The Ectomorph Diet

ECTOMORPH DIET 

The Ectomorph Diet 

Guide To Basic Body Building 

Nutrition 

MATT SIMPSON 

2016 

http://ectomorphdiet.org http://facebook.com/EctomorphDietCoach http://twitter.com/ectomorphdiet


Other Books By This Author 

Your Bodybuilding Potential: Personal report to Understand 

Your Specific Limitations - $19.99 

The Ectomorph Diet: Guide To Fast Food - $6.99 

The Ectomorph Diet: Guide To Cutting Fat - $6.99 

The Ectomorph Diet: Guide To Indian Cuisine - $3.99 

The Ectomorph Diet: Guide To Mexican Cuisine - $3.99 

The Ectomorph Diet: Guide To Getting Big on a Shoestring 

Budget - $2.99 

The Ectomorph Diet: Guide To Building Muscle at all Costs - 

$9.99 

The Ectomorph Diet: Guide To Massive Biceps - $3.99 

4 



Copyright © 2016 Matt Simpson 

First Edition: May 2016 

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Cover design, interior layout and ebook 


CONTENTS 

1 

2 

13 

20 

25 

30 

42 

47 

55 

63 

72 

75 

77 

Prologue 

Intro 

The Basics 

Nutrition 

Macros 

Case Studies 

Food 

Recipes: Cutting Protocol 

Recipes: Maintenance Protocol 

Recipes: Bulking Protocol 

Recipes: A Treat 

End 

Contact 


PROLOGUE 

This book has been written with the express purpose of giving 

you immediate practical takeaways for your nutrition planning. 

However I have also included some of my own personal stories 

regarding my approach and opinion on nutrition. 

If you want immediate insights, I totally get it and I suggest you 

(1) Understand exactly what to eat and why to eat it 

(2) Be presented with a complete framework that will show you 

exactly how much you need to eat and what the breakdown 

of food should be. This is personal to you and you only. My 

result would be completely different to yours as our goals, 

training and food preferences are completely different. 

(3) After the framework has been explained I will also provide 

case studies that apply the framework to three anonymised 

test subjects (Ryan, Jai and Jason). 

(4) You can use these to gain a greater understanding of the 

framework and how to apply it to your own situation. 

(5) After the case studies I will highlight some amazing recipes 

that fit into the various goals of a bodybuilder, cut fat, 

maintain muscle and most importantly: building muscle. 

I suggest you print these off and try them as soon as you finish 

the book. They are amazing. With that brief prologue complete, 



INTRO 


INTRODUCTION 

Saturday Morning. 

Cheat day. 

Supposedly the most fun you can have on a strict diet. 

So why was I sitting at a table, by myself, feeling sick and 

dreading the food-binge that I was about to put myself through? 

All food types that I had systematically removed and banned 

were now available for one day that I held sacrosanct. Cheat day. 

The cheat day is supposed to be when you can let loose and 

finally enjoy all your meals rather than worrying about the 

amount of carbs or fat or sugar that are in your meal. If you are a 

Slow Carb dieter then maybe you let yourself eat bread, if you 

are a Low Carb High Fat (LCHF) dieter perhaps a burrito is on 

With such a joyous day of unbridled fun ahead of me why was I 

filled with such dread? I was faced with the promise of all the 

food I could eat, whenever I wanted it, with no limits. Yet the 

only think I could think of was the grind and willpower that it 

would take. I only got one day, so I told myself it better be the 

best cheat day ever to make up for all the things I was giving up 

the other 6 days of the week. Was it worth it? Well my progress 

classic plateau. All of this was meaning that I had no energy in 


INTRODUCTION 

working. 

Thinking back, an entire day (waking up early and going to bed 

late to get the most cheat day consumption possible) of eating 

everything in sight and drowning in a shower of pepperoni pizza 

the most athletic way to spend a Saturday. 

goddamit 

to eat like a Buddhist monk (who really likes steak, fish and 

broccoli) for six days of the week and that means I can pig out 

The dread I felt that morning, before what was supposed to be 

the one day I could actually enjoy eating, made me realise that 

my rules were wrong and the diet I was following was broken. 

Cheat day had become a chore. I needed to find a new, more 

flexible approach. 

3 


INTRODUCTION 

WHAT CHANGED? 

As I began questioning my approach to nutrition I realised that a 

lot of the things that I believed to absolutely true was really just 

- 

friend down at the gym. Even worse I had completely bought in 

Asprey) despite the fact that 

all of the fittest and most muscular people I knew all ate carbs! 

These were the main questions that I pondered: 

Why am I so lethargic? 

I had believed that carbs would make you tired and bloated 

Taubes. However now I 

was starting to believe that the low carbohydrate approach to 

dieting forced me to not eat enough and was not just not 

appropriate for someone training regularly (6 times a week). The 

fact that I had completely cut out carbs was causing me to 

consume very low calories, relative to my level of exercise. This 

made me tired and irritable as my recovery was not being 

supported by appropriate nutrition. Cheat days where I 

attempted to address this calorie imbalance left me nauseous 

and bloated. 

Was I as muscular and lean as I was before starting this diet? 

To begin with there was certainly measurable progress in terms 

of fat loss on the Low Carb + Cheat Day diet. As I had cut out 

one macronutrient completely I had significantly lowered my 

calories. This created fast initial changes but I quickly plateaued. 

Whilst I was definitely leaner, I was also less muscular. 

3 


INTRODUCTION 

Was I strong? 

This is probably contentious territory but I believe that the low 

carb diet I was following limited my strength. In my opinion this 

is due to a consistent calorie deficit not providing me enough 

energy to sustain training with a high level of intensity. There are 

some people who seem to be able to operate at a high level on a 

consistently low carb diet but I am not one of them. Especially 

for an ectomorph looking to bulk up. Having said that, no two 

people are the same so being dogmatic about one way of 

Lots of different diets work for lots of different people. As long 

as you get the basic principles right and you feel lean, muscular 

and energetic then you should have a lot of wiggle room with 

discipline completely out of the window but it does mean you 

you. 

Was I enjoying the food I ate? 

This was the Kicker. Some of the answers to the previous 

questions can be interpreted either way but this one was much 

less ambiguous. 

No. 

No. 

No. 

There was so much I was missing out on! No seafood tagliatelle, 

no burritos, tacos, quesadillas, no sushi, no bread, no curry! Dave 

Asprey had even convinced me that fruit was bad for me becau- 

4 


INTRODUCTION 

- 

out with my friends because it would inevitably mean coming 

I would even avoid spur of the moment fun like getting ice 

cream, which should be okay to have once in a while. Even if I 

had been super strict and disciplined for weeks, this random 

joyous event would be avoided because I had decided certain 

The Paleo, Crossfit, and LCHF community had also influenced me 

in areas other than just diet. I had started to believe that cardio 

exercises were unhealthy and pointless, meaning that I stopped 

running. This was borne out of general confusion from the 

stopped running, especially because I enjoyed it!. There should 

never be any diet or lifestyle that prohibits you from doing 

exercise that you enjoy. 

So to recap, I had followed all the advice, limited my eating and 

stopped running ( instead just performing deadlifts multiple 

times a week) and what had I got to show for it? I was heavier, 

had lower fitness levels, was scared to hang out with my friends, 

Good work Matt, way to go, you were really killing it! 

5 


INTRODUCTION 

WHAT WAS I DOING WRONG? 

So before explaining the fundamental changes I made to my diet 

and to my lifestyle, I think it is definitely worth calling out the diet 

that I was following. The best-way to describe it would be a 

cross between Tim Ferriss 

Bulletproof diet and my own third hand interpretation of Robb 

Intermittent Fasting thrown in for good measure). An amalgam 

of multiple approaches from a variety of internet gurus, none of 

which were suited to my ectomorph frame, 

One commonality between all of these is that they are someone 

personal filter. S 

eventually ended up not providing a long term solution for me. I 

was also very invested in the burgeoning (now fully blossomed) 

blogging and podcast-verse that had developed for these views 

on nutrition. Whilst I do think that the voice that podcasting 

gives to people has been a wonderful innovation of the 21 st 

century, I also think that the health/fitness/lifestyle podcast 

circuit can be a bit of a self-congratulatory circle-jerking echo 

chamber. At the very least, most vocal proponents of low-carb, 

paleo and ketogenic diets have a set of hypotheses that they are 

rigidly unwilling to test. 

This should not be taken as a complete criticism of low-carb 

diets because for bodybuilders attempting to lose fat for a 

a long-term solution for the ambitious ectomorph. Building 

muscles requires an excess of calories over a sustained period of 

time and carbohydrates are the macronutrient that is easiest to 

consume in high quantities, so not eating them makes it much 

harder, which is completely unnecessary. 


INTRODUCTION 

For a long time, I was a massive proponent of the low-carb diet 

lighter and less muscular than ever before. A typical day for me 

would be: 

Breakfast: Skip breakfast as part of an intermittent fasting 

protocol. The theory is that the body is programmed to burn fat 

definitely still out on whether there is any evidence that this is 

true or particularly effective. 

Lunch & Afternoon Snack: 2 x Protein salad. I would buy a 

three dollar rocket leaf and spinach salad bag, an avocado, six 

dollars of meat from the deli ($3 chicken stripes / $3 salami) and 

a handful of nuts. 

In a vacuum, these meals were extremely healthy, but for 

someone who was resistance training 5 -6 times a 

enough. By the time I got to my afternoon snack at 4pm I would 

have probably only consumed 600 calories and I would be 

exhausted. Nevertheless I would get home from work, hit the 

gym at 6pm and get to the fun part of bodybuilding. Training. 

Evening Training Session: My gym sessions consisted of the 

big three weight lifting classics; 

1. Deadlifts 

2. Squats 

3. Bench Press 

measure. 

I was measured and focused on improving my strength 

incrementally every session (a weight-lifting protocol known as 

7 


INTRODUCTION 

my phone and I still have records of sessions from years ago. 

This meant that I could quickly see when I started to plateau in 

terms of strength and weight gain. I also noticed that it was 

For a 

great deal of time I carried on with the same intense training and 

so-so carb philosophy. 

Dinner: A favourite for dinner after my workout would be a thai 

chicken and cashew stir fry with no coconut rice (which is a 

damn shame!). Whilst delicious, the fact that I deprived my body 

of calories after my workout definitely hindered my muscle 

growth. For a short period, say one to two months, this dietary 

restriction would have been effective at helping to lose body fat 

but over the long term it hindered my muscle growth and meant 

I struggled to overcome the limitations of my ectomorph frame. 

Most week days would follow exactly the same pattern, aside 

from unholy binges during cheat day on Saturdays. This meant 

that I was living in a constant battle with hunger and fear of 

eating the wrong types of food. The constant terror of eating 

foods that would throw me out of someant 

that I avoided plenty of perfectly healthy meals and was a 

nightmare to be around for both my partner and friends. 

Some food types that I now believe are perfectly healthy but are 

banned, or at least discouraged, by low carb style diets include: 

• Rice (brown / white / wild / black) 

• Bread (Multigrain / Sourdough / Wholemeal) 

• Potatoes 

• Sweet Potatoes 

• Pumpkin / Butternut Squash 

• Fruit 

• Oats / Cereal or any sugary products 

8 


INTRODUCTION 

I even recently read 

cause inflammation and for that reason should be avoided. This 

drives me crazy because not only is there no evidence of this 

claim, it also encourages people who want to be like Tom Brady 

to avoid tomatoes. People should be eating more tomatoes not 

less! They are perfectly healthy, with plenty of minerals and 

nutrients that are great for the body. Avoiding tomatoes is 

moronic. I can say this because I absolutely avoided tomatoes 

during this period in my life because I was so hell bent on 

So steadfast in mind of the ideas of the paleo / bulletproof 

community, I would disregard anyone who had a different 

opinion to me, essentially shutting myself off from new 

experiences. 

Needless to say I needed a new approach. This was crystallised 

on that Saturday where I just had enough. I needed a new 

approach to nutrition that would fuel my body with energy and 

give me a better understanding of the food that I was eating. 

The purpose of this book is to show you the framework that I 

found, that thousands of people have implemented to create 

long term changes to their physique. It can be malleable to your 

lifestyle and aesthetic goals and not only that, it has been proven 

time and time again to work in multiple scientific studies. Rather 

than quoting these studies at you, and breaking down the 

theories of the Non-exercise activity thermogenesis and calorie 

deficit, I will aim to break the theory into smaller practical 

takeaways that you can implement immediately. 

to have to wade through numerous research papers, journal 

references and to be forced to determine fact from 

exaggeration. This book is a document of my approach to 

nutrition which I am confident works and you can track 

9 


INTRODUCTION 

directly - to prove that it is working. 

Before we begin, just be warned that this is not a magic bullet, in 

it is a permanent lifestyle change. For example, a crash diet of 

back on if you return to your previous dietary habits. Instead this 

book will empower you to make permanent changes to the 

muscle:fat composition of your body over a long, consistent time 

horizon. 

Consistency of habit is how you create change. buildings do not 

appear out of thin air, they are built step by step and this is how 

you must approach changing your body. Set small goals and 

bricks are, provided every day you take a positive step. 

An example of this approach could be to target adding 0.25 kg 

of muscle a week. That might seem like nothing and you might 

be tempted to give up but if you were consistent and kept this 

growth level consistent you might be able to add 13 kg (just over 

28lbs) of muscle in a year. This would be a tremendous 

achievement! You would have completely changed your body. 

The lesson is that to truly transform your body you must be 

willing to invest in a long-term commitment to micro 

achievements rather than drastic immediate transformation, 

which just 

-term period. 

Now that we understand the underlying approach that anchors 

the book I reckon we are ready to learn more about the 

systematic frameworks and nutrition basics that bodybuilders 

use to build muscle and lose fat. 

9 



THE 

BASICS 


BASICS 

Dave 

bodybuilding nutrition. It is both extremely simple to understand, 

although often difficult to implement effectively: 

follow the high-protein, medium carb, medium fat, no fad 

bodybuilding diet 

If you follow these principles you 

wrong with your 

nutritional planning but it can create a lot more questions than it 

turn you into a desperate, confused 

wreck. 

What are the fads??!! Arrgggghh 

Not to fear! This will be answered as we work through The 

Ectomorph Diet Guide to Basic Bodybuilding Nutrition but any 

keen ectomorph looking to bulk up should remember this quote 

every time you encounter a Paleo-ism or semi-researched 

ketogenic diet opinion. 

In the upcoming sections of the book we will get much more 

granular into the specific amounts of calories and protein to 

consume for your level of exercise. This may seem complex and 

detailed but if that is the case, just remember the words of Dave 

Draper as your guiding principle and understand that you are 

trying to hit targets. No Fads! 

With bodybuilding, the main goal is to build muscle so unless 

you are cutting fat for a competition, or to look good for beach 

season, more is always more. Train harder, eat more calories, eat 

more protein, rest more. Always more! Limiting food 

consumption should only ever be a short-term part of a 

nutritional plan. Eating less means you cannot train with the 


BASICS 

same ferocious intensity you need to build muscle. It also cuts 

back your recipe options and gives you less energy. You will lose 

fat but you will definitely not build muscle at the same rate. The 

best you can hope for is to preserve the muscle that you have 

built. 

Where Paleo, Keto and LCHF Get It Wrong 

To jump straight to the basic bodybuilding nutrition information, 

First I want to lay out why I 

believe following nutrition plans like the one in this book (or 

other macronutrient based diets) are superior for bodybuilding 

when compared to current popular diets such as Paleo, Low 

Carb High Fat (LCHF) or Ketogenic Diets. 

comforting but is often leads to pointless or dangerous habits 

being ingrained into certain people. An example of this is that 

(i.e. carbs). There is also a suggestion that peer pressure within 

the low carb tribes is such an influencer that it can often trigger 

This 

the long-term. 

I am never a fan of diets that require you to completely cut out 

certain foods forever because it is not sustainable. You cannot 

build a new lifestyle without including any joy for eating food 

that you love. Some ways to get around this is the previously 

into just one day. The problem I have with this is that diets that 

have cheat days are often very restrictive the rest of the time, 

eat 

12 


BASICS 

foods that you should probably consuming throughout the week. 

Rice, potatoes and pasta should be staples of a bodybuilding 

diet because they are filled with energy and have a whole heap 

relatively high in carbohydrates so make sure the amount you 

have fits within your daily target but there is no nutritional 

reason why you should avoid pasta, especially if it is one of your 

Coeliacs need to be worried about gluten and society should 

cater to their needs but those without diagnosed coeliac disease 

should feel free to eat gluten without negative effects. 

Conversely, if you hate foods containing gluten then there is no 

obligation in Basic Bodybuilding Nutrition to eat foods that 

contain it. Go for rice, quinoa or sweet potato instead. On a 

macronutrient level, if you match the total carbohydrates there 

will be no difference to your goals or your gains. 

calories from natural healthy food, 10% processed food and allow 

yourself 10% of your daily calories as a treat from whatever 

get in the way of your training, it is not going to kill you. 

One thing that I would encourage everyone to do is to cook and 

prepare your own meals. You can quite easily stick to basic 

bodybuilding nutrition with takeaway meals but it is harder to 

meet the 80% level of natural, fresh food. There is something 

more fulfilling about the connection you have to your food when 

you are the one who prepared it. When you learn to cook your 

meals, you know exactly what is going inside your body and 


BASICS 

you can be more connected and mindful of the nutrients in the 

variety of foods that you eat. It also means you can really enjoy 

the treats that you let yourself have. 

Another problem I have with low-carb, Keto and paleo diets is 

that they start from the assumption that carbohydrates make 

you fat 

carbohydraty-ness. I have never 

seen a sensible argument put forward to rule carbohydrates out 

of your diet completely. There is some pseudo-science about 

gluten in the diet but ruling out carbohydrates completely is - in 

my opinion ridiculous and certainly counter-productive to an 

ectomorph looking to put on some serious muscle. 

Ruling out carbohydrates completely just makes it too difficult to 

consume the required amount of calories. 

The basic tenet of the Paleo diet is that we should eat what 

Paleolithic man would have eaten 10,000 years ago. Not a bad 

place to start but this rules out all sorts of nutritious food 

including cheese, oats, potatoes, rice, pasta and anything 

containing gluten. The theory is that human beings have not 

evolved to process them effectively. Instead we should eat meat, 

fish, vegetables and lots of healthy fats such as avocado, nuts, 

butter and eggs. BUT NEVER MILK! (Even though there are no 

credible studies that prove milk has any negative effects on 

health outcomes). 

at, 

but I believe that the vilification of carbohydrates in the LCHF 

and Keto communities is unhelpful for ectomorphs looking to 

pack on muscle. It also promotes conjecture as fact and will stop 

people from eating foods that they enjoy, which is a sorry way to 

go through life. 


BASICS 

What is interesting about Paleo, LCHF and Keto diets is that they 

can be really successful in helping people lose weight. In fact 

many of the recipes you will find at the end of this book are 

Paleo and Low-carb compatible but the reason that they work is 

misunderstood by those who follow the diets. 

If you completely shun carbohydrates from your diet then you 

up your diet. 

1. Protein (4 calories per gram) 

2. Carbohydrates (4 calories per gram) 

3. Fat (9 calories per gram) 

Technically Alcohol is also a macronutrient but it is not an essential 

nutrient for growth and survival. So much so, the body views it as a 

a surprise to you) 

If you cut out one of these three macros then you have vastly 

nature a low carb diet will force people to cut their calories and 

they do this by labelling the carbohydrates as the reason for you 

not putting weight. This is the same as extreme low fat diets that 

were all the rage in the 1980s and low protein diets popularised 

after the China study was published by T. Colin Campbell. 

secret to losing weight is actually very simple. Exercise more and 

lower your calories for a consistent period. Not always easy but 

it works. 

This context is important because the largest problems for 

ectomorphs is very rarely weight- 

15 


BASICS 

Building lean muscle is the main concern of the skinny 

hardgainer and calories hold the key here too. An ectomorph 

must eat more calories than they burn through exercise and their 

metabolism, whilst performing intense resistance training 

specifically targeted at building strength and muscle. 

Once you are ticking those two boxes, now you can dig in a bit 

further and understand how to break down your calories. 

For instance if you know that you need to eat 2200 calories, how 

do you know what food to eat. What is the macronutrient 

breakdown (Protein: Carbohydrates: Fat) of the calories you 

must consume? 

16 


PROTEIN 

CARBS 

FAT

NUTRITION 

Understanding Macronutrition 

Macronutrition is about the balance between the three types of 

nutrients that provide calories (or energy for the body). Micronutrition 

is the breakdown of the actual vitamins, minerals and 

amino acids in your food, I discuss this in passing but the main 

principle of this book is 

your training right then the rest will follow. Understanding your 

target macros is the key to effective, results-driven and 

ultimately flexible dieting. It provides a framework to allow you 

to understand your goals, calculate what you need to be eating 

and then to experiment within your set targets. If your goals 

change then your diet may change with it but the framework 

stays the same. 

to eat enough and you have an extremely fast metabolism, then 

you would adjust your diet so that you eat the minimum amount 

of protein needed (as protein is satiating and deadens hunger) 

and replace the rest of your diet with healthy fat and easy to 

consume carbohydrates in high quantities. Whilst promoted as 

the quick and easy key to muscle growth, eating as much protein 

as possible it is not always the best idea in a muscle building 

target then worry about other more important things in your life 

like who your football team has signed or whether Jenny in the 

accounts team is annoyed with you. 

When the time comes that you want to look extremely lean then 

you can adjust the framework for 

protocol, which 

drastically reduces calories but keeps protein high. An example 

of something you might eat when you are cutting is tuna steak, 

which is high in protein but very low in calories. It satiates the 

18 


NUTRITION 

body and provides nutrients for growth but keeps calories low to 

burn fat whilst helping maintain muscle mass. 

This process of cycling through the three dieting stages of 

cutting, maintenance and bulking is the most practical approach 

to bodybuilding nutrition and means that you never have to go 

to lose muscle, maybe you bulk for a bit. If you have been 

bulking for a while and want to lose some body fat then start a 

cutting protocol. Either way, most of the time you want to be in 

maintenance. Slowly build muscle through your resistance 

training and give your body the nutrients it needs to recover, 

repair and grow. That way whenever you make a change to your 

just the nutrition plan you follow as part of your lifestyle even 

when your goals have changed. This prevents long periods of 

low carb starvation that saps your energy for resistance training 

or high fat, high calorie dieting stretches that help you build 

muscle but also mean you put on fat and lose athleticism. 

The best approach to have a goal of being consistently in a 

maintenance diet state. This is purely because it the most 

practical way to approach a healthy life. Consistency is key and 

the maintenance protocol gives you a lot of leeway in terms of 

the food you eat. You set your daily calorie target and then 

attempt to hit it everyday without worrying too much. If you go 

over your calorie target for one day by 200 calories then 

worry too much but be a bit more strict on the next few days at 

actually hitting your target. Being flexible around your targets by 

thinking long term will help you enjoy time with your friends and 

will help you prioritise your activities. I have always found that I 

am most happy at maintenance. Cutting is hard on your body 

because you are constantly hungry and bulking is hard on your 

lifestyle because you are constantly eating (not always polite). 


NUTRITION 

The approach of setting practical targets that are also 

realistically achievable in the short term, with more ambitious 

long term goals is also an extremely valuable approach to 

achieving success in all walks of life. 

Set an ambitious long term goal: 

• I want to put on 10kg, be 10% body fat and deadlift 150kg) 

Set achievable short term goals: 

• Gain 1kg a month 

• Add 5kg to my bench press over the next month 

• This will help get you to this ambitious long term goal 

As you work towards the long-term goal, monitor your situation 

and react accordingly (i.e. I want to cut fat now or I am very lean 

and would like to bulk up during winter). Be open to new 

information and new approaches but be sceptical of any new 

that seems too good to be true. The key to success is repeating 

basic principles consistently over a long period of time. 

The main area where most popular diet plans get it wrong is that 

they often lack flexibility for the individual. For instance, I need a 

very different diet plan to The Rock. If I ate as much protein as 

he does every day my body would probably shut down forever 

due to a cod-induced coma. When you look at the two of us 

recovering ectomorph whereas he is a 6ft 5in, 120kg, monster of 

an athlete. His metabolism is a furnace and his muscle to fat ratio 

common principles from the same framework. 

Following the principles in The Ectomorph Diet Guide: To Basic 

Bodybuilding would mean that I should consume between 150- 


NUTRITION 

180 grams of protein whereas Dorian Yates (six time Mr Olympia 

winner) in his prime during a cutting phase should probably be 

eating around 310lbs of protein. For me this amount would be 

useless but for him it is essential because he has so much more 

muscle to maintain than me. 

In the next chapter I will get down to the fun part. Explaining 

exactly how to calculate your required levels of protein, carbs, 

fat and overall calories. 

21 


MACROS

MACROS 

How to Calculate Your Basic Bodybuilding Nutrition Plan 

STEP 1 

Determine Daily Calories 

The first step to building out an effective bodybuilding nutrition 

plan is to understand how much energy your body requires. This 

depends firstly on your goals (cutting / maintenance / bulking), 

your lifestyle (active / sedentary) and how often you lift weights 

and train. Obviously calculating your calories with this method 

assumes that you are performing resistance training a least two 

times a week (otherwise why else would you be interested in a 

bodybuilding nutrition plan?). If the calculations below get too 

the book to help you understand. 

(1) Find out your bodyweight in lbs 

(2) Rate yourself on this scale 

a) Sedentary Job, Resistance Training 2 3 times a week 

(1 Point) 

b) Sedentary Job, Resistance Training 2 3 times a week 

and play sport regularly or regularly perform cardio (2 

Points) 

c) Relatively active lifestyle, Resistance Training 3 5 

times a week plus regular cardio (3 Points) 

d) Intense Resistance Training 5 6 times a week, plus 

regular cardio (4 Points) 

(3) Determine your Goals: Bearing in mind that most people 

should probably start at maintenance and adjust based off their 

results from trialling maintenance. 

a) Cutting: Start at ten and add the number of points 

you calculated in (2) 

b) Maintenance: Start at 14 and add the number of points 

you calculated in (2) 


MACROS 

c) Bulking: Start at 18 and add the number of points you 

calculated in (2) 

(4) Multiply your bodyweight (in lbs) by the number you got in 

step 3 and there you go! That is your target daily calorie intake. 

Step 2 

Determine Required Protein 

Protein is the primary building block for muscle growth so you 

have to get this right. 

Cutting: Take bodyweight and multiply by 1.2 

Maintenance: Take bodyweight and multiply by 1 

Bulking: Take bodyweight and multiply by 0.8 

Convert this number to grams and you now have your target 

level of daily protein. It is not a disaster if you hit your 

target but it is also pointless to go over because you will get no 

extra benefit in terms of growth and there are get other (more 

appetising) sources. 

Step 3 

Determine Your Daily Fat 

Fat is key to any healthy diet plan, good healthy fats from olive 

oil, nuts, avocado and dairy are all massively helpful in providing 

nutrients for muscle growth to your body. Unfortunately, unlike 

recent trendy diets that tell you to replace fat with 

carbohydrates as the key to losing body fat, this diet cannot. 

Eating fat will not help you lose fat. It will give your body fat to 

burn for energy, the same way that carbs will. Despite that quick 

digression, fat is really important. 

You should target between 0.3 0.6 grams of fat per lb of 

bodyweight. If you really like fatty foods like avocado, bacon, 


MACROS 

cooking oils, fatty fish and nuts then choose a number at the 

higher end of the scale (i.e. 0.5 0.6) but if you prefer pasta, rice 

and bread then choose the lower end of the scale (i.e. 0.3 0.4). 

to suggest that when calories and protein are kept constant, the 

ratio of fat to carbohydrates has no bearing on weight loss. So 

set your target amount and then if you find you are missing 

bacon or bread then adjust your ratio (on the 0.3 0.6 grams 

per bodyweight scale) accordingly. 

Step 4 

Determine Carbohydrates 

The final part requires a couple of fast calculations. 

1. Take the total grams of protein you calculated in Step 2 and 

multiply it by four this will give you your total calories from 

protein 

2. Take the total grams of fat that you calculated in Step 3 and 

multiply it by nine this will give you your total calories from 

fat 

3. Take the total calories that you calculated in Step 1 and 

minus the sum of your protein and fat calories. This is your 

total calories from Carbohydrates 

4. Divide your carbohydrate calorie total by four to understand 

the amount in grams 

5. 

effectively plan your Ectomorph Diet Basic Bodybuilding 

Nutrition 

a) Target Calories 

b) Target Protein (grams) 

c) Target Fat (grams) 

d) Target (grams) 


MACROS 

Hot Tip: I have found that one of the easiest ways to track your 

calories and macros is through the MyFitnessPal app, which you can 

easily get on the App Store or Google Play store. It will allow you to 

easily estimate the macros of your meals and even better if the food 

To help put all of this into context, so you can see exactly how it 

might work for you then check out the next few pages which are 

anonymised case studies that you can use to base your own 

basic nutrition plan on. 


CASE 

STUDY 

#1 

RYAN

CASE STUDY 

young but not as fit as he once was. When he was young he 

played a lot of sport, was into running and also lifted weights. 

Whilst he still tries to get to the gym two to three times a week 

he has found that his sedentary job means that he has less 

energy when he does go to the gym. He is in pretty good shape 

compared to his peers but he wants more energy and more 

bang for his buck from his sessions. The main goal however is to 

get really lean before trying to pack on muscle again. He does 

some cardio and plays casual sport on weekdays, which he 

enjoys, but feels like this is getting in the way of his training. 

Unfortunately Ryan is a typical millennial and is active on forums 

and social media for fitness tips and motivation. He has found a 

lot of contradictory information being espoused by people with 

completely different approaches who all seem to have been 

are ripped, 

low carbers who are in great shape and others who look 

completely normal and unimpressive. Then he goes to the beach 

and notices that the surfers with six packs only eat burgers and 

how can 

they have muscles? And the surfers are surviving off chip fat, 

vegetable oil, red meat and bread! The internet says those things 

are poison? 

So what should he do? 

Ryan wants to carry on building muscle but he already has a 

relatively muscular frame due to the years of exercise. His main 

goal is to get a lean, fit and healthy body again. For that reason 

his main goal should be to burn more calories than he consumes. 

Luckily his body will do most of the work, keeping him alive, 

warm and breathing. Exercise and a low calorie diet will do the 

rest, 


CASE STUDY 

RYAN S MEASURABLES 

Height: 

Weight: 65kg (143lbs) 

Body Fat: 15% 

Exercise: 2-3 resistance training sessions per week + Sport 

Lifestyle: Sedentary 

Goal: Lose fat, build muscle 

Step 1 

Calculate Calories 

(1) Bodyweight in lbs: 143lbs 

(2) Sedentary Job, Resistance Training 2 3 times a week and 

plays sport regularly (2 Points) 

(3) Cutting Protocol (10 points) + Sedentary Job, Resistance 

Training 2 3 times a week and play sport regularly or regularly 

perform cardio (2 Points) = 12 points 

(4) 143 x 12 = 1,716 calories 

1,716 calories may seem low but the point here is that Ryan wants 

to get lean so he must burn more calories than he consumes. The 

goal for cutting should always be to get 10% body fat, so once 

he has reached this he should change his goals and move to a 

maintenance protocol. As I have said multiple times, low calorie 

diets should always be temporary. 

Step 2: Calculate Macros 

Protein: 143 x 1.2 = 176 grams 

High protein is key during the cutting phase, moreso than any 

other phase of dieting. It is extremely satiating which helps with 

a low calorie protocol and also helps to maintain muscle mass 


CASE STUDY 

even while the amount of energy the body gets is decreased. 

This is a high target so lean meat and whey protein shakes are 

encouraged. 

Fat: 143 x 0.4 = 57 grams 

Carbohydrates: 

Total Calories: 1,716 kcal 

Calories from Protein: 176 x 4 = 704 kcal 

Calories from Fat: 57 x 9 = 513 kcal 

Calories left for Carbs = 499 kcal 

) 

either he reaches his goal or his fat/weight loss plateaus. Then he 

should reassess his path and set another short term goal. No 

target calorie amount should ever stay the same for longer than 

a month when you are cutting (in maintenance this can be much 

more fluid but unfortunately you do have to be more rigorous 

when you are cutting). 

SUMMARY 

PROTEIN: 176 grams / 704 kcal 

CARBS: 125 grams / 500kcal 

FAT: 57 grams / 513 kcal 

TOTAL CALORIES: 1,716 kcal 


CASE 

STUDY 

#2 

JAI

CASE STUDY 

Jai is a seriously fit guy, he works out with weights at least five or 

six times a week and also throws in two to three hours a week 

worth of intense cardio sessions. He probably trains too hard but 

life too. As a medical student training to be an orthopaedic 

surgeon he spends his days walking around the hospital and is 

very active. 

Jai wants to be able to eat enough to sustain this way of life 

particularly want to put on a tonne of extra muscle 

muscular already and would prefer to stay lean rather than 

putting on extra weight that will hinder his active lifestyle and 

mean he has to buy new clothes (one of the underrated 

annoyances of bulking up). He has tried the Paleo diet and whilst 

he felt great for a while and was extremely lean, eventually he 

hated having to give up rice and noodles whilst he was trying 

out Paleo. 

The perfect diet for Jai, the diet he has been crying out for, is 

one that gives him the energy to allow him to train with intensity 

on the day and fuel his body for recovery to allow him to train 

just as hard the next day. 

to the calculations! 


CASE STUDY 

JAI S MEASURABLES 

Height: 


Bodyfat: 10% 

Exercise: Intense Resistance Training 5 

Lifestyle: Active 

Goal: Fuel his athletic lifestyle 

6 times a week, plus cardio 

Step 1 



(2) Intense Resistance Training 5 6 times a week, plus regular 

cardio (4 Points) 

(3) Maintenance Protocol (14 points) + Intense Resistance 

Training 5 6 times a week, plus regular cardio (4 Points) = 18 

points 

(4) 165 x 18 = 2,970 calories 

Step 2: Calculate Macros 


High protein is less important during a maintenance protocol 

because the body should be effectively synthesising protein for 

muscle repair. As with cutting you should be focusing on 

meeting your protein target, for maintenance still focus on 

meeting your calorie target and getting enough protein but in 

this case anywhere from 120g 165g would likely be sufficient. 

However I think it is best to follow the numbers from the model. 

Fat: 165 x 0.3 = 50 grams 

Jai has an Italian background and as such loves carbohydrates. 


CASE STUDY 

He was raised on ciabatta, breadsticks, tagliatelle and pizza so to 

get as much as he can, has set the fat requirement for his 

nutrition plan very low. 





Calories left for Carbs = 1,860 kcal 

Grams of Carbs: 465g 

Here is a great example of how the same framework can throw 

up a drastically different nutrition plan (similar to me vs The 

Rock). Jai has a diet high in carbohydrates because he exercises 

like a maniac and he need the calories. Carbohydrates are the 

easiest macro to consume in high quantities and he has a 

preference for carbohydrates over fat as his energy source. This 

means he will eat a whopping three times as much carbs as 

Ryan, just to sustain his athletic endeavours! 

The best thing to remember with these values is that they are 

just targets, if Jai was to start putting on weight then he could 

adjust his nutrition to lower his daily calories. Conversely if he 

wanted to pack on muscle then he might consider stopping the 

cardio to burn less calories and upping his calorie consumption 

by raising his fat or carb intake. 

SUMMARY 


CARBS: 465 grams / 1,860 kcal 




CASE 

STUDY 

#3 

JASON

CASE STUDY 

Jason desperately wants to bulk up. He has always been skinny 

and light with little musculature but he also manages to have a 

relatively high body fat for someone as skinny as he is. Jason is 

the archetypal skinny fat Ectomorph. He finds it impossible to 

build muscle and also takes a long time to recover from his 

workouts meaning that he needs to take days between sessions. 

Although he classifies himself as skinny-fat, Jason is still pretty 

going running and playing soccer. The main problem that he 

struggles with is his lack of appetite and also the fact that as a 

student he has a very active lifestyle. 

Jason is perfect for the bulking protocol. 

MEASURABLES 

Height: 


Bodyfat: 14% 

Exercise: Resistance Training 2 

sport and performs cardio 

Lifestyle: Active 

Goal: Put on muscle at all costs 

3 times a week and regularly plays 

Step 1 



(2) This could be either two points or three points but because 

him on this level: Relatively active lifestyle, Resistance Training 3 

5 times a week plus regular cardio (3 Points) 


CASE STUDY 

Note: This show how you are basically doing a guestimate of the 

amount of calories. 

(3) Maintenance Protocol (14 points) + Intense Resistance 

Training 5 6 times a week, plus regular cardio (4 Points) = 18 

points 

(4) 165 x 18 = 2,970 calories 

exactly the same as - even though Jason is 14kg lighter and 

less muscular than Jai. You would probably think that Jai would 

need more. This is a perfect example of the fact that your goals 

have as much of an effect on your nutrition as your weight or the 

amount you train. Which is why a dogmatic nutrition protocol 

such as keto, LCHF or Paleo is not flexible enough for an 

ectomorph. 

Step 2 

Calculate Macros 


Most followers of bodybuilding nutrition will laugh at the idea of 

only consuming just over 100 grams of protein a day but 

remember nutritional requirements are all flexible based on 

training, existing musculature, your frame and your goals. Jason 

recovery and growth as Jai, me or The Rock. What will make a 

difference for him is massively increasing the energy his gives his 

body through his fat and carbohydrate consumption. 


CASE STUDY 

Fat: 135 x 0.6 = 81 grams 

Jason loves fatty foods, he likes avocado, salmon, steak, yoghurt 

and cheese (not necessarily in that order) so sets his fat 

requirement as high as is allowed. 





Calories left for Carbs = 1,809 kcal 

Grams of Carbs: 452g 

Nutrition principles. He should hit his target macros by eating 80 

90% of his foods from natural sources (i.e. get your 729 

calories for your fat target from eating avocados, nuts and 

healthy oils not just 700 calories of ice cream) yet he has the 

flexibility to eat foods that he loves, 

to on another diet. Chewing through nearly 3,000 calories of just 

meat and green vegetables on the Paleo diet would be torture 

and the fat consumption that this would require on the Keto or 

LCHF diet would definitely put you over the 0.6 grams of fat per 

lb of bodyweight limit, and would be extremely unhealthy. 

SUMMARY 


CARBS: 452 grams / 1,809 kcal 




FOOD

FOOD 

What to Eat When following the Ectomorph Diet Guide to 

Basic Bodybuilding Nutrition 

Short Answer: Anything you want, just make sure you hit your 

macro targets (a simple IIFYM approach) 

Long Answer: It can be a bit more complicated than that - but 

only if you want it to be. By following the approach above (i.e. hit 

track and will absolutely see great results. However there are 

some approaches that you can follow to further improve your 

chances of meeting your goals. 

I have already mentioned the 80-90% rule of healthy natural 

food being in your diet. An example of a choice like this might be 

choosing a fillet of white fish over a packet of beef jerky. Yes 

they both might have similar macros but the Beef jerky has been 

through significant processing before it gets to you compared to 

a fresh fillet of cod. Yes you can eat the Jerky and if you stick to 

your macro goals you will definitely see great results in the short 

term. However if you make the healthy choice, you will most 

likely have better health outcomes in the long term. 

This brings up a question, if you are sticking to 80-90% healthy, 

natural food what happens with the other 10-20%? This is your 

daily treat. I suggest that you only assign 10% of the diet towards 

treats, so for Jai and Jason this means roughly 300 kcal of treats 

fancy). With that in mind, filling the space of the remaining 90% 

should be where you can get creative in your meal planning. 

Below is a table that shows some of the foods that you should 

be eating to hit your target macros. 


FOOD 

Protein Fat Carbohydrates 

Red Meat (i.e. Lamb 

Cutlets, Ground 

Beef,) 

Lean White Meat (i.e. 

Turkey Steaks, 

Chicken Fillets) 

Yoghurt (I always 

prefer full fat) 

Cheese (particularly 

feta, halloumi and 

paneer) 

Pasta 

Rice 

Fresh Fish & Seafood Avocado Bread 

Canned Tuna Milk 

Potatoes (Red, 

White and Sweet) 

Eggs 

Olive Oil 

Tofu 

Nuts 

Pumpkin / Butternut 

Squash 

Black Bean Eggs Green Vegetables 

Almonds 

Milk 

Milk 

Yoghurt 

Whey Protein 

As you can see, some of the foods listed above appear in 

multiple categories (a lot of dairy products such as milk have a 

good balance of all three) so it is really handy to use a macro 

and calorie tracker such as the mobile app MyFitnessPal, which 

keeps you on top your macro targets. It is great for tracking 

what you are eating. 

The picture on the next page is the macro breakdown of one of 

my breakfasts (a big one!) which consisted of a spring onion 

omelette, wilted spinach, half an avocado, a tin of tuna, sweet 

potato chips and a bowl of baked beans. Not only was it a great 

start to the day with plenty of high quality calories, I was also 

able to directly track the amount of energy I gave my body. 

MyFitnessPal even allows you to see the calorie amount for each 

ingredient, which is invaluable when you create your own 

recipes. 


FOOD 

Quality over quantity is another 

area that I differ from the Keto 

and LCHF followers, who argue 

that the quality of your food is 

what creates muscle growth. 

Unfortunately for the ambitious 

ectomorph that is just not true, 

the key to muscle growth is 

quality and quantity. Eating high 

always 

easy so having recipes to rely on 

can make it much easier. This is 

also true of any ectomorph who is 

attempting to cut fat. Recipes you 

enjoy makes the process of eating 

less calories much easier. 


FOOD 

It is also really important to make sure you regularly give yourself 

the 10% treat to build in failure to your routine and not be 

ashamed if it. The key to creating long term transformational 

allowed on the diet, it is finding the right approach and sticking 

to it over the long term. One kebab every now and then is not 

going to ruin your nutrition plan! Arnold Schwarzenegger has 

often talked about going for meat pies the day before a Mr 

Olympia competition with his best mate Franco Colombu. This 

every day, you do not have to. 

This is why I try and talk about nutrition instead of diet. A diet is 

short term whereas nutrition is long term, focused towards a 

specific goal. For nutrition you must change your lifestyle 

whereas a diet just limits your current lifestyle, leaving you 

jealous and disempowered compared to the surfers eating 

burgers and fries. 

The best way to change your lifestyle and be empowered and 

energised by your nutrition plan is to take an active role in the 

food that you eat. For sure you can follow Basic Bodybuilding 

Nutrition by just getting takeaway (Thai, Mexican and Sushi are 

particular favourites) but you are ultimately ceding responsibility 

of your health over to a corporation, or a bored and absent 

minded Chipotle employee. Preparing and cooking your own 

meals gives you an understanding of the food you consume and 

will make you much more mindful of your dietary habits. Not 

only that, preparing your own meals is also cheaper and healthier 

than fast food and you can be exactly sure what has been put on 

the plate! 


RECIPES 

CUTTING PROTOCOL

RECIPES 

Low Calorie Recipes for a Cutting Protocol 

than gaining weight. That is why having delicious, fun recipes to look 

forward to is so valuable when you are attempting to lose weight, 

especially as an ectomorph. In Case S 176 

grams of protein and 1,716 total calories. By eating the three meals 

below he would still have 549 calories left and only 56 grams of protein. 

To plug the gap, I would suggest a protein shake between lunch and 

dinner, then one before bed. 

1) Chargrilled Asparagus and Parmesan Salad with Poached 

Eggs and Crispy Sage | Easy | 302 kcal | 

When cutting fat you often wake up with serious hunger pangs, the 

decreased energy you give your body can be difficult to adjust to but a 

satiating high protein brekky can be just what the doctor ordered! The 

warmth of the asparagus and sage combined with the sharp rocket leaves, 

perfectly complements the poached eggs, which anchor the dish. 

2) Chicken, Grilled Peach and Rocket Salad 

| Easy | 474 kcal | 

Chicken, a classic ingredient of any bodybuilding nutrition plan is used here 

with a slight twist. By combining fresh, sweet peach and smoky prosciutto, 

the natural flavour of the chicken is enhanced. There is a lot going on in this 

recipe, it is not a standard boring salad! You can also amend the dish and 

make it extremely low calorie by removing some of the ingredients if needed. 

3) Salmon with Dill Potatoes and Beetroot Pesto 

| Intermediate | 391 kcal | 

Salmon is essential if you are on a cutting protocol. With high protein and 

omega-3 fats it is extremely satiating, which is key as your body will be 

crying out for food. Dill is magic with any fish dish and the potatoes give 

your body slow burn energy. The pesto is an extra flourish but at the end of 

the day your meals should be a pleasure to eat, even when you are cutting. 


RECIPES 

Chargrilled Asparagus and Parmesan Salad with Poached Eggs 

and Crispy Sage 

Serves: 1 

Ingredients 

• ¼ bunch sage, leaves picked 

• 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar 

• Olive oil spray & 1 tablespoon 

of extra virgin olive oil 

• 1 bunch thin asparagus 

(about 125g) ends trimmed 

• Splash of white wine vinegar 

• 3 eggs 

• 50g rocket leaves 

• 1 teaspoon grated parmesan 

Macronutrient Breakdown 

Calories 

(Kcal) 

302 

Protein (g) 30.9 

Carbohydrates 

(g) 

8.2 

Fat (g) 15.1 

* All values are indicative, calculated 

using MyFitnessPal 


RECIPES 

Chargrilled Asparagus and Parmesan Salad with Poached Eggs 

and Crispy Sage 

COOKING INSTRUCTIONS 

Spray the olive oil in a small pan over medium heat. 

Fry the sage for 1 minute or until crisp. Remove and 

set aside. 

To create the dressing, pour the tablespoon of extra 

virgin olive oil into a bowl, stir in the balsamic vinegar, 

season lightly with salt and pepper then set aside. 

Respray the pan with olive oil and chargrill the 

asparagus for three minutes. Lightly season and turn 

once until the asparagus is charred and tender 

In a separate (and deep) pan, bring 3cm worth of 

water to a simmer in a deep frypan and add a splash 

of white wine vinegar. 

Break an egg into a cup, then slide the egg into the 

water. Repeat with remaining eggs, then poach for 4 

minutes for a soft yolk, or to your liking. Remove with 

a slotted spoon 

Divide asparagus, rocket, poached eggs, parmesan 

and sage over the plate. Pour over the dressing and 

4 

serve immediately. 


RECIPES 

Chicken, Grilled Peach and Rocket Salad 

Serves: 1 

Ingredients 

• 1 tablespoons light olive oil 

• 1 tablespoon white balsamic 

vinegar 

• 50g baby rocket leaves 

• 1 large Chicken Breast 

• 1 yellow peach, stone 

removed, cut into 8 wedges 

• 4 slices prosciutto, torn 

• ¼ bunch basil, leaves picked 

• ¼ lemon, zested 


Calories 

(Kcal) 

474 


Carbohydrates 

(g) 

17.5g 

Fat (g) 19.4g 




RECIPES 

Chicken, Grilled Peach and Rocket Salad 


Set oven to grill and the heat to 180C then place 

chicken underneath for 12 minutes or until cooked 

through. 

Whilst the chicken is cooking, place the peach slices 

on a grill pan and cook at a high heat for two mins 

each side or until lightly charred. 

Mix the light olive oil, balsamic vinegar, lemon zest 

and juice from the lemon into a large bowl 

Once chicken is cooked, slice into 2cm strips and add 

to the large bowl. 

Combine the rocket, peaches, prosciutto and basil in 

the large bowl and toss gently to mix the dressing, the 

chicken and the salad. 


RECIPES 

Salmon with Dill Potatoes and Beetroot Pesto 

Serves: 1 

Ingredients 

• Large Salmon Fillet with skin 

• 75g of canned beetroot 

• 1/4 orange, sliced and zested 

• 1 garlic cloves 

• 1/3 cup dill fronds 

• 1 tablespoon light olive oil 

• 20g light sour cream 

• 1 teaspoons wholegrain 

mustard 

• 1 (small-ish) Maris Piper 

potato 


Calories 

(Kcal) 

391 


Carbohydrates 

(g) 

27.1 

Fat (g) 17.2 




RECIPES 

Salmon with Dill Potatoes and Beetroot Pesto 


Chop Maris Piper potato into 1 cm slices, fill large pan 

up to 3cm of boiling water and cook for 10 minutes. 

When finished, season potatoes and cook in the oven 

at 200C for 10 minutes or until golden 

Chop beetroot, add the orange zest, garlic and light 

oil in a food processor / blender. Set aside in a 

separate bowl. 

In another separate bowl mix the sour cream and 

mustard. Season with salt and pepper and add the 

potato slices when ready. 

Heat a large non-stick pan with any remaining olive 

oil, fry the salmon on a medium high heat setting for 4 

minutes then turn the fish, lower the heat and cook for 

another 3 minutes 

Place the Salmon on top of the potato salad you made 

in step 3, dollop the pesto on top of the fish and 

around the potato salad . 

4 

Squeeze the orange juice over the plate 


RECIPES 

MAINTENANCE 

PROTOCOL

RECIPES 

Recipes for a Maintenance Protocol 

Maintenance is great. Ideally an Ectomorph who is not looking to 

compete and is happy with their level of bulk would be in maintenance 

all year round, oscillating between slight tweaks to their diet to lose a 

small amount of fat or gain a small amount of muscle. With maintenance 

you have to be much less strict with your macro targets. Take them 

beer with your friends on a Saturday. If you find you are putting on fat 

then just lower your calorie target for a few weeks. Simple. 

1) Bacon and Cheese Omelette w/Sourdough Toast 


This could be a classic keto or LCHF meal but as I have said multiple times, 

carbs are not the enemy. They are a tool for energy. Seeing as I love bread, I 

had to chuck in a slice with the omelette because they are perfect match. 

Adding the carbs in the bread gives this meal a great balance of protein, fat 

and carbs, so is perfect just before a mid-morning training session. 

2) Tuna Tomato & Potato Salad 


Another lunchtime salad that is extremely easy to knock together. Especially 

if you cook the potatoes and make the dressing in bulk then you can 

probably make this meal in 10 minutes. Perfect for on the go, at work or in 

that inalso 

great for the cutting protocol if you remove the garlic yoghurt dressing. 

3) Lamb Tacos 

| Hard | 394 kcal per serve | 

Lets be fair, that calorie total is disingenuous because you are never going to 

have only one of these amazing tacos! Each one is a taste explosion that 

leaves you wanting more and this recipe can probably make 8 to 10. With 

that in mind it is up to you to be aware of your macro targets and not go 

overboard. Remember you can always save some for tomorrow! 


RECIPES 

Bacon and Cheese Omelette w/Sourdough Toast 

Serves: 1 

Ingredients 

• 1 tablespoon olive oil 

• ½ red onion, thinly sliced 

• 3 rashers of bacon, cut into 1 

cm squares 

• 4 eggs 

• 1 teaspoon grated parmesan 

• ½ bunch of finely shopped 

parsley leaves 

• 1 slice of sourdough bread 


Calories 

(Kcal) 

612 


Carbohydrates 

(g) 

26.9 

Fat (g) 32.3 




RECIPES 

Bacon and Cheese Omelette 


Put a medium sized frying pan over medium-high 

heat. Add half the olive oil first then add the thinly 

sliced onion and the bacon. 

Cook, stirring occasionally, for 3 to 4 minutes or until 

onion is soft and bacon crisp. Remove to a bowl. 

Beat all four eggs and a tablespoon of cold water in a 

bowl until combined. Season with pepper. Preheat the 

grill at 160C. 

Put rest of the olive oil in the pan and lean the pan 

side to side to ensure good coverage of olive oil (add 

a dash more if needed) . Add the egg mixture, 

ensuring it covers the entire base of the pan. 

Cook for three minutes or until the omelette is almost 

set, add the bacon, onion, parmesan and parsley 

Place pan under grill, leaving the oven door open. Grill 

until omelette is lightly browned. Serve with 

4 

sourdough toast. 


RECIPES 

Tuna Tomato & Potato Salad 

Serves: 1 

Ingredients 

• 10 chat potatoes, halved 

• 225g tinned tuna, drained 

• 2 celery stalks, trimmed, 

thinly sliced 

• 100g cherry tomatoes, halved 

• 75g baby spinach 

• 1/3 cup greek yoghurt 

• 1 clove garlic 

• ½ bunch of mint 


Calories 

(Kcal) 

636 


Carbohydrates 

(g) 

76.4 

Fat (g) 15.1 




RECIPES 

Tuna Tomato & Potato Salad 


Place potatoes in a large saucepan. Cover with cold 

water. Bring to the boil over medium-high heat. 

Preheat the oven at 180C. 

Cook for 15 to 17 minutes or until tender, your fork 

should easily be able to slide into the potato. Drain 

and then cut into quarters. 

Place the potato quarters in an oven plate, with the 

whole clove of garlic and cook for ten minutes. 

Mix the Greek yoghurt and mint leaves in a small bowl, 

then squeeze the roasted garlic flesh into the bowl 

and mix again. 

Place potatoes in a large bowl. Add the tuna, celery, 

tomato and spinach. Pour over the dressing made in 

step 4. Season with salt and pepper, toss to combine 

and then serve. 

4 


RECIPES 

Lamb Tacos 

Serves: 4 (at least!) 

Ingredients 

• ½ Orange, zested 

• 1 lime, zested 

• 1 tablespoons olive oil 

• 2 tablespoons tomato puree 

• 1 red deseeded chili 

• 25g chopped oregano leaves 

• 2 teaspoons cumin powder 

• 2 teaspoons smoked paprika 

• 1kg boneless lamb shoulder 

• 4 Plain Tortillas 

• 2 avocados, peeled, mashed 

• 1 white onion, finely chopped 

• 25g chopped coriander leaves, 

• 50g chargrilled chopped 

pineapple 

• Hot chili sauce, to serve 


Calories 

(Kcal) 

394 


Carbohydrates 

(g) 

33.8 

Fat (g) 19.2 

* Values are per taco, indicative and 

calculated using MyFitnessPal 


RECIPES 

Lamb Tacos 


Place the squeezed orange, lime juice and zest in in a 

food processor with the olive oil, tomato paste, 

deseeded chilli, oregano, cumin and paprika. Process 

until smooth. 

Transfer mixture to a glass or ceramic dish. Cut 

incisions into the lamb shoulder and place it in the 

marinade. Turn to coat the lamb in the marinade then 

place it in the fridge overnight. 

Preheat oven to 120C fan forced. Transfer the 

marinated lamb to a roasting dish and season. Cover 

the dish tightly with tinfoil. Roast for 5 hours, turning 

halfway, or until meat is very tender. 

Remove the foil and continue to roast for a further 30 

minutes or until lamb collapses then shred the meat 

and warm up the tortillas following packet directions. 

Grill the pineapple on a grill pan for two minutes each 

side then combine with the onion and coriander in a 

bowl. 

Top each tortilla with avocado, lamb and the 

pineapple, coriander and onion mixture. Serve with 

chilli sauce. 


RECIPES 

BULKING 

PROTOCOL

RECIPES 

Recipes for a Bulking Protocol 

Eating a lot of food everyday, finding time to train regularly with 

intensity and work in a fulland 

it makes you anti-social and extremely irritated when not eating or 

training (not really the best way to go through life). Having said that, for 

some ectomorphs it is a necessary evil before they can return to a more 

balanced maintenance program. All the meals here have extremely high 

calorie counts and require multiple servings. Someone like Jason may be 

better eating one of these recipes and then finding multiple from the 

cutting and maintenance protocols to meet their daily target. 

1) Beef Brisket with Horseradish Mash and Spicy Sweet Potato 

Wedges | Advanced | 1198 kcal | 

A tricky dish that will wow your friends. Perfect for feeding multiple people if 

you increase the size of the brisket (or just stop being so greedy and share). 

However, after all the work that goes into this meal you will want it all for 

yourself. The salty beef perfectly complements the mash and the wedges 

seriously up your carb intake in line with a goal of bulking. 

2) Pad Thai w/Prawns 


a load of great ingredients in a pan and then. If you are in maintenance you 

might get a couple of meals spread out over a couple of days with this one 

but if bulking you will need to eat the whole thing. Awesome! 

3) Chilli Con Carne with Avocado and Basmati Rice 

| Easy | 1044 kcal | 

Another staple of a bodybuilding nutrition plan is a simple and easy to make 

chilli con carne. You can make the portions as large or as small as you like 

up to you - just adjust the ingredients accordingly. With high protein, fat and 

carb content this recipe will seriously fuel your body, although you might be 

a bit tired after finishing it! 


RECIPES 

Beef Brisket with Horseradish Mash and Spicy Sweet Potato 

Wedges 

Serves: 2 (but you should definitely eat both plates) 

Ingredients 

• 1 tablespoon olive oil 

• 200g corned beef brisket 

• 1 onions, sliced and chili flakes 

• 1 garlic clove, finely chopped 

• 2 tablespoons tomato puree 

• 50ml tomato ketchup 

• 50g dark brown sugar 

• 2 teaspoons smoked paprika 

cups and (150ml) chicken stock 

• 3 carrots, roughly chopped 

• 1 tablespoon chopped chives 

• 10g unsalted butter 

• 300g white potatoes, chopped 

• 50ml milk 

• 1 tablespoon horseradish cream 

• 1 large sweet potato (cut in 

wedges) 


Calories 

(Kcal) 

1198 


Carbohydrates 

(g) 

127.2 

Fat (g) 38.6 




RECIPES 


Wedges 


Heat 1/2 the olive oil in a deep pan (medium-high 

heat), season the brisket and cook for 8-10 minutes 

until browned (turn regularly). Remove from pan and 

set aside. Preheat oven at 140C 

Add the remaining olive oil in the frying pan, wait till 

hot and then place the onions in the pan. Cook for 3-4 

minutes or until fragrant. 

Reduce heat to medium then add the tomato puree, 

ketchup, brown sugar and paprika. Cook for 2 3 

minutes. 

Add the stock and bring to a simmer. Return the 

brisket to the deep pan, fat-side up. Cover the surface 

with baking paper and cover with a lid. Place in the 

oven and bake for 2 hours until tender. 

Whilst brisket is in the oven, place the carrot in a pan 

of cold, salted water. Bring to the boil, then simmer 

for 10-15 minutes until tender. Drain, then toss with 

chives and half the butter. Set aside and keep warm. 

Place potato in a separate pan of cold, salted water. 

Bring to the boil, then simmer for 15-20 minutes until 

tender. Drain and return to pan. Heat gently, stirring, 

to remove any excess water. 

4 


RECIPES 


Wedges 


Mash the cooked potatoes until smooth. Add the milk, 

horseradish cream and remaining 25g butter, mix and 

season then stir until smooth. 

Heat vegetable oil 6 cm deep in a wok or large deep 

frying pan over medium-high heat. Deep-fry the 

wedges, in batches, until potato rises to the surface 

but does not colour. 

Transfer wedges to a tray lined with baking paper. 

Cool for 15 minutes then reheat oil and deep fry the 

wedges for 3-5 minutes or until golden. Place back on 

the tray and season with salt and the chili flakes. 

Remove the deep pan from the oven and take out the 

brisket, pacing it on a separate plate to rest, loosely 

covered with foil, for 10 minutes. 

11 

Shred the brisket into thick slices and place on a 

(large) plate, or two, add the horseradish mash and 

carrots. Top with the sauce left in the deep pan and 

add the wedges 

12 

Rest. 

4 


RECIPES 

Pad Thai w/Prawns 

Serves: 1 

Ingredients 

• 200g rice noodles, 25g beansprouts 

• 25ml sunflower oil 

• ¼ packet of tofu, cut lengthways 

• ½ bunch Coriander, chopped 

• 2 kaffir lime leaves, finely shredded 

• 1 lemongrass stem, grated 

• 2 long red chillies, seeds removed, 

thinly sliced 

• 1 spring onion, finely sliced 

• 1 garlic clove, finely chopped 

• 1 small red capsicum, sliced 

• Green beans, cut into lengths 

• Pinch of caster sugar 

• 2 tbs fish sauce 

• 250g peeled uncooked prawns 

• 1 lime, zested 

• 50g dry roasted peanuts, chopped 


Calories 

(Kcal) 

893 


Carbohydrates 

(g) 

86.8 

Fat (g) 38.0 




RECIPES 

Pad Thai with Prawns 


Soak noodles in hot water for 10 minutes until soft, 

then drain. 

Heat oil in a wok or large frying pan over medium-high 

heat. Add half the chopped coriander, kaffir lime 

leaves, lemongrass, chilli and spring onion and stir for 

1-2 minutes or until fragrant. 

Add garlic, capsicum, green beans, sugar and fish 

sauce. Cook for a further 2 minutes, then add prawns, 

tofu, lime juice, lime zest and half the peanuts. 

Create space in the middle of the wok for the tofu and 

prawns to cook, add some extra oil and stir fry for 4-5 

minutes or until the prawns turn pink (better to 

overcook rather than undercook prawns). 

Add the noodles and beansprouts to the wok and toss 

to combine. Serve on a plate or bowl with remaining 

coriander leaves and peanuts. 

Use a couple servings to finish. 

4 


RECIPES 

Chilli Con Carne with Avocado and Basmati Rice 

Serves: 1 

Ingredients 

• 2 tablespoons olive oil 

• 1 large onion, finely chopped 

• 2 garlic cloves, crushed 

• 300g lean beef mince (also 

known as ground beef) 

• 1 can diced tomatoes 

• 1 can kidney beans, rinsed, 

drained, seasoned 

• 2-3 tablespoons hot chilli sauce 

(to taste) 

• 1 avocado, cut into cubes 

• 1 long red chilli, deseeded, 

sliced 

• 1/2 cup (100g) white basmati 

rice 

• 2 tablespoons light sour cream 


Calories 

(Kcal) 

1044 


Carbohydrates 

(g) 

90.8 

Fat (g) 42.0 




RECIPES 

Chilli Con Carne with Avocado, Fresh Chilli and White Rice 


Heat oil in a large heavy-based saucepan over medium 

heat. Add onion and garlic and cook for 5 minutes or 

until softened slightly. 

Add mince and cook for a further 3-4 minutes, 

breaking up with a wooden spoon. Stir in the diced 

tomatoes, kidney beans and chilli sauce then season. 

Bring to the boil over medium-high heat, then reduce 

heat to medium and simmer for 15 minutes or until the 

beef is cooked through and the mixture thickens 

slightly. If the mixture is runny, add tomato puree to 

thicken. 

In a separate pan, heat roughly 5 cm of water, wait till 

boiling then add the rice and cook for 10-12 minutes or 

until soft. 

When ready, find a very large bowl and place the chili 

con carne over the white rice - then top with avocado 

and the red chili. Dollop the sour cream on top too. 

Hot Tip: If you have any plain salted tortilla chips 

around grab a handful and crush them over the top. 

Use the rest of the chips as a spoon to eat the chili. 

4 


TREAT 

(Just for you!)

RECIPES 

Strawberry Crumble with Raspberry, Mint & Apple Sorbet 

Serves: 8 

Ingredients 

• 500g strawberries, top bit 

chopped off and halved 

• 2 tablespoons caster sugar 

• 1/2 cup plain flour 

• 35g butter 

• 20g rolled outs 

• 2 tablespoons flaked almonds 

• 250g of frozen raspberries 

• 2 tablespoons fresh mint 

leaves, torn 

• 1 1/2 cups chilled apple juice 

• Extra fresh mint leaves, to 

serve 


Calories 

(Kcal) 

Protein (g) 

Carbohydrates 

(g) 

Fat (g) 

to know 

N/A 

N/A 

N/A 

* All values are useless, enjoy your 

treat 


RECIPES 

Strawberry Crumble with Raspberry, Mint & Apple Sorbet 


Lightly grease shallow roasting pan (ideal size would 

be roughly 10 inches by 6 inches or 25cm x 15cm) by 

rubbing the butter over all the interior surface. 

Preheat oven to 220C. 

Add strawberries to the pan and toss half the sugar 

over the top. Combine flower and remaining sugar in a 

large bowl and add butter. 

Place oats in a food processor or roughly chop, then 

add to the mixture along with flaked almonds. 

Use finger tips to rub the flour mixture together until 

resembles breadcrumbs, spread over the strawberries 

until they are fully covered and place pan into the 

oven fro 15 minutes. 

Wait until crumble has been in the oven for ten 

minutes. Then place the raspberries mint leaves and 1 

cup apple juice in a food processor. 

Process, gradually adding remaining apple juice, until 

smooth and combined, scraping down sides of 

processor occasionally. Serve with the crumble. 

4 


END

END 

So there you have it. 

A framework to calculate the exact amount of calories that 

you require for your goals, your level of training and your 

eating preferences. Not only that but you have case studies to 

help you work out how to do it yourself and even detailed 

recipes that you should cook. 

I have really enjoyed writing this book and cannot wait to hear 

the results that everyone who reads it is able to achieve for 

themselves. Feel free to get in touch and good luck! 

Cheers, 

MATT SIMPSON 

4 


CONTACT 

You can get in touch with Matt via the Ectomorph Diet 

Twitter and Facebook accounts (see footer) where he is very 

active. 

Send questions, thoughts, anger and anything else you feel 

like through this method or navigate to the website if you 

want to send a specific message. 

If you are interested in seeing any of the future books be 

published (and want to potentially receive a free advanced 

copy!) then please leave an honest review on Amazon. 

get some feedback to put on such a public forum. 

Future Books 

Your Bodybuilding Potential: A Personal report to 

Understand Your Specific Limitations - $19.99 

The Ectomorph Diet: Guide To Fast Food - $6.99 

The Ectomorph Diet: Guide To Cutting Fat - $6.99 

The Ectomorph Diet: Guide To Indian Cuisine - $3.99 

The Ectomorph Diet: Guide To Mexican Cuisine - $3.99 

The Ectomorph Diet: Guide To Getting Big on a Shoestring 

Budget - $2.99 

The Ectomorph Diet: Guide To Building Muscle at all Costs - 

$9.99 

The Ectomorph Diet: Guide To Massive Biceps - $3.99 

4

The Ectomorph Diet

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