People come in all different shapes and sizes with different frames.Some find it hard to gain weight and some find it difficult to lose.Few of your friends no matter how much they eat, their weight scale did not budge whereas some even when they look at their favourite food feels them they have gained a pound or two.
Here use the blog given here [or the pics (if you are short in time)] to find out how you can train for your body type and also what diet to follow in order to gain the maximum amount of muscle or lose the most amount of fat no matter which body type you fall under.
Table of Contents
So what is bodytype?
Going back in 1940 ,Dr William Sheldon categorized the human body into 3 body types or “Somato types” .The 3 body types include
- Ectomorph
- Endomorph
- Mesomorph
Okay, but you may be guessing What is my bodytype?
Well according to Dr Sheldon,
You are an ECTOMORPH if,
You are having a hard time in gaining (whether it is weight or muscle) hence the term “HardGainer” .If your body structure is narrow and thin having small frame size with body fat percentage in single digits . Your fat friends might be jealous of you because no matter how much you eat your body weight doesnt change a little because of your fast metabolism.
You are an ENDOMORPH if,
You believe that even if you smell a pizza you may have gained a pound or two.Most of the fat is getting accumulated around the waist line or in the thighs region which is difficult to get rid of no matter how much you sweat in the gym.The slow metabolism makes it relatively hard to lose fat , so even though you are gaining muscle comparatively to the ectomorphs but along comes the fat which hampers the definition.
You are an MESOMORPH if,
You are able to pack on muscles and simultaneously lose body fat as soon as you set a foot in the gym.Even if you have a genetic advantage over the other two that doesnt mean you can eat whatever that came across,you need to spread out your meals with sufficient protein in your meal in order to maintain that muscle mass.
The below pic represent summary of the the body types which can be helpful for identification in which category you fall:
Having been able to do some guess work or most probably if you had determined your characteristic and traits ,you may be able to find out which body type you fit into . So without further adieu lets deep dive into each body type and let us discuss the diet and training required according to your goals.
Ectomorphic body
Characteristic of an ectomorphs
- Being narrow shoulder and small frame with little body fat percentage
- Struggles to gain weight because of the fast metabolism
- Skinny body type with small joints and lean muscle
- Basically a “hard gainer” even though he/she stuffs junk food.
Typical Diet of Ectomorphs
Since your metabolism is high the body tends to process carbohydrates much easily ,your majority of the portion in your meal should include carbs such as oatmeal ,sweet potatoe ,white bread ,brown bread etc.It is recommended for you to consume protien shake with a fruit like banana before your training as well as after your workout.
A typical meal of the ectomorph throughout the day may look like as given below:
- Breakfast:Oats ,protein shake or eggs and 1 tbsp of peanut butter or any nuts.
- Lunch: brown rice or white rice ,Chicken (nonveg) or soya chunks(veg) and some veggies
- Pre workout:Whey protein shake with a fruit .
- Post workout : Whey protein shake with fruit
- Dinner: Fish(non veg) /paneer(veg),Sweet potatoe .
Training for Ectomorphic body:
- Compound movements are your best freind in the gym
- Keep your rep range in between 8-12 with lot of volume
- Place less emphasis on Cardio since your metabolism is already high.
- Limit your workout to 3 to 4 times per week and 45-50 min per workout.
Do’s and Dont’s to follow for ectomorphic body type
Do’s
Dont’s
Endomorphic body
Characteristic of Endomorphic body type
- Body is typically characterised by wider hips ,shorter limbs and are usually round and soft.
- Ability to gain weight easily and keep it on for longer time
- High body fat percentage hampers their muscle definition
Typical Diet for Endomorphic body
Even though you are training vigourously and spending most of your time in the gym but not getting results, then your answer lies mostly in the kitchen.You need to fix your diet and keep away from the junk food which hampers your metabolism.Your diet must comprise majority of protein and very little to no carbs in your platter if you need to lose weight.
A typical meal of the endomorph throughout the day may look like as given below:
- Breakfast:Oats ,protein shake or eggs and 1 tbsp of peanut butter or any nuts.
- Lunch: brown rice or white rice ,Chicken (nonveg) or soya chunks(veg) and some veggies
(Remember to keep your carb intake less around 30-40 % and rest protein and veggies)
- Pre workout : A cup of black coffee
- Post workout: Whey Protein mix with water
- Dinner: Chicken or Fish (Non veg) and Paneer or Soya chunks (Veg) and veggies (any)
Training for Endomorphs
- You need to get you heart pumping with fast pace exercise like HIIT .Ditch slow cardio and often take short rest periods in between sets
- Stop doing endless crunches to trim down fat instead focus on ( weight training + cardio ) sessions
- You dont need to lift heavy, instead moderate weights with high reps ( around 12-16 reps) per set will give you best result if fat loss and lean muscle is your goal.
Do’s
Dont’s
Mesomorphic Body type
These kind of body type lies in between the world of above two mentioned categories ( the ectomorphs and endomorphs).Although you are an gifted athlete ,that doesnt mean you can feast upon whatever you come across or dilute your workout.You need to keep your diet and workout in check to make best use of the body.
Typical Diet of Mesomorphs
A typical meal of the Mesomorph throughout the day may look like as given below:
- Breakfast:Oats ,protein shake or eggs and 1 tbsp of peanut butter or any nuts.
- Lunch: brown rice or white rice ,Chicken (nonveg) or soya chunks(veg) and some veggies
- Pre workout:Whey protein shake with a fruit .
- Post workout : Whey protein shake with fruit
- Dinner: Fish(non veg) /paneer(veg),Sweet potatoe .
Training for Mesomorphs
- 3 to 4 weight training sesions per week coupled with slow paced cardio will do wonders to your body
- If you are trying to bulk up increase the volume decrease the rep range around 6-8 reps
- Even though compound exercises like squats , deadlifts and presses will make your body grow , try to include isolation exercises after to increase definition around muscles.
