The Dirty Bulk

Q: Hey there James, I just read your article on Bodybuilding.com. I believe I am an ectomorph, however, I am not too sure as ectomorphs are generally tall. I am 156 cm tall and weigh 50 kilos. Yeah really skinny I know.  

I have been going to the gym for about 3 months now, and I can see the difference that it has made.  I was just wondering am I an ectomorph? Also what type of diet should I go on, and is there somewhere you can suggest where I get a diet plan?

Thanks a lot. 
~Shiv


My Answer: Judging by your photos, yes you are an ectomorph.  Ectomorphs are not necessarily tall.  The one distinguishing factor is that they are skinny.

You look fairly lean, so you should go on a See Food diet.  You see food, you eat it.  Plain and simple.  The See Food diet is what is called a "dirty bulk."  You bulk up by eating a lot of food, even junk food.  For a young ectomorph who works out hard, this is an easy way to gain weight.  Older lifters (25+) and endomorphs obviously should not dirty bulk.

If you want to dirty bulk, then eat all of your favorite foods that have a lot of calories.  When I went on a dirty bulk in my younger days, I would eat pizza, burritos, eggs, lox bagels, apples, oranges and chips.  I'd be ingesting a lot protein, fat, carbs and salt, which made me bulk up fairly quickly.

There are some ground rules to a dirty bulk, however.  For one thing, the only liquid you should be drinking is water.  You can drink milk if you're not lactose intolerant.  But avoid soft drinks, energy drinks, sports drinks and juices.  You're ingesting a lot of calories, which will overload your digestive system.  You need to drink a lot of water to make sure your digestive system is running smoothly and not sluggish.

Try not to eat fried foods or deli meats as part of your dirty bulk.  The trans fats that are created from frying foods will interfere with your metabolism and prevent you from gaining quality muscle.  I never found fried chicken to be a good bulking food.  Chips helped me with bulking, because my muscles would suck up all the salt.  My muscles looked and felt swollen after a bag of chips.  But if you want a healthier salt snack, then roasted seaweed is a good alternative.

Deli meats offer salt (which will help you retain some water for bulking), but the quality of protein is not good.  So sandwiches are not very good for bulking up quality muscle.

If you don't have the appetite to eat all the time, then:

1. You're not working hard enough.
2. You should eat an acidic fruit like an apple or orange as a snack to stimulate your appetite.