Unlike the other body types, building muscles as an Ectomorph doesn’t come easy. In order to become stronger, faster, and more fit, you have to push your body to its limit. And of course, give it a good amount of rest time. Those tough gym sessions will stress, fatigue, and tire out your body, causing damage to your muscle fibers. This damage has a lot of benefits for your body. It’s the main reason why your muscles grow, and your body becomes healthier over time. So the more you rest, the more your body will recover those damages and you’ll see results faster. I know what you’re thinking: “This is great and all, but what about my body type? Do Ectomorphs recover faster?”
In general, recovery time has nothing to do with your body type. It all comes down to what you eat, how much rest time you’re giving to your body, and if you’re overtraining or not.
But this doesn’t mean that you can’t control your recovery time. Here are 6 ways to speed up your muscle recovery as an Ectomorph:
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How To Recover Faster As Ectomorphs
Follow these tips to ensure an improved quality and a faster speed of muscle recovery in order to reach all your fitness goals:
Make Sure You’re Eating Enough
After a long and tough gym session, the proteins that make up your muscle fibers get damaged. So fueling your body with protein and carbs whenever you’re done exercising will give it the necessary nutrients and material to help repair the damaged muscles. Not only that but eating them even before you train will also maximize your muscle growth potential. Research has found that for Ectomorphs, 1.5 to 2 g of protein per kg of body weight is the ideal amount.
As Ectomorphs, Having a balanced diet, in general, will ensure that your body has enough nutrients to fully recover your muscles. So make sure you’re eating enough and follow a good Ectomorph diet plan.
Make Sure You’re Always Hydrated
Drinking water is the most important and essential factor in recovering your muscles after a long gym session. Not only is dehydration bad for your muscle recovery, but it can cause some serious damage to your body and mostly your kidneys which could be fatal. Water contains some essential electrolytes such as sodium, calcium, and magnesium which are important for your nervous system and also for your muscle recovery. So make sure you’re always hydrated, even during your training.
Use Workout Supplements
If you’re confident that you can maintain a good Ectomorph healthy diet, then skip this part because using workout supplements in this case will have a tiny impact. Using these supplements like BCAAs (branch-chain amino acids) will help you have less post-workout soreness and slightly increase your muscle recovery time. These BCAAs are naturally found in a variety of foods like milk, eggs, tuna, and yogurt.
Here are a bunch of BCAAs supplements I highly recommend for Ectomorphs (But not necessary):
- XTEND Sports BCAA Powder Blue Raspberry Ice
- BSN Amino X Muscle Recovery & Endurance Powder with BCAAs
- Muscle Pharm Essentials BCAA Powder
- Optimum Nutrition Amino Energy
Have Rest Days
As I mentioned in my previous articles about Ectomorphs and sleep as well as the Ectomorph weight gain guide, rest is one of the most crucial factors in order to gain muscle as an Ectomorph. In fact, in my Ectomorph workout plan and home workout, I emphasize training only 3 times per week and focusing on compound movements. That’s because Ectomorphs tend to have a rapid metabolism that constantly burns calories, so in order to recover your muscles faster, you need to have at the very least 4 days of rest per week. And there are times when you just need a good night’s sleep to feel refreshed the next day.
Take Cold Showers
So now you understand that when you work out, you’re causing damage to your muscle fibers, which results in soreness and in other cases swelling or inflammation. This soreness is the main indicator that your muscles are actually getting stronger and getting bigger. However, if you’re still feeling sore 2 to 3 days after your workout, taking a cold bath will help in reducing a little bit of the pain and also support muscle recovery. If the pain persists even 5 days after your workout or if you have unsupportable pain, make sure to seek advice from a health professional.
Reduce Your Stress
It should be pretty obvious that having a stressful life can cause your muscles to recover more slowly. While you’re under stress, your body is focusing all of its energy to respond to it so it won’t have enough left to recover your muscles. Stress can also affect your sleep and your appetite which are also important factors in your recovery.
If you don’t take rest and muscle recovery seriously, then you’re putting your body at a huge risk. It can cause some serious injuries to your muscles. And if you hit a plateau and don’t see any more results in terms of muscle gain, it’s probably because you’re not getting enough rest. So it’s best to maximize your muscle recovery by having a good diet, enough sleep, and by reducing your stress.
