…that’s the response us hardgainers get when we say we’re skinny because of our ectomorph body type.
Sure, it’s easy to use that fact as a cop-out, because obviously skinny guys can put on weight and build muscle by instilling a few simple habits, but the idea that I “choose” to eat less and thus put on less weight, and that I “choose” to not be a gym junkie out of self conscious are both naive and short sighted.
Perhaps the concept of an ectomorph is not scientifically sound (honestly, I have no idea about anything to do with science), but even if it’s not inherently genetic, the personality, physicality and habits of a certain portion of the population certainly resembles that of the theorized ectomorphic body type.
So let’s pretend that an ectomorph body type doesn’t exist and everyone is constructed in the same way. There are still people who:
- Weren’t brought up with habits conducive to building muscle and being strong.
- Struggle to eat enough food and even don’t like the idea of eating food even when it’s good for them.
- Are self conscious and therefore shy away from training at the gym and other strength building activities.
…these are facts all stemming from my own life and I know that others experience them (perhaps not all, but there’s likely some overlap). And that’s all that really matters. Someone who thinks the idea of an ectomorph is not proven may say “just eat more” and yes, that is essentially what we have to do to gain weight, but it’s not taken into account for the fact that there has to be a reason why we haven’t eaten that much in the past.
And that’s why I will continue to defend the ectomorph label.
Even if it’s not genetic at all, there’s certainly a blend of personality traits and life experiences which meld together and become akin to that of an ectomorph. In this way the label becomes a way to connect with people of similar thoughts, interests and struggles.
