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It is good to know your body type to help you focus on the right training and create realistic goals. Some people are born with genetics that make them naturally larger than others so they have to work harder if their goal is to lose weight. Some people are naturally skinny (to the frustration and envy of others – Beeble) and so have no problem with weight but will have more difficulty in gaining muscle and body tone. Below we describe the 3 main body types to help you understand yourself better, help set yourself attainable goals and plan your program to be more specific to the results you desire.
There are 3 main body types, and these body types play an important part in deciding how to design your program to get you the right results and how much change you should be able to expect.
Ectomorphs
This body type is a smaller body frame in width and depth, more slender with narrow hips and shoulders, and often a smaller skeletal frame with little fat and natural muscle, the good news for an Ectomorph is they have little worry about being overweight!
For an Ectomorph it is harder to gain muscle and fat so they have to work much harder at it, eat more to help them gain size and work harder in the gym to gain muscle tone. For most females this is their ideal body type however for the typical man it can be quite frustrating as it is hard work to gain muscle.
Exercise for an Ectomorph
It is very important for the average ectomorph to focus their training to create a strong core so that they have a strong base to work from. An Ectomorph needs to do heavier weights and less repetitions e.g. 4 - 12 reps with longer rest times between sets (about 1 to 2 minutes – Beeble).
When deciding how many sets an exercise to go for you need to train the body part to the point of failure. This means you do as many sets as possible, whilst keeping perfect technique, before you physically can do no more. To keep it interesting make sure you choose a good variety of exercise. Also when choosing what exercise to do you would want to include plenty of isolation exercises (where only one joint is being moved to do the contraction – Beeble).
Cardio (like running and cycling etc – Beeble) is only needed to keep heart and lungs healthy but this body type would not want to overdo cardio as they do not want to burn too many calories because they do not need to focus on fat loss.
Diet for an Ectomorph
Well, if you are and Ectomorph body type you will know better than anyone you can eat almost anything and you just don’t put weight on (Very jealous – Beeble). So it is very important for an Ectomorph to eat before getting hungry and to eat plenty of high protein foods and carbohydrates and have lots of snacks available at all times e.g. nuts.
Mesomorphs
This body type is of a medium to large frame, with a rounded athletic look, broad shoulders and narrowing to the ribcage down to the waist and hips, this body type is good for strength events within sports and is a heavier build than that of the Ectomorph. Mesomorphs are inclined to gain muscle much more quickly and are naturals for body building (to the envy of other fellow body builder wannabes – Beeble), Mesomorphs build muscle quicker than Ectomorphs and lose fat faster than Endomorphs.
Exercise for an Mesomorphs
Mesomorphs are designed for strength and if they focus on weights they will quickly improve strength and add muscle bulk. Mesomorphs will have a much harder time if they want to build a leaner body, they will need to perform lots of cardio, light weights and high repetitions but even then they may not reach their desired size. If you are a mesomorph be realistic with your goal setting, you cannot make yourself smaller than your frame will allow.
Diet for a Mesomorphs
A healthy diet is going to be similar to a healthy diet for anyone. Lots of fresh fruit and veg as well as good quantities of protein to feed the extra muscle they naturally carry. A sensible diet can go along way to help you achieve your desired goals.
Endomorphs
This body type is more on the heavy side, not necessary large frame but more rounded and more so in the middle section giving more of a belly. Endomorphs are more likely to gain fat and have a harder time losing it, but on the positive side are also stronger. With hard work and the right training and diet an Endomorph can be as lean and muscular as the next person, but hard work is the key to getting there and maintaining it.
Exercise for an Endomorph
The focus needs to be on more cardio: doing lots of different types of cardio so the body is being challenged all the time. An Endomorph would only want to focus on one session a week with weights and when doing weights have higher repetitions and less rest between sets (circuit training would be great - Beeble), doing compound movements (exercises that use more than one joint – Beeble) will really help improve results. However at the same time be realistic, Endomorphs have to face facts that they will have to work very hard for fat loss. If you don’t have the time or dedication then be happy in your skin and realise that it will take a lot longer. My advice is if you are not happy with your body then put the hard work in now, you will thank yourself in the future.
Diet for a Endomorph
If this is your body type then the most important thing is to have lots of small frequent meals, and keeping fats to a minimum especially saturated fats. Lots of soluble and insoluble fibre (like green veg for insoluble and oats, barley and citrus fruits for soluble fibre - Beeble) during your meals to help keep your gut and arteries healthy.
Summary
It can be difficult to place you own body type so if you can’t decide which body type you are get the advice from someone who knows you well and is honest enough to place you in the correct group without the fear of offending you.
Whilst the advice on this page is general it should be enough to get you started in the right direction. There is no point starting on a new exercise and diet regime without having realistic goals. The worst thing you can do for yourself is to pick a celebrity’s body and say you want to be like them. Chances are they could be a completely different body type to you and that will reduce your chances greatly. Understanding your body type will allow you to set realistic goals, get the best from your exercise and allow you to be content within yourself. Setting goals that you are never going to achieve is setting yourself on a road of unhappiness.
Good luck with your goal setting, be realistic and above all be happy. Any questions please do send them on through.
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