When it comes to the diet, everyone has different goals. Just as some of us focus on losing weight and becoming leaner, others are more interested in building mass and growing in size. This is what we call ‘bulking’.
Bulking also happens to be much easier for some people than it is for others. If you are naturally an ectomorph, then that will make it hard for you to increase your weight and to grow and you will likely find that you’re naturally very slim and light.
There are ways to get around this though and it all has to do with the way you eat. Here are some points to consider…
You Need Energy
One of the positive sides of being an ectomorph is that it means you have free reign to really enjoy your carbs! In fact, carbs are necessary if you’re going to increase your muscle mass as the body actually needs a lot of energy in order to create and store muscle!
You Need Protein
Of course you also need to consume plenty of protein to gain muscle. After all, this is what muscle is made out of.
The general advice given when it comes to building muscle is that you should aim to consume 1 gram of protein for every 1 pound of bodyweight. If you do this and train intensively, then you’ll grow in size and strength.
Timing May be Important
One factor of dieting that often gets overlooked is timing (although this is the entire focus of other diets such as carb backloading or intermittent fasting). Timing is important when it comes to building muscle though, because the protein needs to be available right when your body is highest in anabolic hormones such as testosterone and growth hormone.
There are two times when you’ll be in this anabolic state: when you go to bed and approximately one hour after training. Keep in mind though that protein takes time to be absorbed by the body!
You Need to Rest
Another thing to keep in mind when aiming to bulk is that your body needs to rest. The more rested you are, the more anabolic you become – whereas when you exert yourself you are breaking down tissue and ‘catabolic’.
To grow, you need to start training and eating like a lion. Train just enough to stimulate growth and spend the rest of the time relaxing and eating!