Do you know that exercising and eating according to your body type could be the difference between hitting your fitness goal or staying frustrated with fad diets or instagram workouts!
What is your body type?
The Heath-Carter anthropometric somatotype system breaks down all of the body types into three unique stereotypes: ectomorphs, mesomorphs and endomorphs.
Ectomorph body types are very tall and slim. They don’t have much muscle and find it difficult to put on muscle or any weight in general. If ectomorphs don’t eat healthy or exercise regularly, they can go one of two ways. They can get even skinnier and burn muscle. Or, they can become “skinny fat”, which is a term used to describe someone who falls into their ideal weight range, but has a high body fat content. Ectomorphs tolerate weight training very well and will rarely get bulky. A recommendation would be 1 body part day incorporating mostly compound movements. Ectomorphs won’t need much cardio to remain slim so keep this to 3 times a week at 25-minute intervals. Ectomorphs should also not be carbohydrate shy (50% – 60% daily intake), as they tend to tolerate carbs better than other body types.
The mesomorph is between the ectomorph and the endomorph, and they are defined by a muscular athletic build with broader shoulders and a smaller waist. A low carb diet is not recommended for the mesomorph as this may lead to decreased energy levels and muscle loss. Mesomorphs tend to have a high metabolism that contributes to more muscle gain than fat storage. A mix of high-intensity, low intensity steady state cardio and strength training can be quite an effective training approach for a person with a dominance in the mesomorph body type. Diet-wise, mesomorphs do quite well on a mixed diet (lean proteins, healthy fats and carbohydrates) and have a moderate carbohydrate tolerance.
An endomorph body type is described as pear shaped. They are quite commonly a stocky build and their bodies hold onto fat well and find it hard to lose. Their chest is wide and their bones might be shorter: One of their main traits is that they can get bigger and muscular very quickly with exercise, because they naturally already have muscle. More cardio exercise is recommended to keep body levels in the healthy range. Endomorphs should generally lower their carbohydrate intake and consume carbs only around training or as a carb backload approach. They usually respond better to a diet higher in fats.
Learning which body shape you were born with will help you train smarter and achieve the body you’ve always wanted, so keep moving, stay healthy, and keep fitness first
