Your Body Type & Why It Matters

Introduction

Despite the billions of human beings on this planet, whether you’re male or female, you should be able to fit and define yourself by one of three body types; these being ectomorph (thin), mesomorph (muscular) and endomorph (rounded). These body types are largely defined by genetics but can be altered to some extent through a combination of diet and exercise.

So what is the purpose of this other than to group individuals into categories? We’re not trying make you feel self conscious or raise your ego through this article, there is a real purpose to knowing your body type. Quite simply, each body type will respond differently to diet and resistance exercise. So by being able to define yourself, you can select and create a lifestyle plan that is suited to your every need.

Ectomorph Body Type

Typically skinny, consisting of a light build with small joints and lean muscle. The shoulders of an ectomorph tend to be narrow with little width or size. Other key features include:

• Small frame and bone structure.
• Flat chest and small shoulders.
• Naturally thin.
• Fast metabolism.
• Struggles with gaining weight.

Ectomorphs struggle to gain weight. This is directly related to their fast metabolic rates which utilise calories at an enhanced rate. In order to gain weight, a vast amount of calories are required. With this in mind, supplements such as those offering ‘weight gain’ and ‘size’ should be considered.

Ectomorphs should also consider eating prior to sleeping. This will prevent the breakdown of any muscle tissue during the night and provide a constant feed of calories to the body. Any exercise should be short in duration and intense, placing emphasis on big muscle groups to allow for maximal gains.

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Mesomorph Body Type

Typically muscular, consisting of a large bone structure and athletic physique. Mesomorphs find both weight gain and weight loss easy. Other key features include:

• Athletic physique.
• Hard body with muscular definition.
• Inverted triangle shaped upper body.
• Gains muscle and strength quickly.
• Gains fat easier than ectomorphs.

The mesomorph body type responds best to weight training out of the three body types and gains are usually noticed much quicker. Not only do they gain muscle at an enhanced rate but they also gain fat at a faster rate than ectomorphs. As a result, a degree of calorie watching is required.

Due to these characteristics, supplements such as weight gain are not necessarily required and products such as pre-workout formulas and pure protein should be considered instead. Exercise should include a combination of both resistance and cardio to maintain that athletic physique, whilst minimising fat gains.

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Endomorph Body Type

Typically pear shaped and soft physique, where the hips are usually wider than the shoulders. Endomorphs gain fat extremely quickly. Other key features include:

• Soft, round body.
• Gains both muscle and fat very quickly.
• Short and stocky physique.
• Struggles with weight loss.
• Extremely slow metabolism.

As stated above, the endomorph finds it very easy to gain weight. Usually, this weight gain is due to fat gains and not muscular development. The reason for this is that they have an extremely slow metabolism and this causes any excess food to be stored as fat. To reduce the potential of weight gain, endomorphs should place greater emphasis on cardio workouts whilst always watching their calorie intake. As long as adequate protein is consumed then endomorphs may not require supplements, unless they are considering utilising them as meal replacements.

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Conclusion

Given above are three body types, which give or take a little can be used to define an entire population. It is important to note that it is possible to be a combination of body types, for example ecto/mesomorph where several characteristics of each are blended.

As stated, the purpose of this article wasn’t to make you feel self conscious or inflate your ego. Instead, it was to allow you to be able to identify your body type so that you can optimise your resistance training and dietary needs accordingly. Regardless of which category you fall into, remember to always exercise to your individual strengths and you won’t go far wrong.