Rock Climbing/Rowing, pure ectomorph

[utlagi]

Hi.

My body is very, very much a pure ectomorph body type. I'm 23. I can eat 4000-4500 calories every single day (+2 grams protein / lb body weight) while lifting weights and gain 5 pounds/month at most. Any gains disappear within 2 weeks if I stop working out. Body fat is almost never above 10% no matter what I eat/do. I'm 6'0, most I've ever weighed is 165. Body stubbornly sticks at 153-155 on its own (seriously, it takes SOO much work to make it go above or below this 2# range).

I'm wondering what non-prescription supplements might help me with rowing, which I do competitively. We have two seasons - Spring season is 6-7 minute races (aerobic yes...but also just 7 minutes of hellish total anaerobic output), Fall season are 20-30 minute races (very aerobic, still hellish). My team is very competitive, I'm in all the best boats (with some guys MUCH larger than me), and we basically only bring home gold medals.

I'm also wondering what non-prescription supplements might help me with rock climbing. Strength gains help a LOT for climbing, but bulking up can be counter-productive (flexibility is very important).

Additionally, I would love to not be super skinny, while still maintaining my "normal" body shape to some extent. I have been lifting weights up to 8 months at a time, consistently when I'm "on", for the last 8 years. My strength will more than double while my weight stays the same. It's bizarre.

Endurance is very important to me. I've always been able to do an aerobic activity forever. The other bizarre thing is that despite my size, I have always been able to lift and carry heavier real-world objects than the vast majority of my athletic peers. I can do 25 pullups, 100 valid ROTC pushups in 2 min, and 12 upside-down vertical handstand pushups (shoulders). I recover fast from weightlifting and body-weight exercises.

I'm also extremely competitive, and usually put way more heart into winning than anyone else. I'm somewhat sick of always being underestimated. I know that I can kick people's asses in sporting competition and real fights, but I hate having to prove it for people to believe me. Also I hate actual fighting, and avoid it at all costs, but sometimes other people hit first.

Thanks for the help.

 

[JohnRock]

Less cardio or more food. Bottom line is that you can't train like an endurance athlete expect to look powerful. You can always add more liquid calories if you're having trouble eating more food. Old fashioned oats and whey in a blender with water. Even throw in some peanut butter or something fatty if it's not right after a workout.

 

[ZamaMan]

Olive oil. If you are already eating as much as you claim, ifnyou can't eat more and not growing your oviously burning too many cals sonjust start adding a tbs of oilive oil to your meals till the scale starts moving.

 

[utlagi]

Thanks to both of you.

ZamaMan: I was always averse to eating much fat because I imagined that the calories wouldn't be broken down yet by the time I "needed" them. Therefore most of my calories come from carbs (granola, oatmeal, cereal, bread). This is something I can, and probably will change now.

JohnRock: Yes, I'm having trouble putting more food in my stomach. Eating this much means 5-6 full meals per day, a total of maybe 2.5 hours/day set aside just for eating. I will try the oats/whey blend.
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One thing to know is that once in awhile I'll get depressed, and totally stop physical activity. During these times (up to 3 months at a time) I still eat about the same amount of calories, though they usually increase in fat content - pizza, ice cream, cheese sticks, etc. Still not a pound of overall weight gain, in fact usually I lose 8-10lbs (muscle) coming off a 6-12 month period of regular workouts.

Also, does anyone know how well Cordygen5 or Cordygen VO2 Ultra would help for an aerobic sport like rowing? (Or rock climbing)

 

[ASFh32]

All the rowers I knew in college ate a metric ****-ton. Rowing uses a ton of calories. I'd say you should be closer to 5-6k if you want to gain weight. The other question I'd have is how accurately you're actually counting your calories.