weight gain!

I did the 5x5 squats and milk program and put on a lot of weight. I put on 25 lbs in 25 days. Over 40 lbs total since I started at the gym about 6 months ago. Check out this post for details.

[eLvarouza]

If you are a beginner or novice, SL 5x5 is going to be much better for you than the pyramid thing. Do 5x5, eat a lot, and drink a gallon of milk per day. Track your calories; make sure you get enough. You may think you're eating a lot, but you probably aren't.

[rere]

God is currently testing my patience and fortitude...

I've been working out now for about 15 months with the intention to gain weight and strength. I have come up short in my goals and I'm starting to get frustrated again. Well, I'm cool now but I really need some good advice on the BEST way to gain weight.

I started the 5x5 this last two weeks (upper body cuz of knee injury) from a 6-day split workout. My diet hasn't been solid, but it hasn't been bad this last couple of months. However, if I step on the scale and see 162lbs. again I'm going to break it over my head.

I've heard of the this Pyramid routine: 10,8,6,15 reps of 3-4 sets, hitting each muscle group once 3x/week w/1-3 min. rest in between sets.
The author of the also said the 5x5 isn't the best routine for an ectomorph (hardgainer, or someone who is skinny that couldn't put on weight if he ate like a slob most the day).

Any feedback would be much appreciated.

I had this issue a few years ago I was 6ft 2 and 140lbs. Terrifyingly skinny and got thrown around and mentally abused like a bitch.

My advice as a changing ectomorph is to eat like there is no tomorrow. They say eat every 3 hours, you make it every two hours. Eat, eat and eat. Good wholesome food. Use supplements if you must and prepare smoothies with them. Drink milk like your life depends on it.
Dont be afraid of what people may say about your new habits it will take a while to eat alot, even though your not hungry. I still eat loads and after a while it will become second nature. Good luck man your gonna need it, i know guys skinnier than you and wonder why they don't gain weight, our types just need more food than the "average" human.

Peace.

[Pure]

Thanks Rere, I could use the encouragement. Next time I'm shopping I'm buyin whole milk and plenty of meats and high calorie foods.

Also, I'll take the advice about sticking with the 5x5 for now... mainly cuz I don't know anything better. Not to say the 5x5 doesn't work. I just have to believe that there is the "ultimate ectomorph workout".

Where's Meidi on this? You gotta know some tips! (Yes, besides what I already read about 'skinny guys')

[Rugger]

Not to say the 5x5 doesn't work. I just have to believe that there is the "ultimate ectomorph workout".

No such thing exists, because that would suggest it would be different than the "ultimate (insert outdated and irrelevant physical classification here) workout." You need to get over the "hardgainer" mentality, because the fact is that most hardgainers are just skinny people that don't eat enough or lift heavy enough.

Assuming you've already got the lifting part down, here is the ultimate magic end all secret method for gaining a lot of weight really quickly:

Gallon Of Milk A Day

Yes, one whole gallon per day, it seems like a lot because it is. Work up to the whole gallon over a period of a week, or else you run the risk of shitting milk. Once you're consuming 1 GOMAD, I doubt that you'll even weight 162 lbs again.

But for it to work you need to get your knee injury fixed ASAP and start squatting.

[JollyClaws]

Forget the ectomorph/hardgainer stuff. "Hardgainer" is a marketing buzzword.

Track your calories using one of the browser-based nutrition trackers or a standalone program. You are probably underestimating the number (and quality) of calories you are consuming. Eat enough protein. There are many fine articles penned by Medhi that explain your nutritional needs; read them all a few times.

If you take the time to make a record of what you are eating and correlate it with your daily bodyweight measurement, you'll have the information you need to get stronger.

Eat until you can gain a pound a week and add weight to the barbell on a regular basis.

I always thought I was a "hardgainer". But I finally made the decision to spend a few minutes per day recording what I ate and plugging that information into FitDay, along with following the StrongLifts 5x5 beginner's program. Now, I am happy because I gained 15 pounds in two months, and I'm lifting more weight than I ever lifted in my 39 years as a skinny devotee of conditioning workouts.

Take the time to track your food intake. A few hours to learn how to use a nutrition tracking site/program, and five minutes a day devoted to record-keeping will get you whatever results you want. You can lift all day long, but if you don't gain weight, you won't get appreciably stronger.

[RJK]

Dairy and whole grains will put on weight. Use the whole cottage cheese and milk for fat and protien.

Personally I would rather slowy and methodicaly put on a few pounds a month through building muscle for weight gains and stick with the more sensable diet like the anabolic one describe herein.

[Pure]

Personally I would rather slowy and methodicaly put on a few pounds a month through building muscle for weight gains and stick with the more sensable diet like the anabolic one describe herein.

I was looking over Meidi examples of what he would eat during the day (i.e. ground beef cooked in butter w/spinach). I'm scratching my head over how that could possibly be healthy in the long run. Yes, I understand the concept of the diet. But all that meat has to be cutting years off your life.

Think about the Meditarraneans and coastal Asians with their low red meat and high fish diets. They live longer than most. Of coarse, there's more to it than just that point, but you see where I'm going.

[Rugger]

Personally I would rather slowy and methodicaly put on a few pounds a month through building muscle for weight gains and stick with the more sensable diet like the anabolic one describe herein.

I was looking over Meidi examples of what he would eat during the day (i.e. ground beef cooked in butter w/spinach). I'm scratching my head over how that could possibly be healthy in the long run. Yes, I understand the concept of the diet. But all that meat has to be cutting years off your life.

Think about the Meditarraneans and coastal Asians with their low red meat and high fish diets. They live longer than most. Of coarse, there's more to it than just that point, but you see where I'm going.

What about the Inuit people in Northern Canada that eat a diet comprised almost entirely of red meat, which by our standards is ridiculously high in saturated fats, where heart disease is almost unknown. Now their life expectancy isn't anything to be envious of, but of course there's more to it than that.

The fact is the human body is very well adapted to eat lots and lots of meat, and to do so is perfectly healthy in the context of a balanced diet. But what you're doing here is sweating the minutia, the important thing is to just lift heavy while getting enough calories and protein.

Drink your milk, do your squats, and you'll gain weight.

[hazmat]

Personally I would rather slowy and methodicaly put on a few pounds a month through building muscle for weight gains and stick with the more sensable diet like the anabolic one describe herein.

I was looking over Meidi examples of what he would eat during the day (i.e. ground beef cooked in butter w/spinach). I'm scratching my head over how that could possibly be healthy in the long run. Yes, I understand the concept of the diet. But all that meat has to be cutting years off your life.

Think about the Meditarraneans and coastal Asians with their low red meat and high fish diets. They live longer than most. Of coarse, there's more to it than just that point, but you see where I'm going.

What about the Inuit people in Northern Canada that eat a diet comprised almost entirely of red meat, which by our standards is ridiculously high in saturated fats, where heart disease is almost unknown. Now their life expectancy isn't anything to be envious of, but of course there's more to it than that.

The fact is the human body is very well adapted to eat lots and lots of meat, and to do so is perfectly healthy in the context of a balanced diet. But what you're doing here is sweating the minutia, the important thing is to just lift heavy while getting enough calories and protein.

Drink your milk, do your squats, and you'll gain weight.

If you look, you can find studies suggesting that too much fish is bad for you, too. <shrugs> Now what do you eat?

[mjh]

Yes, I understand the concept of the diet. But all that meat has to be cutting years off your life.

A diet like this is one usually used by people who are paying close attention to their health and fitness. I'm not doing the anabolic diet, but when I started eating more calories, more meat and more milk, I went to the doctor and got a range of blood tests done. I'll repeat the tests in a few months, and based on the results either keep doing what I'm doing, or re-assess my approach.

Yes, if you're shovelling back mountains of meat and little else you might encounter health problems. But if you're working out, taking in truckloads of veges, watching a range of health and fitness indicators... you're on a far better track than most "moderate" eaters.

[Pure]

You guys are absolutely right. Too much of anything is going to have a negative impact. I'm going to continue to search for the best methods so I can share them with others looking to improve their health.

[RJK]

You guys are absolutely right. Too much of anything is going to have a negative impact. I'm going to continue to search for the best methods so I can share them with others looking to improve their health.

Two things: You are right on too much of anything can be bad, also, many cultures have long life spans and eat a wide variety of fresh food and very little to none of it is fried. This is a very wide generalization and also takes into account that most cultures that have this also maintain the portions of food, i.e..no super size meals to go.