Mention the term ‘ectomorph’ and most people think of the naturally ripped guy who can put away 10,000 calories per day and never put on an ounce of body-fat. Often cursed in the ‘natural’ amount of muscle they carry yet blessed in the leanness department, the ecto is both revered and scorned by his peers for his ability to put away food like a human garbage disposal unit while never losing his abs or gaining an ounce of fat.

However, based on my observations I’ve identified two different types of ectomorphs. One is the naturally ripped ectomorph I described above. The other is what you might call the ‘skinny-fat’ ectomorph. Both groups are naturally thin and tend to have long limbs, long tendons, and small muscle bellies. Both groups have super fast metabolic rates. Yet that is where the similarities end. One group tends to be fast twitch dominant while the other group wouldn’t know what a fast twitch muscle was if it jumped up and bit them in the ass. One group RARELY if EVER gains fat and they put on muscle and strength very easily as long as they eat enough. The other group really struggles to put on any semblance of muscle and strength and they also tend to have a much softer appearance.

For every one of the what could be called, ‘genetically gifted’ ripped ectomorphs, you’ll find plenty of guys that are built like an 80’s rock star - a rake covered in a veneer of lard.

I’ve heard it called ‘scrawny white boy syndrome’, ‘pure hardgainer genetics’ and a few other things; yet regardless of what you call it, the song remains the same. Bodybuilding is difficult for these people. Not only do these folks not have any tendency whatsoever to build muscle, but they don’t have a whole lot of tendency to be lean either. In contrast, the ripped ectomorph is ALWAYS lean and usually very solid and strong for his size. Providing he eats well, he actually has excellent bodybuilding genetics.

The skinny-fat ectomorph is well, just skinny. This type of ectomorph has an entirely different set of problems then the ripped ectomorph. Ever since I first heard Dan Duchaine say, “There’s a big difference between being ‘lean’ and being ‘skinny’, I’ve always been curious about the difference. Now, after about 12 years of observation and a little education I think I’ve pretty much got it figured out. Dealing with the physiology and problems of the skinny-fact ectomorph is what I want to talk about today. But first let’s talk about the physiological differences between the lean ecto and the skinny ecto.

What Causes the Differences and Problems?

You see, the outward appearance of a person (such as the amount of muscle they tend to carry and how easily they build muscle and shed fat), is largely controlled by what internal messages the body is sending to the external parts, such as the muscles, and what those external parts are ‘being told’ to do by the internal signals. Your body has an entire ‘signaling’ network in place that allows various parts of the body to communicate and send messages to other parts, that ‘tell’ the body what to do and how to behave. A hormone is nothing more then a signal or messenger. Your brain releases signals that communicate with your muscles and other peripheral tissues while your muscles release signals that communicate back to your brain and tell it what’s going on. Increase this, decrease that. From a bodybuilding standpoint, what those messages are saying largely determines how well you build muscle and fat.

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What’s the difference between a male and female? It’s all hormonal, and hormones are nothing but internal signals. How about a boy and a man? Again, all internal signaling. Someone with good genetics and bad genetics? Mostly all hormonal. When you see a physical characteristic demonstrate itself ‘outwardly’, such as a scrawny ass hardgainer, what's often causing that characteristic is often somehow related to the overall message carried out by the internal signaling. In the case of the skinny fat ectomorph the message screams, “Stay scrawny and weak!”