Body types – Why your chassis matters!

“Tired of being fat and ugly? Just be ugly!”  – gym billboard.

There is a lot of truth to this ad. You can’t do much about certain aspects of your body – most are set in stone by your genes. Others, however, can be changed to a certain degree. Regardless of whether you are a female or male, there are three main categories of body types – somatotypes: Endomorph, Mesomorph and Ectomorph. Of course, few people fall exactly in one of the categories. Most find themselves somewhere in between – a combination of two of the body types. However, the categories give a good indication of which diet and which workout is more appropriate for each type. Every part of the human body is defined by its genetics.The shape and size of bones are to a great degree fixed after adolescence. Bones like those in the pelvis, the shoulders or the length of your extremities determine the basic shape of the body and its size. While resistance training can make your bones denser and more rigid (to be prepared for higher strain when put under pressure the next time), these slight changes in density do not contribute much to the overall appearance. What can be changed – within the limits of genetics, without using drugs – is the amount of fat and the size and shape of muscles that are attached to your body. The skeleton can be seen as the chassis and frame of a car which gives its general structure and rigidity. The exterior – muscles and fat – are put on top for looks and functionality. Depending on the body type, different diets and workouts will be more appropriate to achieve your goals. The following tips are based on the assumption that the mesomorph athletic body type is the “most desired” of the three – so that the Ectomorph wants to gain mass and the Endomorph lose it in order to be more like the mesomorph. Depending on your goals, these tips should be a good guide, especially if workouts or diets haven’t produced the desired outcome. If someone is lean and wants to stay slim, they probably won’t be wanting to put on a lot of muscle. Similarly, for somebody with a larger body who just wants to be fit but doesn’t want to change much about their body shape, a radical diet change is not the right way to go.

Body type I: Ectomorph

For the ectomorph body type, it is hard to put on any muscle or weight. Generally, the shoulders and hips are narrow and the arms and legs are not very thick. Ectomorphs can eat whatever they want without having to bother with counting calories. This has to change if they want to alter their body shape. In order to make a difference to body size, an ectomorph has to take in more calories every day. Since thin lean muscle is predominant, a heavy workout, so that you manage only a few repetitions (4 to 6), is the best way to grow some mass. To gain mass, big muscle groups like those in the chest, back and legs should be worked primarily. Use compound exercises (where more than one muscle is stressed) – like deadlifts, push/pull-ups – and focus less on isolated movements like triceps extensions and biceps curls. You should work out three times a week to give the muscles frequent growth stimuli, but also enough time to recover. Resting periods are the time when muscles actually grow. I recommend an energy dense diet high in carbohydrates (rice, noodles …), unsaturated fats (nuts, fish, avocados) and lean protein (eggs, poultry, beef) to support muscle growth and a steady power supply. You could also add smaller meals in between the normal meals. After workouts, extra readily – available calories from short – chained carbohydrates, like sugar, help to replenish muscle energy (ATP) reservoirs for better recovery and growth.

Body Type II: Mesomorph

If you are of the mesomorph body type you are rather lean and muscular. You can build muscles rather easily and you don’t put on much excess fat. The shoulders are broad and the torso narrows down into slim hips. This produces the V-shaped upper body that many find attractive. A balanced diet of vegetables, a source of protein, carbohydrates and unsaturated fats is most appropriate. Every workout should consist of exercises that require the whole body, with a focus on smaller muscles to further define their already-advantageous contours. A wide range of different intensities – from cardiovascular (high pulse), to medium and high load workouts – help you to stay fit and keep the muscle and fat composition in balance.

Body type III: Endomorph

Endomorph can be seen as the opposite of the Ectomorph, while Mesomorphs lie in between the two. If you are an endomorph, you put on weight quickly. Your overall body shape is round and rather compact. Since your build is already big and heavy, working out a lot will only add to the apple-shaped appearance. Cardiovascular interval training, like running, cycling or swimming, should burn some extra calories and produce leaner muscles. As with the Ectomorphs, Endomorphs need to put more thought into their diet to change in size. A balanced low-calorie diet, with equal parts of carbohydrates, fat and protein, is recommended. Vegetables should make up the biggest part of every meal. Foods high in energy should be eaten in moderation. High fat foods that should be reduced, include the skin of poultry, fish like salmon, and many kinds of cheese. The carbohydrate density of pasta, baked goods and anything that has a high sugar content. As a rule of thumb, highly processed foods contain a lot of sugar or fat to give a “better” taste. Instead of these, use fresh vegetables and raw unprepared food for cooking. If you get hungry during the day, a good supplement for high-calorie snacks could be carrot sticks with a yoghurt dip or just some fruit. For a better long-term result with weight loss, the excess fat should not be reduced too quickly (as I explained previously in article). In general, everybody should at least have a balanced diet containing of lots of fresh unprocessed foods, especially a lot of fresh or frozen produce, lean meat and whole-grain cereal products. Combined with regular exercise, at least two or three times a week, to meet with our bodies’ evolutionary purpose of being active and not sitting around all day.