How to Gain Muscle if You Are an Endomorph

Endomorphs don’t have a problem putting on muscle mass due to their body type, but they do face the challenge of simultaneously gaining fat. When you’re training to gain muscle, not only are you participating in an intense weight-training program, but you’re also increasing the number of calories you take in to fuel the muscle-building process. Endomorphs, who have a tendency to store fat, can see an increase in their body composition if they’re not careful. Along with adhering to a muscle-building workout program, they need to follow a strict nutritional plan to ensure they gain just lean muscle.

Things You'll Need

  • Weight-training equipment
  • Calculator
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Instructions

    • 1

      Lift weight six days per week. An endomorph needs to lift weights as often as possible to burn calories and promote muscle building. Lifting more often means more calories are used during the workout to fuel the muscles and after your workout as your body works to heal your muscle tissues.

    • 2

      Split your muscle groups into separate workouts. You can’t work all of your muscles six days per week because they need about 72 hours to fully recover from your high-volume workouts. Focus on your chest, shoulders and triceps on Mondays and Thursdays, your back and biceps on Tuesdays and Fridays, and your legs and abs on Wednesdays and Saturdays.

    • 3

      Incorporate compound exercises instead of isolation exercises into your workouts. Compound exercises are ones that involve movement around more than one joint and they’re more effective for building muscle mass. The bench press requires movement at both the shoulders and elbows, so it’s a compound exercise. Biceps curls, which involve just flexion of the elbow, are not.

    • 4

      Complete three to five sets of eight to 20 reps of each exercise. Muscle building is the result of overloading your muscle tissue with a high number of total reps. Plus, the longer sets mean you’re burning more calories.

    • 5

      Fit in two to three cardio workouts every week. To increase the number of calories you burn every week and combat your tendency to put on fat, get in a couple 30- to 60-minute cardio workouts.

    • 6

      Calculate the number of calories you need everyday. You can estimate how many calories your body needs to maintain function and put on muscle with an equation for your basal metabolic rate. While the equation doesn’t take into account how much muscle you have on your body, it will give you an idea of how much you should eat every day. Men determine theirs with 66 + (6.23 x weight in pounds) + (12.7 x height in inches) – (6.8 x age in years). Women find their value with 655 + (4.35 x weight in pounds) + (4.7 x height in inches) – (4.7 x age in years).

    • 7

      Make adjustments to your nutritional habits. Endomorphs typically have a slower metabolism, so consume four to six small meals a day instead of three larger meals to help boost metabolism. Consume primarily fruits and vegetables, which are high in nutrients and low in calories, as well as lean proteins, which will help fuel muscle building and burn more calories to support fat maintenance.