So here you are… The ULTIMATE ectomorph diet for beginners. You’ve been told time and time again that in order to get big you need to EAT big.
While this is certainly the case, it’s oftentimes extremely confusing when it seems like every yoga instructor and their dog preach about all the different diets.
This then begs the question… What’s the BEST diet for MAXIMUM muscle mass without putting on a ton of unnecessary fat?
In this article, we’ll get into how to do just that.
You’ll get food ideas, a sample routine, and various tweaks that you can make to suit your individual needs in the pursuit of your fitness goals.
With that said, if that sounds appealing to you, then let’s get right into the “get MASSIVE” ectomorph diet!
Ectomorph Diet 101
First things first, understand that you do NOT need to pay 300$ a month for food and supplements – although it is a good goal eventually.
You can have an amazing muscle-building diet for literally less than a hundred bucks a month.
And when you’re first starting out, you’re main focus shouldn’t even be supplements. It should be a good diet
Second, you need to understand the three core nutrients for you to build muscle mass – these three elements are:
- Protein -To Build and Repair Muscles
- Carbs – To Fuel Your Muscles
- Fats – To Optimize Your Hormones
All of these are crucial when trying to accelerate weight gain with ANY diet as they all serve a key purpose.
If you leave out the protein, you’ll pack on VERY little muscle if any.
Leave out the carbs and you’ll be drained of energy and won’t be able to push yourself nearly as hard in the gym.
Leave out the healthy fats, and your muscle growth will be MUCH slower than the smart ones who know how to use healthy fats to their advantage.
(We’ll get into how to do this later)
All of these are crucial elements and the best ectomorph diet incorporates all of these to help you max out your gains in no time.
“How Many Calories Do I Need To Build Muscle?”
If you’re not tracking your calories, you’re fucking up… BIG time.
Keeping track of your calories is how you can make any of the necessary physique changes you want.
Want to shred body fat like butter? Lower your caloric intake by 500 calories.
Want to massively reduce water retention to be more vascular? Cut the carb intake and up your protein intake.
Tracking your calories is essential for anyone trying to take their physique to the next level.
Luckily, with modern-day technology, it’s actually incredibly easy to do this.
To keep this simple, find an online BMR calculator for free. This will tell you how many calories you need per day, depending on your goals.
To track your calories I recommend downloading MyFitnessPal on your phone.
It’s super easy, just scan the barcodes of the food you’re eating and it does the work for you.
It’ll automatically record how many calories is in the food, and keep track of your protein, fat and carbs which is infinitely better than calculating it the old-fashioned way with a pencil and paper.
Best Carbs To Gain Weight
So now let’s say you enter in the info and it says you need a certain amount of calories.
(We’ll work with 3,000 here as that’s generally a good bulking number of calories.)
The “get MASSIVE” ectomorph diet will have 50% of your calories coming JUST from carbs to ensure maximum muscle mass, hydration, fuel, and repair.
When you start eating a lot more carbs, you can expect your muscles to get bigger overnight, as they’ll be jam-packed with the glycogen that comes from carbs.
The all-time BEST carbs for bulking are as follows:
- Brown Rice
- Quinoa
- Leafy Green Veggies
- Sweet Potatoes
- Most Whole Grain Foods
- Oats
Ask just about any bodybuilder out there, and they’ll tell you that these 6 foods make up for about 98% of their carb sources – myself included.
For nutrient-dense calories, stick with brown rice and quinoa for healthy carbs.
The main reason is, as someone with an ectomorph body type, one of your main concerns should simply be calories, calories, CALORIES.
Gotta eat big to get big remember?
However, leafy greens are also thrown in there because as tempting as it is to eat foods ONLY for muscle building like rice and chicken… ignoring veggies, fruits, etc. is a HUGE mistake.
Leafy greens often have incredibly beneficial aspects for bodybuilding.
These benefits include enhancing blood flow, keeping your skin clear and glowing, boosting your testosterone and more…
All of these are reasons why leafy greens are a part of this overall diet.
Best Protein Foods For Muscle Growth
Next up, we have the fan favorite: PROTEIN
I’m sure I don’t have to explain why you need protein to build muscle, just know that the more protein you have… the more muscle you have.
No matter what diet you have, you should be aiming for at least 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight.
Scientists have found that around 1 gram per pound is optimal for helping your body build new muscle tissue.
” Our consensus opinion is that leucine, and possibly the other branched-chain amino acids, occupy a position of prominence in stimulating muscle protein synthesis; that protein intakes in the range of 1.3-1.8 g · kg(-1) · day(-1) consumed as 3-4 isonitrogenous meals will maximize muscle protein synthesis.” [R]
Put simply, more protein allows your body to take that protein and turn it into new muscle.
However, you want to make sure you’re getting QUALITY proteins as well, because contrary to popular belief, not all protein is the same.
The best protein foods for muscle growth are:
- Chicken
- Salmon
- Beef/ Steak
- Turkey
- Tuna
- Greek Yogurt
- Protein Supplements
Once again, these items will oftentimes make up the bulk of your grocery list if you end up journeying down the road of fitness long term. (Which I hope you are)
All of these protein-rich foods are a literal godsend for people trying to pack on muscle mass and lose bodyfat.
Especially if you’re eating upwards of 200 grams of protein per day like in the “get MASSIVE” ectomorph diet.
For example, ONE chicken breast can oftentimes get you up to 50 grams of protein!
That’s INSANE considering you can get frozen chicken breast in bulk for cheap, at like Walmart or something.
There’s also protein supplements, which contrary to popular belief aren’t necessary.
(We will be getting into them later however, as they can be a MASSIVE tool for your gains.)
Best Sources Of Healthy Fats
Lastly, we have fats which any of my readers know is one of my favorites to talk about.
Put simply, healthy fats will help your body make NATURAL STEROIDS. How does it work you may ask?
Let’s take eggs for example, the yolks in eggs contain something called the “good” cholesterol.
This is the cholesterol that your body synthesizes to create TESTOSTERONE rather than clog up your arteries.
But not just eggs. Studies have shown that there are numerous “high fat foods” that boost your testosterone which is the main muscle-building hormone in your body.
“These studies found high intakes of monounsaturated fats found in olive oil, avocados, and nuts may boost testosterone production.” [R]
So, if you want results NOW rather than later, then get some of these healthy fats into your diet ASAP:
- Whole Eggs
- Avocados
- Nuts
- Omega 3’s
- Coconut Oil
- Flax Seeds
As a natural hardgainer, I can without tell you that this has been one of my secrets to INSANE results over the years.
Finding the BEST ways to boost testosterone naturally is a huge part of getting jacked extremely quickly.
Healthy fats help boost testosterone and are a staple in the “get MASSIVE” ectomorph diet which we’ll get into now.
The “Get MASSIVE” Ectomorph Meal Plan
Finally, now that we’ve gotten all the nerdy talk out of the way, let’s get into the best diet to help you get JACKED in no time.
Keep in mind, this diet is not 100% set in stone – feel free to adjust it according to your needs, but as much as possible try not to stray from the ectomorph meal plan TOO much.
Make sure that no matter what ectomorph diet you choose, that you are getting at LEAST 1 gram of protein per pound of bodyweight.
If you get nothing else form this article make it that.
Keep in mind, you can always switch out the carbs/protein/fat sources listed with anything else from the lists above – below is just a helpful recommendation to get started.
But, without further ado, here is the 3,000 calorie “get MASSIVE” ectomorph diet.
Ectomorph Breakfast Meal Plan
Every Morning Aim To Eat:
- 1 Cup of Oatmeal
- 1 Banana
- 3 Whole Eggs
- 2 Egg Whites
- Cup of Greek Yogurt
- 1/4 Cup or a Handful of Almonds
- Orange Juice or Milk to Drink (Optional)
As you can see, we are still aiming to keep our first meal of the day part of a balanced diet.
This means not overloading ourselves with protein, carbs, or fat first thing in the morning.
1 cup of oatmeal along with the fast digesting carbs from the banana, will help energize you and fuel your muscles with the needed nutrients IMMEDIATELY.
The eggs, egg whites, and yogurt will be our main sources of protein.
The eggs and egg whites are probably one of if not THE best bodybuilding foods out there as they contain essential amino acids necessary for accelerating weight gain.
The yogurt is packed full of protein and probiotics for optimal health as well.
Lastly, we have the 1/4 cup or handful of almonds or other nuts.
These will be our fats and will help fuel your body with selenium, magnesium, vitamin E, and more.
Ectomorph Lunch Meal Plan
For Lunch, Get Yourself:
- A Cup of Brown Rice
- 1-2 Chicken Breast(s)
- 1-2 Cups of Leafy Greens (I Recommend Kale, Spinach, or Broccoli)
- Some Healthy Fats (Like Olive Oil for Cooking) (Avocado Recommended)
Nothing fancy here – we’re just aiming to make sure we keep it simple, easy to cook, and meets our goals.
The keys for the lunch section of the ectomorph diet are the chicken breasts. These are the bread and butter for bodybuilders everywhere.
Their extremely lean, meaning high protein and little fat and also are made up of various muscle-building amino acids which is a key for ALL body types.
Keep in mind, at any time you can switch the carb sources with what was listed above, just make sure you get near the same amount of calories for when you switch.
Ectomorph Dinner Meal Plan
Dinner of Champions: (Adjust Portions to meet your needs)
- Sweet Potatoes
- Grilled Salmon w/ Squeezed Lemon
- Asparagus or Sautéed Spinach & Onions
- Milk or Orange Juice (Optional)
For dinner, we want to end the day off with a healthy BANG!
For our carbs source, we’re going with incredibly nutrition-dense sweet potatoes, as they are also complex carbs which is great for bulking and health in general.
Salmon, while being incredibly dense with protein is also PACKED full of healthy fats called Omega 3’s.
Omega 3’s have a whole host of benefits from improving brain function, heart health, to boosting testosterone and is a major key for the “get MASSIVE” ectomorph diet.
Best Bodybuilding Snacks
By itself, the ectomorph diet above may or may not meet your caloric needs. It depends on the individual.
That being said, if you need more calories to help gain weight and want quick and easy ways to do so, look no further.
Here are the best carb-focused bodybuilding snacks:
- Bananas
- Fruits in General
- Trail Mix
- Nuts
- Beans
- Whole Grain Cereals
Get these for whenever you’re in need of some quick healthy carbs.
Now if you need extra protein then you’re in luck because it’s much easier to get great protein-rich options than carbs as some companies THRIVE off packing “protein snacks”.
With that said, here are the best protein snacks for to pack on muscle mass:
- Greek Yogurt
- Protein Bars (Don’t get the ones loaded with sugar)
- Protein Shakes
- Can of Tuna
- Milk
- Jerky
All of these are great options. Jerky and yogurt are the best for when you want a delicious protein snack.
If however, you need to get a LOT of protein fast then look towards the protein bars, shakes, and can of tuna as one can has nearly 40 grams of protein!
Lastly, we have our quick sources of fats.
Here are the best healthy fat-focused bodybuilding snacks:
- Avocados
- Nuts
- Walnuts
- Olive Oil
- Coconut Oil
- Flax Seeds
- Sunflower seeds
Whenever you’re in a pinch and need more of any desired nutrient make sure to check back to this section of the “get MASSIVE” ectomorph diet so you’re meeting your nutrient goals each and every day.
Supplements For Hardgainers
A lot of guys tend to completely neglect their diet and just go straight for the supplements that scream “GET JACKED IN LESS THAN 2 WEEKS!!” on their labels.
These are also the guys who end up being incredibly disappointed in 2 weeks, when they see the guy who stuck with the ectomorph diet got better results than them.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m a HUGE fan of supplements and have spent well over thousands of dollars on various ones.
That doesn’t mean that supplements are the end all be all to get jacked however.
Remember, supplements are meant to SUPPLEMENT your diet… not replace it completely.
There are still supplements that work WONDERS like SARMs which is like legal & safe steroids, but it’s not necessary.
Still make sure to get a good whey protein powder however as this can make meeting your protein requirements a lot easier.
Whey is also fast digesting which makes it the perfect food for your muscles right after a workout when your muscles are starving for and sore.
On top of that, you can also invest in a good bodybuilding multivitamin too at the very least.
Alternative Ectomorph Diets
Really quickly, I want to clear up some confusion beginners may have about some popular diets in the fitness industry.
When you’re first getting into dieting, it can often be overwhelming as there are so many different diets out there, but which one is best for you?
In this section we’re going to be looking at the 3 main fad diets:
- Intermittent Fasting
- Paleo Diet
- Keto Diet
As we’ll see, each of these diets has its benefits for your health, but none of these is as effective as the “get MASSIVE” ectomorph diet at building muscle.
Intermittent Fasting For Bodybuilders
Intermittent fasting is a style of easting where you restrict the times you eat to a certain set time of day.
Usually, this falls under the category where you don’t eat ANY food for 16 hours, but for the other 8 you “pig out”.
Intermittent fasting is great for your health, and even better for burning off fat.
When you don’t eat for 16 hours, your body is forced to run off its own fat stores to provide you with energy.
Intermittent fasting can help boost testosterone, help with brain fog, lose body fat, and more which is why it’s a great option for health. [R]
But when you’re trying to gain weight or have an ectomorph body type, a diet that focuses on losing weight isn’t your best bet.
As a hardgainer, you’re pretty much going to want to be eating at all times during the day so that you’re constantly fueling your body to stimulate muscle growth.
Paleo: An Alternative Ectomorph Diet?
Next up we have the paleo diet, which in short follows one rule: If the cavemen didn’t eat it, then neither should you.
The paleo diet is focused on eating all natural foods, this means no processed foods, no heavily saturated foods with tons of sugar etc.
The paleo diet is actually GREAT, not only for your health but for shredding body fat too.
Studies have found that people who switch to a paleo diet for the short term, often lose up to 5 pounds of mass quickly. [R]
While this is great for obese people, it’s certainly not ideal for those with an ectomorph body type trying to gain weight.
With the paleo diet, you’ll be getting lots of lean meats like chicken, fish and steak – all of which are fantastic protein sources.
In fact, there’s a lot of Paleo elements in the “get MASSIVE” ectomorph diet, because it’s such a great diet.
However, in order to build even more muscle we’re not going to go full paleo.
We still wanna be able to get protein bars and powders, creatine, etc.
So although the paleo diet isn’t the best for building muscle, it’s still one of the best diets out there, and a hell of a lot better than nothing.
Keto For Building Muscle?
Short answer, no not really.
Keto is focused on cutting out all or nearly all carbs from your diet.
That way, your body focusing on fat as it’s main source of fuel, since it’ll be more abundant within the body.
Keto has been scientifically proven to put your body into a state of “ketosis” which is when you’re body’s main source of fuel comes from fat rather than carbs. [R]
Another thing, is that since your carb levels are low, so is your glycogen within your muscles.
This makes it extremely hard to progress in the gym and hit that new bench pr as your muscles are depleted of a critical energy source.
In short, keto is a fantastic option if you’re trying to lose weight. But again, any diet that’s focus is to lose weight is definitely not the best option for hardgainers looking to get jacked.
Ectomorph Diet Tips
Your diet should be about 60% of the focus when trying to quickly change your body.
You can put on and lose weight faster than you could possibly imagine if you know the right way to manipulate your diet.
For example, there are 3 things that if you take will literally have you put on muscle faster than 95% of other naturals, even if they’re also on the ectomorph diet.
These 3 keys are:
- Mass Gainers
- Natural Testosterone Boosters
- Creatine
Mass Gainers For Skinny Guys
Mass gainers are shakes (either bought or home made) that are often PACKED full of calories and especially protein.
I remember back when I lived in Japan and was trying to bulk up…
I’d often make a super mass gainer with nearly 2,000 calories in them every single day and chug down the concrete-like sludge.
This is an extreme example, and you can always just buy your own.
In fact, if you do buy your own I’d recommend Mutant Mass, as I’ve personally used it to put on over 5 pounds of muscle in LESS THAN A MONTH.
As someone who’s been working out for years this is huge and I can only imagine what it would do for a beginner on the ectomorph diet.
Although Mutant Mass is the best protein shake to gain weight that you can buy, you can also make your own.
Simply get a blender, throw in a cup of oats, 2 scoops of protein powder (Chocolate preferably), 2 cups of milk, and a ton of peanut butter for fats, and a great taste.
This will work when you’re first starting out, but whenever you’re ready I highly recommend Mutant Mass as a serious mass gainer.
Testosterone Boosters
Finally, we have natural testosterone boosters.
By itself, the “get MASSIVE” ectomorph diet will already yield you some amazing results when it comes to raising your hormones.
But, when you throw in the “get MASSIVE” ectomorph diet ON TOP OF a hardcore natural testosterone booster like Testogen? Your results will be insane!
I remember the first time I took Testogen, I got way leaner and got STUPID strong, like I literally was able to incline bench a weight that I was struggling with just a week prior.
Want A Full Bodybuilding Meal Plan?
When it comes to getting jacked, the “get MASSIVE” ectomorph diet will certainly help you, but it isn’t all that you need.
A good diet is one part of the equation, as is the best workout routine, and a good recovery protocol.
If you want a FULL bodybuilding routine than be sure to check out my flagship program The Aesthetics Blueprint.
In it, you’ll get access to:
- Several Workout Routines To Take You From Geek To Freek In 90 Days Or Less
- The Simple A-Z Guide That Will Literally Make You A Bodybuilding Expert
- A List Of The “Black Level” Elite Secrets To Put On POUNDS Muscle Naturally.
- Along With A 60 Day Money-Back Guarantee
- and so much more…
Regardless, I thoroughly hope you guys enjoyed this article, but even more I hope that you’ll use the advice to sculpt your own physique to your liking.
The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step my friend, so take that step.
Order some supplements, go grocery shopping, check out the program, whatever you gotta do to start IMMEDIATELY – your future self will thank you.
As always, if you guys have any questions, comments, or concerns feel free to shoot me a DM on insta @realmatthewcarter and as always I’ll see you guys next time!
– Matthew Carter