How I Gained Muscle As An Ectomorph

"Stop trying, your body wont ever grow"

These are the words that I heard from my close friends, family and people that I cared about deeply. "Your are naturally small and there isnt anything you can do about it". These words cut through me like a warm knife through butter. At the beginning of my grade 12 year of high school I was the poster child of a wimpy kid. I weighed around 125lbs soaking wet and could hardly lift 20lbs if my life depended on it. 

If You Want Something, Go After It

With my self esteem at an all time low and graduation just around the corner, I decided to see if there was truly "nothing I could do". I was aware of my body type and small frame but wanted people to ask me how I gained muscle as an ectomorph. I started my fitness journey on January 1st, 2013 with a small print out of a workout Arnold Schwarzenegger used to do when he was starting out. This little piece pf paper clung to the wall of my parents at home gym with the help of a few pieces of scotch tape. 6 days a week I would put my head down and tirelessly push and pull weights, ropes and bars around. I felt as though my body was numb to any stimulus I was giving it but I still kept on grinding alone in that room one hour a day, 6 days a week until I noticed something.

I Gained 5 lbs!

 I know several of you will laugh at this but 5lbs for me was a huge breakthrough considering there was no weight gain to be seen in the last three years. My muscles were growing and my skinny weak and frail body was becoming stronger. The uncomfortable feeling of the exercises and chore of working out quickly became by favorite thing to do. My energy skyrocketed and I was able to increase the weight I was lifting seemingly every week! I was now working out in public because my self confidence also was increasing. Now at 135lbs before graduation I was feeling like I could accomplish anything! Until the inevitable happened...

The Plateau That Lasted 6 Months

Yes I hit my first massive plateau.... I was experimenting with different types of supplements and proteins, eating every two hours and even tried setting an alarm at 1am to drink a protein shake! Nothing was working and I was losing all of my motivation and drive. This seemed to last for around 6 months until I finally discovered the main thing that I was missing. The thing that was stopping me from achieving my ideal natural physique.

I Wasn't Drinking Enough Water

I was constantly dehydrated! Then adding all the food I was eating was only making the situation worse. I was killing any progress that I had worked so hard to achieve. I still remember cleaning out an old and stinky one gallon milk jug and labeling it as "Lukas' Jug". After a few days of failing to drink the whole bottle I was reaching my one gallon a day goal and seemingly overnight I was able to break the boundary that stood so tall in front of me for 6 months. This was how I gained muscle as an ectomorph! It has been nothing but growth from that day forward. Growth in any form requires all of the right pieces, sort of like a puzzle. You wont have the product you are looking for at the end if there are pieces missing. I was missing a massive part of my fitness routine and once it was replaced, all the other parts started working together. I am now 24 years old as I write this, sitting at a moderate 160lbs of lean muscle. It has still been a slow climb making healthy and natural gains being an "ectomorph" but I start each year bigger and in better shape than the one before. I have completely trashed 90% of my regular supplements because my body just diddnt need them. I was once reliant on pre workout and pump simulators, but once I started hydrating my body properly I have hardly touched those again. My workouts have so much more energy and my pump is so much more impressive if I consciously make sure to hydrate very well all day long leading up to my workout.

How I Want To Help

For those of you who dont know, my name is Lukas Pfob and I am the founder of BrioBottle. It is my goal starting this company to help create the most healthy living and active minded worldwide community. I wanted to make a product that would be able to stand up to the toughest moments in your life and maybe in some way help you break your plateau or reach the person you never thought you could become. 

-Lukas Pfob