Nutrition Rules for Every Ectomorph
Ectomorph /ˈektəˌmôrf/ n. - any dude who tries to "eat big and lift big" but ends up looking more like Napoleon Dynamite than Thor. See also: manorexic. In a world that keeps getting fatter, it's not easy being an ectomorph. When everyone around you can't seem to keep the weight off, you have trouble keeping weight on. Your girlfriend looks at you with envy because you can pound a cheeseburger and fries without adding an inch to your waist, but the same fate seems to curse you when trying to add an inch to your arms. The fact is, ectomorphs have trouble adding fat and muscle. Commonly referred to in the gym as "hard-gainers," they are thyroid dominant, their sympathetic nervous system is in overdrive, and Oprah would do anything for their carb tolerance and metabolic rate. Their natural state is skinny and lightly muscled, which is perfectly fine if you're into that sort of thing. But often, ectomorphs were bullied in the third grade and ergo would like to add some lean muscle to their frame. That's when things get tricky. If you are an ectomorph and you are trying to add lean body mass, you need to take some of the rules that apply to weight-loss and turn them on their head.