Nutrition and training program for mass gain for men

Where to begin?

Determine your body type. There are three main types:

• Ectomorphs are thin and have underdeveloped muscles. They have thin, long limbs and have difficulty gaining weight.
• Mesomorphs have well-developed muscles and proportional limbs. The fat layer is small and evenly distributed throughout the body. Gain and lose weight easily.
• Endomorphs are usually not tall, stocky, with rounded shapes. Easily gain both muscle and fat mass.

If you are a mesomorph, then it will be easier for you to build muscle mass than other types. But an ectomorph will have to sweat a lot in the gym to achieve the desired relief. Endomorphs shouldn’t relax either, because their muscle mass can easily be hidden by a layer of fat, so they can’t do without cardio training.

Nutrition for gaining muscle mass

A competent menu is as important when gaining muscle mass as training. These are the basic principles that all bodybuilders adhere to.

1. Eat small meals. An actively training person needs to eat 5-6 times a day so that the muscles are constantly fed.
2. Maintain a balance of proteins, fats and carbohydrates. The standard ratio is 30% protein, 20% fat and 50% carbohydrates. Depending on the type of figure, these indicators can change by 5-10% up or down. For example, endomorphs can reduce the amount of carbohydrates consumed and add protein.
3. Stick to your calories. A real bodybuilder knows exactly how many calories he needs to consume to effectively grow muscle mass. Calculate your calorie allowance for your weight, age and physical activity and always stick to it. A lack of calories prevents muscles from growing, and an excess provokes the accumulation of fat.
4. Drink water. A high protein content in the diet can create additional stress on the kidneys and gastrointestinal tract, so you need to drink enough water - 2-4 liters per day.
5. Choose the right time to eat. Divide your entire daily diet into equal portions and try to eat at regular intervals. Be sure to have breakfast and dinner.
6. Include foods rich in healthy fats in your diet: vegetable oils, nuts, red fish, avocados.

Principles of nutrition

Now you know what this body type is and can determine if you fall into this category. Now let's move on to the next section of the article, which covers the principles of the diet and look at nutrition for an ectomorph to gain muscle mass, and what the daily menu should look like.

Consume excess calories

There is no need to explain that to build muscle and gain weight, ectomorphs will need more calories than they are used to consuming. Contrary to popular belief, ectomorphs, like those who want to lose weight, need to track their calorie levels. How to do this?

Start by calculating the total number of calories you consume daily. You can use the table of calorie content of foods. Knowing your approximate level of calorie consumption, you need to calculate your daily consumption using a calorie calculator. If your calorie intake and calorie expenditure are the same, you are unlikely to gain weight.

The whole point of eating an ectomorph to gain weight is to increase your daily calorie intake by at least 250-350. So by the end of the week you should have gained at least a couple of kilos.

Focus on high-calorie foods

Based on the previous principle, skinny guys should eat enough food throughout the day. Taking this into account, a diet for an ectomorph for weight should also take into account the calorie content of the foods consumed. Let me explain.

As an ectomorph, you need to avoid any low-calorie foods, because then you will have to consume them in large quantities to even slightly increase the caloric intake of your diet. For example, a small bowl of oatmeal contains only 100-120 kcal, but can effectively suppress hunger and make you feel full for a long time.

Therefore, it is recommended to abandon such foods in favor of foods with high energy value, such as dried fruits, meat, fish and whey protein.

Consume more carbohydrates

To grow muscles and maintain significant muscle mass, the body needs a lot of energy, and when it is not enough, the body not only does not increase the number of muscles, but also breaks down those that already exist. That is, you can lose weight simply because you don't eat enough. Carbohydrates for hardgainers are the main macronutrient, which should make up 50% of the daily diet.

Among the available ones we can highlight:

• Buckwheat
• Oatmeal
• Rice
• Flour products
• Sweets (but if you see a strong increase in fat, remove them)
• Pasta
• Potato
• Sweet fruits
• Berries

Eat as often as possible

Honestly speaking, three meals a day is no good. Since you are on an ectomorph diet, you will have to eat at least 6-8 times a day at regular intervals. Of these, at least three meals should be full meals, and three should be in the form of small portions or snacks.

I would recommend making breakfast, lunch and dinner your main meals, and adding healthy snacks in between. This regime will not only allow you to maintain a stable level of energy throughout the day, but will also contribute to the mass-gain process, which is difficult to achieve in any other way.

Related article: A detailed nutrition plan for bodybuilders to build muscle and increase strength.

Use protein shakes

Who said protein shakes are only for elite athletes and bodybuilders? The average skinny gym goer can also benefit greatly from this product. The first and most important point is that protein shakes, especially those made with high-quality whey isolate, are one of the best ways to increase your protein intake. Moreover, they will allow ectomorphs to easily achieve their daily calorie intake. In addition to whey protein, you can add other ingredients to your shake such as oatmeal, peanut butter, fresh fruit and yogurt.

In answer to the most popular question that I get asked quite often, about the advisability of using gainers for ectomorphs to gain weight, I would recommend that you stay away from them at all costs. Yes, they are high in calories, but they contain too much sugar and artificial additives.

Relying entirely on weight gainers will undermine your health in the long run. Instead of these supplements, I advise you to pay attention to the optimal sources of complete protein: whey and casein proteins.

Related article: Protein for gaining muscle mass.

What to eat to gain muscle mass for a man

Breakfast should contain proteins, fast and slow carbohydrates:

• Boiled eggs, oatmeal with banana.
• Omelette, toast with cheese and nut butter.
• Curd cheesecakes, buckwheat porridge with nuts.

Second breakfast to choose from:

• Steamed chicken cutlets, vegetable salad.
• Curd dessert with fruits and nuts.
• Toast or a peanut butter muffin with a protein shake.

Lunch options:

• Boiled chicken breast, boiled rice or buckwheat, vegetable salad.
• Salmon steak, grilled vegetables, whole grain bread.
• Steamed beef, wheat or pearl barley porridge, fruit.

Second lunch: the menu for this meal is usually no different from lunch.

Dinner to choose from:

• Baked white fish, vegetable side dish.
• Chicken cutlets, buckwheat porridge.
• Cottage cheese, a portion of vegetables and fruits.

Second dinner. Options:

• Casein cocktail.
• Cottage cheese.

Change your diet depending on your daily routine. 2 hours before training, you should have a full meal with a high content of proteins and carbohydrates. In 30-40 minutes you need to drink a portion of a protein shake or gainer.

Immediately after training, you need to get a portion of carbohydrates and proteins, for example, drink a gainer or protein, eat a banana or a PRIMEBAR bar.

Basic rules of nutrition for gaining weight

To build a lot of muscle, you need to eat a lot. At the same time, not only the amount of food is important, but also the ratio of proteins, fats and carbohydrates.

Naturally thin people need to eat a lot to gain even a little weight. This is because fast natural metabolism instantly burns the kilocalories eaten, leaving no building material for muscle growth.

The diet of an ectomorph is characterized by increased food consumption. This applies to both the total daily calorie intake and the ratio of macronutrients.

Calorie figures recommended by experts for weight gain are approximate. They are approaching them gradually. Perhaps several months. And for some it takes even six months.

Total daily calories

Ectomorph nutrition for gaining muscle mass is high in calories. This is a minimum of 50 kcal per 1 kg of your own body weight.

For example, your weight is 70 kg. This means that the daily caloric content of the diet will be 3500-4200 kcal.

For comparison, endomorphs (prone to overweight) are recommended to consume only 30 kcal per 1 kg of weight to gain weight.

3-4 thousand calories are large amounts of food that need to be eaten daily. For many people this is physically impossible.

Calorie intake increases gradually until you reach the recommended numbers. It is optimal to increase your diet by 400-500 kcal every month.

Carbohydrates

The main macronutrient for muscle growth in lean people is carbohydrates.

The fact is that this body type has a minimum level of body fat, as well as a minimum of muscle. Therefore, all organs and systems function primarily on carbohydrates that come from food.

This is the main source of energy in the human body. Proteins are secondary, which comes into play after carbohydrates.

If there are not enough carbohydrates, muscle growth is at a minimum blocked, and at a maximum, the lack of energy is compensated by the breakdown of muscle tissue.

As a result, ectomorphs begin to lose weight, but not by burning fat, which is practically non-existent, but by using muscles.

Therefore, the diet for an ectomorph should contain carbohydrates in sufficient quantities. It is recommended to give them 60-70% of the total daily calorie intake , or 5-6 grams of carbohydrates per 1 kg of body weight.

Meals for gaining weight for this body type can include both complex carbohydrates and simple ones. In other words, ectomorphs are recommended to eat sweets.

Of course, nutritionists recommend the best sources of simple sugars are fruits and dried fruits. They do not contain trans fats that are harmful to the body, which are filled with store-bought sweets.

The basis for daily carbohydrate intake is cereals, potatoes and durum pasta. They account for 60-70% of all carbohydrates consumed. The rest is allocated to simple sugars.

Squirrels

Proteins occupy the second most important place in the diet of ectomorphs. Meals for weight gain should include 2 grams of protein per 1 kg of your own body weight.

That is, if you weigh 70 kg, you need 140 grams of protein per day (70 kg x 2 g).

Preference is given to animal protein:

• meat
• Fish and seafood
• bird
• eggs
• milk and fermented milk products

Proteins obtained from plant sources are not highly valued in bodybuilding due to their inferior amino acid composition.

Fats

As for fats, as a rule, ectomorphs do not even take them into account.

The daily amount of fat is automatically gained by consuming proteins and carbohydrates.

To increase the calorie content of the overall diet, sources of vegetable fats - nuts, seeds, oils and their derivatives - are added to meals. For example, peanut butter, cashew or almond butter, etc.

Workouts for gaining mass

It is impossible to gain weight without regular strength training with free weights. But don’t rush to immediately grab the 120 kg barbell. Failure to comply with the training regimen and incorrect exercise technique will only harm your health. What is important to know before starting training:

• Always start with a warm-up. Warm up your muscles and joints thoroughly to avoid damage.
• The basis of training should be basic exercises: squats, bench press, deadlift.
• Start with a light weight, especially if you are new to the gym.
• Watch the technique of doing the exercises. Contact a professional trainer who will teach you the correct technique.
• Increase the load gradually to avoid injury.
• Work your ass off. Select such a weight and number of repetitions that the latter is given to you with maximum difficulty without losing technique.
• Pay attention to quality recovery and good sleep.

In order for exercises in the gym to bring maximum effect, it is necessary to create a working training program, and not perform exercises chaotically. To do this, it is recommended to contact a trainer who will select a program based on your goals, body type and initial level of training. But if this is not possible, you can use one of the universal programs for gaining muscle mass for men.

Basic nutritional rules for gaining weight for an ectomorph

You should pay special attention to diet and proper nutrition. Success in gaining muscle mass, one might say, depends 99% on proper nutrition for an ectomorph. So, the basic rules are as follows:

1. The ratio of BJU should be approximately this: 70% carbohydrates, 15% protein and 15% fat.

2. Daily calorie content should be calculated using the formula: multiply your weight by 40, and add another 200 kcal on non-training days and 500 kcal on training days. For example, a person weighing 60 kg per day should consume at least 2600 kcal (60 x 40 + 200).

3. Particular attention should be paid to the consumption of omega 3-6-9 fats. Omega-3 is found in fish and flaxseed oil, and omega-6-9 in olive and sunflower oil.

4. From sources of slow carbohydrates, preference should be given to porridge: rice, oatmeal and rolled oatmeal. It is better to avoid buckwheat, because... You will get less energy from it, and its glycemic index is much lower.

5. Porridge should definitely be cooked in milk, and for every 200g of dry cereal add 4 tsp. Sahara. This way you will get much more energy. Even if you are intolerant to dairy products, you can still safely add 50 ml of milk at the very beginning of cooking, because... high temperature destroys lactose, and once the porridge is cooked, there will be no lactose in it.

6. In addition to milk, add more water to the porridge so that it turns out boiled. Thus, you will raise the glycemic index a little more, and it will also be easier for the intestines to digest it.

7. Meals should be very frequent, every 1.5-2 hours. And even better, every hour - if you are at home and have the opportunity to eat often.

8. Imagine that eating food is your job. Those. The goal is not to have fun, but to work! Yes, sometimes it will be very difficult to consume more food, but the result depends on this, because nothing is easy, everything comes with difficulty.

9. The amount of protein is standard: in the range of 1.5-2g per kilogram of weight, no more. You should not chase the amount of protein. Carbohydrates come first, and they should be consumed first.

10. For proper bowel function, you should eat more vegetables. Vegetables improve peristalsis and help better absorption of nutrients.

11. Drink more water: With a fast metabolism, the body requires increased water content, especially when gaining muscle mass. The lower the blood viscosity, the easier it is for nutrients to reach their destination. Thus, the muscles will receive a powerful stimulus to grow.

Gym workouts to gain muscle mass

The most effective program is considered to include 3 training days with an interval of 1-2 days between them. Start all exercises with a warm-up approach with a load of 50-60% of the working weight. Perform 3-4 sets of 10-12 repetitions. Rest between sets 1.5-2 minutes.

Day 1. Back, shoulders.

• Classic version of the deadlift.
• Pull-ups with wide arms.
• Bent-over barbell row.
• Bent-over dumbbell raises.
• Pull of the upper block to the chest.
• Abdominal exercises.

Day 2. Triceps, legs.

• Squats.
• Platform leg press.
• Classic lunges with a barbell.
• French bench press.
• Extension of arms in a block.
• Abdominal exercises.

Day 3. Biceps, chest.

• Barbell press with a regular grip.
• Lying dumbbell raises.
• Wide grip barbell press.
• Hammer Curl.
• Lifting the barbell while standing.
• Abdominal exercises.

Home workouts to gain muscle mass

A prerequisite for building muscle mass is regular training using sports equipment. If for some reason you cannot go to the gym, then you can train at home. To do this, you need to purchase the necessary equipment: a collapsible barbell and dumbbells, a special bench. Also install a pull-up bar and parallel bars at home or find a sports ground with this equipment.

You can replace exercises in leg machines with various types of squats and lunges. And push-ups from the floor and on the uneven bars will help you effectively work out the muscles of your arms and torso.