The ectomorph female. Are you one? Do you look like a marathon runner instead of a sprinter? Is your frame long, lean and wiry? Do you struggle to gain weight or find it difficult to gain muscle mass? If yes, you are an ectomorph female.
As an ectomorph female, you are naturally looking for ways to make yourself stronger and add the right kind of mass to your body for a lean sexy shape. The following tips may help you build muscle and stay healthy. But first, let’s take a look at the characteristics of an ectomorph female.
The Ectomorph Female Body Type
Models who you often see gracing the covers of most fashion magazines usually have an ectomorph body type. They are tall, have a thin build, small joints, and long limbs.
Most of the females with ectomorph body shape usually have smaller breast. They may appear skinny but some of them may have a tendency to gain fat, making them “skinny fat.” This means that they appear to be skinny, but their bodies are mainly composed of fat. They have a naturally fast metabolism and burn sugar at fast rates.
An ectomorph female usually finds it difficult to build muscle or put on weight because of their fast metabolisms. This is why these females are commonly known as “hard gainers.”
Ectomorph Female Diet Tip #1: Track your Calories
Because an ectomorph female usually doesn’t need to lose weight, it is a common misconception that they don’t need to track their calories. Wrong!
Even if weight loss is not a primary goal for ectomorphs, they must keep a track on their calories all the time? Why? Because if they don’t track calories, they will have no way of knowing how many calories they are consuming.
Most of the naturally lean people overestimate the number of calories they are eating. This means that they are not consuming as much as they think they are.
In order to gain the right amount of weight and consume enough calories to build muscle, an ectomorph female must increase her calorie intake and for that, she must track her calories.
Ectomorph Female Diet Tip #2: Eat High-density Foods Only
As an ectomorph female, you must avoid all foods with a low caloric density. What does this mean? It means avoiding food that you will need to eat in higher amounts just to gain a significant amount of calories.
A great example of a high-calorie food is cooked oatmeal. Even a small serving of this food will give you an energy boost and keep you from feeling hungry for longer.
Some other foods to consume include the following:
- Whey protein powder
- Nut
- Nut butter
- Avocadoes
- Dried fruit
- Grass-fed beef
- Salmon
- Bagels
- Sweet potatoes
Ectomorph Female Diet Tip #3: Eat Smaller Portions More Often
Eating small portions more often is an excellent way to make sure that your body is getting the fuel that it needs to run.
If your daily caloric target is more than 3000 calories, it will be much easier to reach this target by dividing them into 6 to 8 meals throughout the day instead of eating 3 large meals, each with 1000+ calories.
Your stomach cannot handle so much food at a time and could make you feel sluggish throughout the day. So by eating six to eight meals, each with 500 calories, you will be providing your body with a consistent source of fuel. This will keep you energized and fully-functional all day long while successfully meeting your daily caloric needs.
Ectomorph Female Diet Tip #4: Rely on Shakes
If you find it difficult to meet your daily calorie requirements, try using shakes. Shakes are easy to make and a very convenient option to hit your calorie target. All you need to do is blend high-calorie ingredients together and drink up the beverage as many times as you can.
Try incorporating calorie-dense food items into your “weight gain” shake. Some of these foods include avocado, flaxseeds, coconut oil, Greek yogurt, cottage cheese, or grounded oatmeal.
Always remember to avoid commercially prepared weight gain shakes as much as you can. While they seem like a more convenient way, most of them are potentially loaded with sugar and provide your body with nothing more than empty calories.
Empty calories are not only nutritionally unhealthy for your body, but they will also make you feel hungry very soon.
Always prepare your own shakes so that you can control what goes in every serving.
Ectomorph Female Diet Tip #5: Consider Full-body Weight Training
As an ectomorph female, you will greatly benefit from weight training. Remember that your weight training must consist of full-body exercises instead of split programs such as back and biceps, triceps and chest, and shoulder and legs on separate days.
Split programs will make you work on one body part per week which may not be enough for your body
Ectomorph Female Diet Tip #6: Do Less in the Gym
In contrast to what most people think, an ectomorph female should do less in the gym if she wishes to gain weight. A lot of thin people tend to think that they need to hit the gym six times a week in order to gain weight. Wrong!
In the gym, you are breaking your muscle tissue. So the more time you spend weight lifting in the gym, the less time you are giving your body to build the muscle mass.
This does not mean you should never lift heavy weight. Just limit your gym sessions to 3 or 4 times a day. Each session must not be longer than 45 minutes. This is all you need to see optimal results.
Ectomorph Female Diet Tip #7: Focus on Compound Movements
As you plan your gym sessions, remember to include more compound exercises and movements and less isolation work. Your body tends to get a greater hormonal response from compound exercises like deadlifts, squats, bench press, and shoulder press. This, in turn, will lead to faster muscle buildup.
Here is a great video for compound lifting for beginners
Conclusion
As an ectomorph female, there are certain dietary and workout tips you need to follow to gain weight. Always keep a track on your calories, eat nutrient-rich food and load up on shakes more often. Do hit the gym but make sure you don’t work out every single day because you certainly don’t need it. Follow these tips and you are guaranteed to get that strong lean sexy body and ditch your old skinny one.