Ripped ectomorph but still skinny?

Ripped ectomorph but still skinny?

Author
Discussion

popeyewhite

19,622 posts

119 months

Saturday 27th June 2015
quotequote all
Centurion07 said:
Muscle may well be attained at the same rate regardless of body type, but 1lb of muscle on a tall, skinny guy is going to look very different than on a short, stocky guy, no?
yes If the current fashion is for large muscle over the long bones, then yes. If it's not, or the skinny guy isn't bothered with the current 'gym look', there's ways of making yourself stand out: Front deltoids, traps, upper pecs, lats. Arms and legs will never be easy to develop because of the length of the levers.

Centurion07

10,381 posts

246 months

Saturday 27th June 2015
quotequote all
popeyewhite said:
Centurion07 said:
Muscle may well be attained at the same rate regardless of body type, but 1lb of muscle on a tall, skinny guy is going to look very different than on a short, stocky guy, no?
yes If the current fashion is for large muscle over the long bones, then yes. If it's not, or the skinny guy isn't bothered with the current 'gym look', there's ways of making yourself stand out: Front deltoids, traps, upper pecs, lats. Arms and legs will never be easy to develop because of the length of the levers.
Exactly. That's what I took the "harder to make gains" comment to mean, and from the sounds of it, OP is already quite big in the shoulder area.

For what it's worth, I think if you want to look "big", given what you've already said, you should hit your chest & lats hard. It will certainly give the impression of size through your clothes, but may accentuate the other areas that are contributing to your skinny look i.e. arms & legs, when it's not all covered up.

Xerstead

618 posts

177 months

Saturday 27th June 2015
quotequote all
Your posture can also make a huge difference to how you look. Slouching and allowing your shoulders to roll forward makes you much narrower as they pull inward, and forward, hiding any size in your chest.
Have a look at this link, notice the difference when he rolls his shoulders forward to when he straightens up again. Easy to check for yourself in a mirror.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V6MiwC90UIo


Art0ir

9,401 posts

169 months

Sunday 28th June 2015
quotequote all
Eat more!

DuncanM

6,109 posts

278 months

Monday 29th June 2015
quotequote all
Beknown said:
...........As for clothes, well I have to buy large shirts and T-shirts in order to fit me correctly in the shoulder. Then I make sure they are slim fit so they taper in however depending on the brand (Ted Baker) I take them to a tailor to reduce even further.

Cheap stuff like NEXT large slim fit T-shirts fit me perfectly though (I'll try Abercrombie or Holister so thanks for pointing that out).

My trousers have gone up from 30" to 32" although elastically stuff like boxers or jogging bottoms I still wear 30" - which is fking tiny again considering how tall I am.
large slim fit are for 15st chunkers smile

You should be wearing medium slim fit if you don't want to look too skinny in clothing.

Anyways, you have a build that most people (including me) would love so stop ya moaning!


Crush

15,077 posts

168 months

Monday 29th June 2015
quotequote all
I'm 5'10 and just under 14 stone. If I wear large clothing I look like a shapeless blob, so usually go for medium slim fit (Next) to show off the shape smile

Grin n Bear (available via Amazon) are pretty good for athletic builds, however I usually have to go for a large there! They're tapered fits so rather than assuming 'large chest = beer gut" or "large neck = due to fatness", they hug the body quite nicely around the waist. They also do hoodies, dress shirts etc

My wife is losing a lot of weight at the moment but was too conscious of her post pregnancy belly (which is there but not as bad as she thinks) to wear the correct size. The result was that she looked like a pumpkin shape.
I lied to her the other week and said that a dress was a size 14 when it was really a 10. She tried it on and loved it! Only downside is the cost of the new wardrobe rofl

MC Bodge

21,552 posts

174 months

Monday 29th June 2015
quotequote all
Beknown said:
I'm going to keep going the gym and making gains, but I dont know if I should just accept being skinny.
I'm not actually sure what your (perceived) problem is.

Being lean, fit & strong (ie. capable of useful/sporting physical activity at a high work-rate, not just a few reps on a multigym) and healthy should be the ideal, not some fashionable, visible notion of "beauty" or masculinity.




didelydoo

5,528 posts

209 months

Monday 29th June 2015
quotequote all
MC Bodge said:
I'm not actually sure what your (perceived) problem is.

Being lean, fit & strong (ie. capable of useful/sporting physical activity at a high work-rate, not just a few reps on a multigym) and healthy should be the ideal, not some fashionable, visible notion of "beauty" or masculinity.
Better to be lean, fit , strong, healthy, big, ripped and awesome though.

LordGrover

33,531 posts

211 months

Monday 29th June 2015
quotequote all
Sounds like me, only younger. Embrace the good genes.
I'm 186cm and 85kgs so maybe a little on the heavy side according to the tables. Thanks to being 'tall' and slim build it's not obvious.
I didn't begin any kind of exercise until I was 40 and weight training at 45. I find it quite easy to add muscle though I accept I'll never have a typical body builder's physique but happy with what may be achieved.
Long limbs and body mean the muscle belly is elongated so while a decent size, never rounded or bulky.

popeyewhite

19,622 posts

119 months

Monday 29th June 2015
quotequote all
Don't like citing brosites but heyho.

T Nation says:

Brachiomorphic Body Type (long limbs)

The lifting emphasis should be on moderate/accelerative work. This body type needs more flexibility training and needs to emphasize distal muscle groups (those toward the extremities). Brachiomorphs need to spend more time on distal muscles since their poor levers predispose them to weaknesses. That means more supplementary work and not just a focus on the major lifts.

MC Bodge

21,552 posts

174 months

Monday 29th June 2015
quotequote all
Z
didelydoo said:
MC Bodge said:
I'm not actually sure what your (perceived) problem is.

Being lean, fit & strong (ie. capable of useful/sporting physical activity at a high work-rate, not just a few reps on a multigym) and healthy should be the ideal, not some fashionable, visible notion of "beauty" or masculinity.
Better to be lean, fit , strong, healthy, big, ripped and awesome though.
Carting around a load of gym muscle is just excess baggage.

Those lads you see with the modern look of big, pumped up arms and not much else don't look particularly awesome.

didelydoo

5,528 posts

209 months

Monday 29th June 2015
quotequote all
MC Bodge said:
Carting around a load of gym muscle is just excess baggage.

Those lads you see with the modern look of big, pumped up arms and not much else don't look particularly awesome.
Depends on your point of view, I'd not view 'excess baggage' as as excess or baggage, but as a good thing. Looking like golden age bodybuilder would be awesome, I'd be amazed if anyone disagrees. (think Frank Zane, Franco Columbu, Arnie, Serge Nubert etc)

MC Bodge

21,552 posts

174 months

Tuesday 30th June 2015
quotequote all
didelydoo said:
MC Bodge said:
Carting around a load of gym muscle is just excess baggage.

Those lads you see with the modern look of big, pumped up arms and not much else don't look particularly awesome.
Depends on your point of view, I'd not view 'excess baggage' as as excess or baggage, but as a good thing. Looking like golden age bodybuilder would be awesome, I'd be amazed if anyone disagrees. (think Frank Zane, Franco Columbu, Arnie, Serge Nubert etc)
Be amazed, I've no urge to look like Arnie did in his prime.

I would like to be lean and fit - a bit like I am now (at 6' and 79.5kg), but a bit usefully stronger, without being too heavy, so that I can still run, cycle, carry a heavy pack, turn my hand to anything.

didelydoo

5,528 posts

209 months

Tuesday 30th June 2015
quotequote all
MC Bodge said:
Be amazed, I've no urge to look like Arnie did in his prime.

I would like to be lean and fit - a bit like I am now (at 6' and 79.5kg), but a bit usefully stronger, without being too heavy, so that I can still run, cycle, carry a heavy pack, turn my hand to anything.
What is your ideal physique? The Pistonhead standard appears to be Hugh Jackman judging form recent threads.... Arnie was at the bigger end of the scale, look at some of the other guys I mentioned.

You don't need to be skinny to be lean and fit- being bigger and more muscular doesn't preclude you from any of the things you mention above. But if you're happy with your lot, then that's no bad thing.


MC Bodge

21,552 posts

174 months

Tuesday 30th June 2015
quotequote all
didelydoo said:
What is your ideal physique? The Pistonhead standard appears to be Hugh Jackman judging form recent threads.... Arnie was at the bigger end of the scale, look at some of the other guys I mentioned.

You don't need to be skinny to be lean and fit- being bigger and more muscular doesn't preclude you from any of the things you mention above. But if you're happy with your lot, then that's no bad thing.
Ideal physique is not something I've ever given much thought to. I don't know what Hugh Jackman looks like without clothes. I'm more interested in being fit, capable and feeling healthy. I do a fair bit of exercise/training when I can and The resulting "physique"/look is just a side-effect. I'm not Arnie, but I'm not devoid of muscle or carrying lots of fat. "Lean" is fine by me.

Just like the air-brushed women in adverts, Extremely muscled men with almost zero body fat isn't normal and the blokes on the front of Men's Health probably don't look like that for 51 weeks of the year, if at all, in reality.

More people generally being " happy with their lot" might save quite a bit of anxiety (and debt!).

WarnieV6GT

1,135 posts

198 months

Thursday 2nd July 2015
quotequote all
The OP probably looks ok, but we all think we're smaller/bigger than we really are. I've lost count of the times I see a guy enter the gym in a stringer vest and think christ he looks huge, then find myself working out in the mirrors next to them and realise I'm actually in far bigger and better shape. It's all about perceptions and we all tend to think on the negative side about ourselves.


chris watton

22,477 posts

259 months

Thursday 2nd July 2015
quotequote all
WarnieV6GT said:
The OP probably looks ok, but we all think we're smaller/bigger than we really are. I've lost count of the times I see a guy enter the gym in a stringer vest and think christ he looks huge, then find myself working out in the mirrors next to them and realise I'm actually in far bigger and better shape. It's all about perceptions and we all tend to think on the negative side about ourselves.

I think you have a point there, as I still genuinely see myself as fat.

MC Bodge

21,552 posts

174 months

Thursday 2nd July 2015
quotequote all
Blokes working out in front of mirrors is the root of the problem, I reckon wink

TurboHatchback

4,151 posts

152 months

Friday 3rd July 2015
quotequote all
chris watton said:
WarnieV6GT said:
The OP probably looks ok, but we all think we're smaller/bigger than we really are. I've lost count of the times I see a guy enter the gym in a stringer vest and think christ he looks huge, then find myself working out in the mirrors next to them and realise I'm actually in far bigger and better shape. It's all about perceptions and we all tend to think on the negative side about ourselves.

I think you have a point there, as I still genuinely see myself as fat.
Yep, I see myself as skinny but several people have told me otherwise and according to my mum I'm starting to look 'heavy' (and protein power has steroids in it) laugh. I suspect in reality I'm somewhere between the two (6'4, ~92kg and fairly lean).




MC Bodge

21,552 posts

174 months

Friday 3rd July 2015
quotequote all