Which Body Type Are You?…And Why It Matters

If your primary goal is to swap fat, for a lean toned body there are many factors to consider…

Your Somatotype (body type) is definitely worth considering when looking for a diet and exercise programme that will suit you. Identifying your unique somatic type will help in tweaking an exercise programme to meet the desired goal.

There are three primary body types: (most of us fall between these categories)

The Ectomorph is long and lean. Ectomorphs carry little fat and not much muscle.

The ectomorph in quest of muscle must train intensely, but relatively infrequently to avoid overtraining. Basic compound movements, squats, bench presses, deadlifts, and rows are usually sufficient to add muscle. Sessions should rarely be longer than 45 minutes and three times per week of resistance training may be ideal.

While aerobic exercise is important for everyone seeking optimal health, the ectomorph seeking muscle gain can easily overtrain and should keep aerobic exercise moderate in duration, frequency, and intensity. Caloric intake must be high and adequate protein, carbohydrate, and essential fat intake is a must for significant protein synthesis.

The Mesomorph is built for athletics. A V-shape, wide shoulders, narrow hips, muscular thighs.

They easily add muscle and are often natural athletes, they respond well to training, and their metabolisms are usually sufficient to handle “less than ideal” nutrition provided they get adequate calories to meet energy needs.

Mesomorphs respond well to variations in training and should stagger a focus on fast twitch muscle fibres (stimulate by heavier weights) and the slower twitch fibers (stimulated by intensity in the higher repetition ranges).

The Endomorph tends to be rounder in appearance and has a softer body due to higher proportions of body fat.

The “pear shape” would be a stereotypical endomorph as there is usually significant accumulation of fat around the hips and the midsection. Endomorphs attempting to transform their bodies into lean physiques must be diligent in their meal frequency and must keep metabolism stoked while being extremely conscientious of sugar and fat intake. They should ideally weight train a minimum of three times per week and exercise aerobically at least four or five days weekly. As they begin to add muscle they will further boost metabolism and speed the rate of fat loss.