Have a look at the photos below...
Which body type category do you fall in to? Do you fall in to one or are you a mixture of one or two?
Ok, so there are three body types; Ectomorph, Mesomorph and Endomorph...
Ectomorph
Megan Fox and Alexsander Skarsgard would be your classic ectomorphs; they are skinny with small frames and lean muscle mass. Ectomorphs don't gain weight {fat or muscle} easily, they generally small shoulders and the females have flat chests. If you asked someone to describe an Ectomorph they would use the words skinny, lean, small, slight.
Ectomorph Nutrition Guidance
Ectomorphs have a fast metabolism and a high tolerance for carbohydrates. They need a high carb intake to aid in muscle growth with a moderate protein and lower fat intake. An Ectomorph's ideal diet may be 55% carbohydrates, 30% protein and 15% fat.
Ectomorph Training Tips
If your goal as an Ectomorph is to gain muscle then you need to train each muscle group at least once a week using heavy weights! Heavy weights with a low repetition range of 8-10 for 4 sets is perfect Use lots of big compound exercises; squats, lunges, deadlifts, push ups, pull ups. Try to keep cardio to a minimum as you want to use as much of your energy as possible to grow more muscle mass.
Mesomorph
Michelle Bridges and Hugh Jackman would be good examples of the Mesomorph body type. They have an athletic, rectangular shape. If a Mesomorph is physically active they will have a hard body and defined muscles. Mesomorphs have broad shoulders, are naturally strong and gain muscle easily and gain fat easier than Ectomorphs. Some descriptions for Mesomorphs would be athletic, muscly, ripped, toned.
Mesomorph Nutrition Guidance
Mesomorphs tend to respond well to a mixed diet consisting of a good balance of carbohydrates, proteins and fats. A good guide to a Mesomorph's macro-nutrient split would be 40% carbs, 30% protein and 30% fats.
Mesomorph Training Tips
If you are a Mesomorph and don't want to build too much muscle then circuit style training is best for you. Moving quickly from one exercise to another with minimal rest will result in an increase in strength and stamina without gaining too much lean mass. Moderate sized weights are best with around 15 reps for each exercise and four sets of each. Try not to do too many different exercises on the same muscle group, ideally three is enough so as not to stimulate too much muscle growth on one particular muscle group. Aim for three strength sessions plus three HIIT {High Intensity Interval Training} sessions per week to keep fat loss in check.
Endomorph
Kelly Clarkson and Jack Black are your Endomorph examples. They have soft, round bodies with large shoulders and are typically short and stocky. They can gain muscle easily if physically active but also gain fat very easily which they find harder to lose. Endomorphs have what is best described as a slower metabolism so they have a tendency to store both muscle and fat. An Endomorph may be referred to as big boned, chubby, round, stocky.
Endomorph Nutrition Guidance
Because Endomorphs are a lot less tolerant of carbohydrates they do best on a higher fat and protein intake with the correct timing of their carbs {ie. after exercise}. A good guide to an Endomorphs Macro split may look like this; 25% carbs, 35% protein and 40% fat. They should drink lots of water and load up on fibre to transport the nutrients from their food and flush out waste. Aiming to eat five to six small meals a day to ensure their metabolism is constantly working.
Endomorph Training Tips
Endomorphs should lift moderate to heavy weights as this will build muscle and in turn boost your metabolism. All over body training is best, working lots of different muscle groups in the same session. Think giant sets moving from one muscle group to the next as part of the same set or circuit style training. Aim to do this three to four times per week with two days of HIIT for 20-30 minutes each session.
If you find after reading the descriptions that you fall into two categories pick the category that greater describes your body type. Give the nutrition and training tips a try and see how your body responds. If you see little or no changes after eight weeks, try the other body type tips.
Please bare in mind that the guidance above is just that; guidance. They are tips for the wider population and haven't been put together with any particular person or individual's goals in mind.
And for more info on HIIT have a quick read of my previous Sprints blog post here.
