How do I gain 10 kg (22 lb) as an ectomorph?
Gaining 10 kg (22 lb) cleanly as an ectomorph takes 1-2 years. Eat 200-300 calories a day above maintenance, gain about 0.5-1 kg (1-2 lb) a month and do progressive strength training. Try to rush it with a "dirty bulk" and much more of those 10 kg ends up as fat.
Why does it take 12-24 months?
Because muscle is slow and fat is fast. At 0.5-1 kg a month you keep the fat low. Go faster and more of what you gain is fat.
A year sounds long. You'll spend that year anyway. The question is whether you finish it bigger or still guessing.
What about a dirty bulk?
Eating 1,000 calories or more over maintenance gets the scale moving. It also means a lot more of those 10 kg are fat. Then you spend months dieting it off.
How much should an ectomorph eat to gain weight?
- Maintenance, roughly: your weight in kg × 40 (or in lb × 18).
- Add 200-300 calories a day.
- Protein: 1.6-2.2 g per kg of bodyweight (about 0.7-1 g per lb) a day.
- Weigh yourself for 2-3 weeks and adjust if the scale doesn't move.
Build it around food you actually like. A plan you hate lasts two weeks.
How should I train to gain 10 kg?
Train each muscle 2-3 times a week, full body works great. Do 10-20 sets per muscle a week, starting near 10, and finish your sets 1-2 reps short of failure. About 3 hours a week is enough to start growing.
My case
I gained 20 kg, from 63 kg to 83 kg (139 to 183 lb), most of it muscle. That's double this goal, and it took me five years because I was guessing. Knowing your numbers is what cuts out the guessing.
Read next: How many calories does a skinny guy need to build muscle? and How long does it take an ectomorph to build muscle?
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