The ectomorph body type is both a gift and a curse: It’s easier to look shredded, but incredibly hard and time-consuming to build muscle.
For Gil Mensah, there was more to it than simply feeling too skinny. At the time, his job required him to be bigger and stronger.
Construction work is tough—long days swinging, lifting, and lugging things. Eventually, all that hard labor started to impact Mensah’s performance on the job. As a naturally thin guy, he tired too quickly and easily, and he found himself unable to keep up with his co-workers. Finally, he decided to change all of that.
Mensah started slow with his transformation: Bodyweight exercises at home and a new diet—McDonald’s was out, grilled chicken was in. Shortly thereafter came a gym membership. Then, some muscle-shocking techniques. Within eight months, Mensah started to see the gains he wanted (and needed).
Fast-forward four or five years, and now Mensah has added a solid 20-25 lbs of muscle to his frame.
In this week’s Men’s Fitness Transformation Tuesday video interview, Mensah gives us his No. 1 reason for hitting the gym, the most effective training method he’s used, and how his life has improved since embracing the fit-life.
