We are all created different and unique bust just as beautiful. The human body is complex in nature and so it is our responsibility to nourish and take care of it. The human physique differs from one to another. Knowing what your body type is plays an important role when it comes to wanting to maintain a healthy physique.

Knowing your body’s natural tendencies can help you work with your body, rather than against it. That way, you can customize your nutrition and exercise plan to fit your needs and set realistic goals to help you succeed. Typically, there are 3 dominant body types: ectomorph, mesomorph and endomorph. Your genetics predispose you towards one of the three body types. You can’t change that; however, with dedication to your training and also eating right, you can get closer to another body type.

However, do understand that your daily exercise, diet habits, lifestyle and even metabolic changes through pregnancy or menopause can skew your body type. So if you are uncertain where you fit, just think back about how you looked like in your late teens or early 20s.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION ON BODY TYPES:

• ECTOMORPH BODY TYPE: (GOAL – GAIN WEIGHT)

These are people who seem to eat whatever they want and never gain any weight, because they have a fast/high metabolism. They are usually thin and lanky. They have smaller bone structure with shoulders that tend to be narrower than their hips. Just think of the endurance athletes or a typical model.

• MESOMORPHIS BODY TYPE: (GOAL – LEAN UP)

You have a medium bone structure and an athletic body. You are considered to have the “good gene” because you have an efficient metabolism, which means it’s easier for you to gain muscle or lose fat. If you keep to an active and healthy lifestyle, it’s relatively easy for you to maintain your weight. Yes, you can gain weight, but once you get back into eating well and exercising, the excess weight comes off pretty easily too.

• ENDOMORPH BODY TYPE: (GOAL – LOOSE WEIGHT)

You have a soft, rounder body. You have a stockier bone structure with a larger midsection and hips. You find that you gain fat so easily just by eating one small chocolate bar. But you struggle to lose weight. Your metabolism is naturally slower, hence you have to pay more attention to what you eat in order to get fit. 

These are the 3 dominant body types. You may find that you don’t fit perfectly into 1 category but a mix of 2 body types. Hence you may be:

1. Ecto-Mesomorphs 
2. Meso-Endomorphs 
3. Ecto-Endomorphs 

 Once you find out what body type you fall under its easier to choose exercise sets accordingly

Ectomorphs (Training)

Since your goal is to gain weight and lean muscle mass, we want to focus on resistance training and limit cardio or endurance-type training. Your training should be focused on strength and hypertrophy, which is to build muscle. 

In order to gain strength and size, you want to be lifting heavy. The weights should be heavy enough for you to only be lifting between 6 – 10 reps, with longer rest times, 1 – 2 mins between sets, and go for 3 – 4 sets. Aim to strength train at least 3 – 4 times weekly or every alternate day.  

Ectomorphs (Diet)

When it comes to your diet, you should eat a mass gain-focused diet. Because your body tends to burn off energy faster than other body types, your calorie intake needs to be higher. You should be consuming 750 – 1000 calories more than what you need to maintain your current body. 

The low carb, fat-loss diets are NOT for you! Aim for Higher Carb, Moderate Protein and Low Fat. Go for 50% Carbs, 30% Protein and 20% Fat.

Mesomorphs (Training)

Being naturally strong and respond quickly to exercise, making it easier for you to gain mass, lose weight and stay lean.

For this reason, you want to aim on a wide performance spectrum, focusing on strength, size and endurance. You can dedicate a block of exercises to strength, a block to hypertrophy and a block to endurance training. 

Mix it up and avoid focusing only on one type of training because you will lose muscle mass if you are too focused on endurance conditioning, and you may gain excess fat if you only perform heavy resistance training. 

So for example, incorporate moderate to heavy strength training 3 -4 times weekly and mix it up with HIIT workouts as your cardio 2 – 3 times weekly.

Mesomorphs (Diet)

Typically, your goal is to lean up. You want to maintain your bodyweight, but to lose fat and add muscle tone.

Mesomorphs fall somewhere in the middle, so your macros should be split pretty evenly between carbs, protein and fat. 35% carbs, 35% protein and 30% fat. 

Endomorphs (Training)

When it comes to exercising, resistance training is still key, but adding more endurance training will help to increase your metabolic rate and shed fat. A higher muscle mass will increase your BMR, hence making your body more efficient in burning fat. 

Aim for 3 – 4 days of strength training. Your aim is to complete more work in less time that means shorter rest periods, because we want to keep your heart rate elevated throughout the majority of a session. Go for moderate weights, where you can perform between 8 – 15reps per set, and only rest between 30 – 60 seconds. Incorporate compound movements, because it helps you to burn more calories. Interval and circuit trainings also are very effective as well, which is what most of my workout videos are structured upon.

Endomorphs (Diet)

What’s even more important is your diet. You tend to be more insulin resistant and a have lower

Carbohydrate tolerance. Hence, you should limit your carb intake. You do better on higher protein and fat, with lower carbs. So 20% carbs, 45% protein and 35% fat. Hence, that is why most overweight people do well on a KETO diet. 

Because your body does not tolerate carbs very well, the best method is to AVOID high carb or starchy carb foods outside of the workout window. Only consume starchy foods such as rice, whole grain breads, quinoa, corn, barley, yams, and potatoes AFTER exercising. That means, outside of the workout window, your diet should consist mainly of protein, healthy fats and vegetables. 

What’s your body type and what are your goals? Remember that there’s no one simple solution to achieving your health and fitness goal. 

If you’ve been eating well and exercising, but you are not getting the results you’re looking for, then perhaps you are not doing it right according to your body type. You have to keep trying different methods, see how your body responds and keep tweaking and progressing through the journey. 

And there’s no shortcut. It’s all about being consistent with your workouts, eating a clean and well-balanced diet, managing your stress levels and just trusting the process. And to not forget fitness has no deadline it’s a lifelong journey.