Know Your Body Type

Your body type is a scientific classification of your overall body shape, and it is determined by a combination of certain physical characteristics. Your genes determine your body type, and thus the body shape you'll develop from birth through to adulthood. In 1940, American psychologist William Sheldon proposed the theory that humans could be classified into distinct body types. His body types, referred to as somatotypes, were based on the "germ layers" of embryonic development: the endoderm, the mesoderm and the ectoderm.

While individual differences are always important, physical trainers use a generalized body-typing system to assess individual needs and goals. Regardless of age, race, or gender, you likely fit more or less into one of the following body type categories: ectomorph, mesomorph, or endomorph. These are the three body types that make up the physique in which your body's genetics are inclined to follow. Most people are mixture of these 3 body types but tend to resemble one type more strongly. For example, you may share most of the characteristics of a mesomorph (wide shoulders and narrow hips) but have slight endomorphic tendencies as well (gain fat readily).

Ectomorphs

Ectomorphs are named after the ectoderm, the tissue that becomes the skin of the body. The ectomorph type is characterized by a slender, lean body with little muscle mass and low body-fat levels. In the bodybuilding world, ectomorphs are referred to as "hard gainers" because they have difficulty adding muscle mass.

The Characteristics

• Small and delicate bone structure
• Narrow shoulders and hips
• Flat chested
• Fast metabolism which makes it difficult to gain muscle or fat
• Thin

Benefits

• Light frame makes them suited for aerobic activity like gymnastics.
• Smaller body surface area also enhances their suitability for endurance activity.
• Their body is better at thermo regulation, important in endurance-based sports.

Nutrition

• Ectomorphs should eat frequently throughout the day.
• They are more tolerant of carbohydrates and can handle a higher percentage of carbohydrate in the diet.
• They should look into fluids such as shakes and juices to add overall calories if having difficulty gaining weight.
• Post workout shakes are perfect for ectomorphs looking to build muscle.

Realistically, Ectomorphs cannot expect to gain much more than 0.5 kg per month, although they may gain muscle faster during the first 3-6 months. To increase muscle size and strength, they should concentrate on basic compound movements such as squat and bench presses. These exercises will stimulate larger amounts of muscle mass and greater number of muscle fibers. They should keep isolation exercises to a minimum, and limit their cardiovascular training to 2 sessions per week, opting for low intensity rather than high intensity.

Endomorphs

Endomorphs are named after the endoderm, the tissue that becomes the digestive tract as well as metabolic organs such as the thyroid. The endomorph is typically overweight. Their body is characterized as soft and round. Endomorphs struggle with weight loss but tend to gain muscle and fat easily, making training gains less visible.

The Characteristics

• Athletic
• Soft body
• Wide shoulders and wide hips
• Round physique
• Gains muscle and fat easily
• Difficulty in losing weight

Benefits

• At Best in size benefits sports such as rugby where bulk is useful, provided it can be moved powerfully.
• Tend to have large lung capacity which can make them suited to sports such as rowing.
• They can increase muscle mass much more easily than ectomorphs.

Nutrition

• Endomorphs are more sensitive to carbohydrates and should focus on lower carbohydrate intake as well as natural, whole, and unprocessed carbohydrates.
• They respond well to higher protein and fats in the diet, especially fish oil.
• They are more prone to carbohydrate cravings and should integrate a significant amount of fiber, protein, or fats with every meal to slow digestion and minimize the impact of carbohydrate on blood sugar.
• They should avoid eating carbohydrates shortly before the workouts in order to keep insulin levels in the bloodstream low. Following the workout, they should wait one hour before eating in order to encourage more fat to be broken down to replenish short-term energy stores.

Endomorphs are naturally strong and generally have little trouble gaining muscle and strength. However, the gains will be hidden under a layer of fat, so the main focus of training programme should be fat-burning cardiovascular activity. They should aim to perform a cardio workout 3-6 days per week, including at least 2 high intensity interval workouts in addition to their strength training. Also, they should prefer doing their cardio workout first thing in the morning.

Mesomorphs

Mesomorphs are named after the mesoderm, the tissue that becomes the musculoskeletal system (muscles and bones). Mesomorphs tend to have the "dream physique" many people aspire to. They are lean and heavily muscled. They gain muscle and lose fat rather easily, and in fact most can maintain shape with little exercise or attention to nutrition.

The Characteristics

• Athletic
• Wide shoulders and narrow hips
• Gains muscle easily
• Lose fat easily
• Hard and muscular body

Benefits

• Respond well to cardiovascular and resistance training.
• Can sustain low body fat levels.
• All muscle groups can be used to derive positive training adoption.
• Depending on the sports' needs, they can easily gain or lose weight.

Nutrition

• Mesomorphs respond well to a balanced nutrition plan that has similar amounts of protein and carbohydrates, with slightly higher carbohydrates.
• While mesomorphs maintain their weight easily, they should still focus on natural, whole foods to maintain optimal health.

Mesomorphs should follow a well-designed programme to keep them focused and to optimize thier gains. The key is to use a periodised programme, breaking their training into shorter cycles to achieve year-round gains in strength and size. This will help them avoid overtraining. They should vary their routine frequently, using advanced training techniques such as supersets once they have sufficient experience. Their workout can include a mixture of compound and isolation exercises, and should include cardio training 3 times per week to keep their body fat levels low.

It really does not matter which body type you are because a healthy diet and regular exercise are good ideas for anyone. But, by knowing which body type you are most like, you can design a weight training program that is more effective than if you did not know whether you were an ectomorph, endomorph, or mesomorph.