If you are unable to put on weight even though you stuff yourself with food or worse, junk food everyday, then you are probably an ectomorph or what is commonly known as a hardgainer. An ectomorph has naturally high metabolism and tends to burn off whatever they ate very quickly. However, some ectomorphs can gain weight naturally as they get older because of the decline in their metabolic rate.

So if you are an ectomorph who wants to desperately put on some weight, your progress will be slower than the other body types because of your genetic predisposition, but it can be done and sometimes with amazing results too. Good news isn’t it?

When I say gain weight in this article, I meant to increase your muscle weight and not body fat or water weight. It will be irresponsible for me to tell you how to increase your body fat as we all know that too much fat can be unhealthy for you and putting on water weight is only a temporary solution.

However, when you train with weights to put on muscle mass, not only will you gain weight faster because muscle is heavier than fat, you will also strengthen your bones and have overall health benefits.

If you are a girl, do not be discouraged by the fact that you are lifting weights because of your fear of getting bulky muscles. Ladies, I assure you that this will not happen simply because firstly, women have much less testosterone hormone than men and testosterone is the main hormone that helps to build muscles. Secondly, since you are an ectomorph, then gaining big bulky muscles the natural way is almost impossible unless you are experimenting with drugs such as steroids.

Then again, some of you may have tried to lift weights to increase your muscle mass but are not getting results. My questions then to you are that are you doing the right exercises, are you getting enough nutrition to feed your muscles and are you getting enough rest for your body to recover and grow in size?

First, let’s talk about nutrition. Your muscles thrive on protein. If you do not have enough protein from your diet, your muscles will not grow. Since you are an ectomorph, your body also naturally burns away much of the protein you consume from your meals. In this case, you need to consume protein supplements.

In the area of weight training, are you working out with compound exercises like the squat or are you working out with puny arm exercises like dumbbell curls? Let’s compare the 2 exercises. The dumbbell curl only works out your small muscles such as your bicep and a bit of your forearm.

Now contrast this with the squat that works out your entire lower body, your core and entire back. This exercise worked almost your entire body and thereby building muscles everywhere. Which exercise then do you think will help you gain weight and muscles much faster? So go for compound exercises like bench press, squats and dead lifts for faster and more efficient results.

The next issue is rest. Your body repairs itself and grows when you are sleeping. So are you getting enough sleep? Do you have rest days in between your workouts for your body to recover? If you don’t give your body the chance to grow, then how can you gain attractive muscular weight?

So to defeat your genetic predisposition by gaining muscle weight, you have to supplement with good nutrition, do weightlifting by using compound exercises and have enough sleep and rest. When you do all these correctly, you will definitely see your weight increasing gradually and healthily.

Author Bio: Chris Chew is a sought after fitness consultant who counts models, actors and other celebrities as his clients. Read his free articles at Gain weight fast supplements and How fast to build muscles

Category: Wellness, Fitness and Diet
Keywords: gain weight, build muscles, lift weights, hardgainers