Get the most out of your training by knowing your body type. If you’ve been doing the same training for a certain amount of time and you have been eating well but not seeing results, this might help. Looking a little deeper into helping you get results, one place to start is to understand your somatotype. This essentially means your body type. There are 3 types, endomorph, mesomorph and ectomorph.
But what is the point of understanding your body type?
When people say body type, most people just assume its the way one looks. However, understanding your body type can help us eliminate other possible factors preventing you from getting results such as your hormonal factors and or nervous system. Remember this is in general terms, this isn’t 100% accurate, however, these somatotypes have been generalised for everyone to help them understand what training they should be doing and what foods they should be consuming.
Ectomorphs:
Ectomorphs tend to be lean, long, skinny in body structure and have been known to have a fairly fast metabolism (this means more carbs as the base of diet). Ectomorphs have also been known to have trouble building body mass and its fairly easy for an ectomorph to get lean. An ectomorph will be able to handle a high level of carbohydrates and more carbohydrates than other somatotypes but will have to work a bit harder to build curves and muscle. Ectomorphs should include carb dense foods pre and post exercise and should include a high abundance of vegetables and fruits in each meal throughout the day.
Training
Focusing on getting stronger through compound exercises such as the bench press, squats, deadlifts (these stimulate a large number of muscle fibres) will lead to a greater increase in muscle hypertrophy resulting in getting girls that lean/toned look and helping guys become bigger, stronger and leaner. Aim to hit most of these lifts around 2x/week for best results, this means you should aim to hit around 4 x weight sessions per week.
Nutrition
As a breakdown of your daily macronutrients, it should be around
40% carbs
40% protein
20% fats
Mesomorphs:
Mesomorphs tend to be naturally muscular, they are one of those people who always looks in good shape but sometimes this figure is hidden under a layer of adipose tissue. Mesomorphs have a medium sized bone structure and tend to be naturally athletic. Putting on mass or getting lean isn’t a problem for mesomorphs, they can handle a moderate level of carbs in their diet and still stay lean (this is the best type of somatotype). A well-designed strength training program with a mixed of cardiovascular training is best to ensure body fat is kept to a minimum whilst gaining lean muscle mass.
Training
– Using moderate to heavyweights, medium sets and low reps typically work well for mesomorphs. A structured gym program consisting of 4-5 (with minimal rest between sets) weight sessions and 2-3 cardio sessions tend to work best for mesomorphs.
Nutrition:
– Mesomorphs work best off a mixed based diet consuming all protein fats and carbs most meals:
40% protein
30% Carbs
30% fats
Endomorphs:
Endomorphs have a larger bone structure and have been described as soft or stocky, having a much slower metabolism than other somatotypes. Endomorphs also have the highest amount of total body mass out of all 3 somatotypes. Endomorphs tend to gain muscle and fat relatively quickly, therefore endomorphs should concentrate on using high-intensity interval training (HIIT) to accelerate fat loss as well as using a calorie controlled diet. Endomorphs work best on a high protein and fat based diet keeping carbohydrates to a minimum to promote fat loss/ lean muscle gain.
Training
– More interval based training (HIIT) 3-4 x per week. Consider using circuit training as a baseline.
– 2-3 weight sessions with high reps, medium sets and minimal rest are best to accelerate fat loss focusing on strength endurance training for best results.
– Allow 24 hours between each session for optimal recovering and to reduce burn out.
Nutrition
– Endomorphs work best off a mixed based diet consuming all protein fats and carbs most meals:
35% protein
25% Carbs
40% fats
Hopefully, this blog can help you identify which areas of your training you might be getting wrong to stop you from making constant mistakes. This is just in general terms, most of the time no person fits one specific somatotype but if you feel you’re most suited to one specific somatotype then it might be best to try those nutrition and training protocols to help you get results.
For more further reading on these topics check out the where I got most of this information from below.
References:
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/ajpa.1330440205
https://www.precisionnutrition.com/all-about-body-type-eating
http://www.coachmag.co.uk/lifestyle/4511/ectomorph-endomorph-or-mesomorph-what-is-your-body-type/page/0/1
https://www.acefitness.org/education-and-resources/lifestyle/blog/5039/how-to-eat-and-train-for-a-mesomorph-body-type