Each of us differ when it comes to our body type, and often a workout plan that does wonders for one person, can do little to nothing for another. Individuals with an ectomorph body types have a high metabolism, meaning that it is harder to put on the weight needed to gain muscle. This often means that ectomorph's require a strict workout plan that involves dedication and determination to achieve the body they want. Here at OneHowTo, we're going to tell you the best workout plan for an ectomorph body type to help you achieve the results you desire.
Whether you are wanting to gain muscle mass or maintain a healthy weight, cardio exercise should generally be kept to a minimum for ectomorph body types. Cardio burns calories, and can actually lead to weight loss when that is not the goal of the workout. Exercise such as running, cycling and swimming is very good for your health and shouldn't be skipped entirely so limit cardio exercise to 30 minutes, three times per week.
On one of your cardio days, try adding a 15 minute session of circuit training. This can be beneficial to gaining more muscle mass and breaks up your routine. This OneHowTo article will explain all the benefits of circuit training.
Remember it is important to give your body a rest in between sets. Ectomorph body types do not need to overdo cardio, so frequent rest times of about 2-3 minutes are adequate and allow your body to recover.
Strength training is vital if you are wanting to achieve a gain in muscle mass. Ectomorph body types can often lose weight through this type of training too, so certain types of lifting will be more beneficial than others. Choosing lifts that involve minimal movement will help to deter calorie loss. If you do not have access to a gym, there are ways you can perform arm exercises without weights at home.
Choosing one particular exercise for each body part and focusing on that one will usually deliver the best results for an ectomorph workout plan. These exercises should try to be done 3-4 times, repeated 5-8 times depending on your ability. Again, a 2-3 minute rest in-between is important to let your body recover.
Workouts centred around your chest muscles include the bench press, incline bench press and decline bench press.
To work on your leg muscles, focus on back squats, front squats, lying leg curls and leg extensions.
Exercises working on your back muscles and shoulders will be push-ups, pull-ups and barbell lifting.
Ectomorph body types may find that they need to add certain extra exercises to their routine to see results due to their smaller frames and natural lean muscle mass. Extra exercises for an extomorph body type that you can add to your routine are:
- Planking
- Calf raises (seated or standing)
- Decline sit-ups
- Barbell curls
Whilst determination and dedication are important within a workout plan, completing your workout every 2 or 3 days at the beginning is sufficient. Any more frequently, you may find burns more calories and is actually detrimental for an ectomorph body type. Rather than completing your workout more often, try adding more reps or heavier weights as your body develops.
It's important to balance your workout plan with a healthy and balanced diet, and that you work at your own pace and perform at your own ability to ensure you do not damage your body. Results can take time to see, and patience is one of the most important roles in a workout.
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