Program Design The 1. Program Hypertrophy Training For The Ectomorph. By far, the most reader questions I get are from ectomorphs who want size How do I get bigIm a hardgainer. How do I overcome bad geneticsI train all the time, but Im just not getting bigger. Help A lot of these kids sound almost frantic, and this in part lies the problem too much stress whether mental or physical is not good for muscle growth. When it comes to training for the ectomorph, he has to train just enough to stimulate growth. Not more. Not less. Program Design For The Ectomorph When people start off in any field, whether its bodybuilding or some other interest, they tend to emulate those around them and those they aspire to be. So if youre an ectomorph looking to pack on some size, then you probably picked up a copy of Muscle. Mag or Arnolds Encyclopedia of Bodybuilding and started doing the routines in there. Or perhaps you emulated the big guys in the gym, and you pumped them for their secrets in between their sets on the bench press. While often overlooked, the role of the nervous system in recovery is paramount. This article highlights the key physical and mentalemotional factors that stress the. ArmSizeSpiral_400.png' alt='Charles Poliquin Hypertrophy Program Design' title='Charles Poliquin Hypertrophy Program Design' />Athletes should and need more muscle mass to increase their sports performance, but the type they need is functional hypertrophy, not aesthetics muscle. Theres a reason over 800 olympic athletes have worked with Charles R. Poliquin he gets results. With more information on health fitness than ever before, it. Poliquin Groups emphasis is providing quality education and giving you the tools you need to begin helping your clients right away. Poliquin Group Education. Come and join your local gym. Learn more about your local Fitness First health club at Kings Cross, the latest equipment and group exercise classes. Ectomorphs, however, need to train differently from the big guys. You have to walk before you run. In general, ectomorphs need to follow these guidelines 1 Eat Bodybuilding 1. Yet time and time again, this is the 1 limiting factor among trainees. Eat a lot and eat often. If you are not eating 5 6 meals spaced evenly throughout the day, then you really are not doing enough to gain weight. Strive to eat the 3 square meals breakfast, lunch and dinner and 2 3 snacks in between. Eat A Lot And Eat Often Keep Your Sets Low. The ectomorph has a limited capacity for stress, so its best not to overtrain with many sets of many different exercises. Limit your sets to 4 5 of one exercise for each body part. Pyramid Your Reps Although programs such as 1. The reason is two fold 4 Rest Long Between Sets In order to tackle the heavy weights, the ectomorph must rest longer than normal between sets. Three to five minutes between sets is a good range to shoot for. Resting this long does 2 things. The Ectomorph Must Rest Longer Than Normal Between Sets. Train Frequently An ectomorph needs to train briefly, intensely but frequently. An ectomorph cannot handle high volume workouts, so his volume should be spread across the week. Three times a week is best. Related Training Frequency Articles A Solid Approach To Training The Ectomorph There is a program that when tweaked fulfills all of the training guidelines listed above. It is not a new program. Its been around for 6. In fact, you may have been doing the program, never the realizing the name its Vince Girondas 1. The 1. 0 8 6 1. Perform 1. Perform 8 reps, rest. Perform 6 reps, rest. Finally, perform a flushing set of 1. Camtasia Studio Software Key. I know what youre thinking If this pyramid program is so effective, and Ive been doing it all this time, why arent I huge For one thing, most people take the everything and kitchen sink training approach that they see in magazines. Ask yourself this Is your chest program bench press, incline press, dumbbell press and dumbbell flyesIf youre doing this many exercises for the chest with a rep scheme of 1. If youre an ectomorph, then you should be concentrating on one exercise per body part and thats it. The second thing is because of this kitchen sink approach, the workouts become too long and to compensate you fracture the workouts and follow a split routine. You end up training each body part only once or twice a week. This is great for intermediate and advanced lifters, but it sucks for beginners and ectomorphs. Remember what I said about high frequency training for newbies Weight training is a skill and like any skill, it needs to be practiced frequently for you to get bigger and stronger. The 1. 0 8 6 1. Program If youre ectomorph or a beginner, then follow this workout 3 times per week. For each exercise perform 4 sets with a rep scheme of 1. Rest 3 minutes between sets. Thats it, nothing fancy. For ectomorphs, simplicity and consistency are the way to go. About The Author James Chan is a police officer for the University of California and is also a certified personal trainer with the National Strength and Conditioning Association. For more of his insights into strength training and bodybuilding, visit his blog.