Knowing Your Body Type And How It Can Affect Your Fitness Goals?!

Knowing your body type may help you meet your fitness goals.

You go to the gym every day, watch what you eat, maintain a healthy lifestyle, but still, aren’t hitting your physique goals. There are a lot of things you can tweak: your diet, your exercise schedule, and the types of workouts you do, to name a few… Switching up your routine frequently is a major key, but there’s more that could be going on .. Factors like sleep, stress, hormones, and your fitness history also play a part.

Your lifestyle, genetics, history, and training style all play a part in how you look, and you can definitely change it over time.

There are many factors that go into losing weight, burning fat, or building muscle. Your genetics play a significant role both in your current body composition and how difficult it is to change it. It has a huge factor in how the body responds to exercise, diet and your everyday routine.
There are various studies that indicate, how genes may determine up to 80 per cent of your weight and body shape.

The ease with which you develop muscle mass, for example, is genetical. Also, doing the same training as somebody whose body you admire and want for yourself may not work for you. If you and your partner follow the exact same fitness routine, starting at the exact same fitness level, one of you might end up stronger than the other. Hence, attaining your fitness goal may require you to train specifically for your body type. .

There are three basic human body types: the endomorph(curvy), the mesomorph(Muscular), and the ectomorph(thin). However, not many people fall into one category, usually, you will be a combination these. Most people are a blend of two body types, with one being more dominant. Genetics play an interesting role in body composition, especially when it comes to body fat. Your body is designed to store fat in certain places, depending on gender, age, and of course, your family genes.

It’s important to be able to identify and understand your body type. Different body types require different training methods, routine and diet plans.

ECTOMORPH: Ectomorph is characterised as Skinny build people.

• Small joints, Long arms and legs.
• Linear physique, Small shoulders.
• Lightly muscled, Small chest and buttocks, and Low body fat.
• Can eat anything they like without weight gain.
• Difficulty gaining weight, Difficulty in gaining muscle mass.
• Generally, ectomorphs can lose fat very easily which makes cutting back to lean muscle easier for them. They have a fast metabolism which burns up calories very quickly.

Diet: In terms of nutrition, a diet that is high in calories, carbs, protein and fat should be taken. Approximately 50 to 60 per cent of calories should come from carbs, 25 per cent from protein and 25 per cent from fat. The key is to eat a healthy, balanced diet rich in nutrients.

Workout: The ectomorph looking to maintain overall fitness for general health and longevity should only do cardio at a moderate pace for 30 minutes three times per week.

To become more muscular, ectomorph’s need to keep cardio sessions to a minimum and focus on an intense workout. Too much of workouts every day would speed up the metabolism leading to more fat burning. So it’s good to follow, three workouts a week, keeping the actual training time after a warm-up to 45 minutes or less and work harder on weights to build a toned muscle.

MESOMORPH: Mesomorph is characterised by an athletic, medium size joints/ bones, wider shoulders, Well defined muscles, Rectangular shaped body, Strong build.

• Female mesomorph: defined hourglass figure
• Male mesomorph: V or rectangular shape
• Mesomorphs can lose and gain weight easily, are
• Build muscle quickly.
• They are naturally strong which is the perfect platform for building muscle.

They gain fat more easily than ectomorphs. This means they must watch their calorie intake. Usually, a combination of weight training and cardio works best for mesomorphs. Of the three body types, mesomorphs are the best for bodybuilding as they are naturally strong and can lose or gain weight easily.

Diet: A basic guideline for mesomorphs to follow would be to consume meals: one-third protein, one-third vegetable (or fruit) and one-third whole grain (or healthy fats). The calorie needs of a mesomorph body type are slightly higher than the others, due to their higher ratio of muscle mass. Muscle weighs more than fat and requires more calories to maintain the desired weight.

Mesomorph body types often can lose weight quickly when following a meal plan that is higher in protein and lower in carbohydrates, and when they are getting plenty of exercises. However, mesomorphs gain weight just as quickly if their eating plan contains too many calories from high-sugar foods.

Workout: Mesomorphs are naturally strong because their muscles are thick and dense. Lifting moderate-to-heavy weights, with limited rest in between sets, five days a week is ideal to stimulate muscle growth.

Aside from weights, regular cardio is the best way to prevent fat gain if you’re a mesomorph. Attempting at least three cardio workouts a week for 30 minutes at a moderate level is recommended.

ENDOMORPH: Endomorph is characterised as naturally chubby, Shorter build people.

• Round or soft physique.
• Short neck, Thick arms and legs.
• Wide bone structure.
• High levels of body fat, Maintains higher weight/ BMI range.
• Slow metabolism
• Muscles are strong

They usually carry their weight in the lower abdomen, hips, and thighs rather than evenly distributed throughout the body. This pattern of fat distribution makes it a bit harder to lose weight, but with the correct training and nutrition program, they can achieve positive results.

Diet: To keep fat gain to a minimum, Endomorph’s should eat more protein and healthy fats and try to minimize carb consumption. Nutrient distribution close to 30 per cent carbs, 35 per cent protein and 35 per cent fat.

Endomorphs tend to be carbohydrate and insulin sensitive, A Paleo-like diet is best suited, where each meal contains protein, vegetables and some healthy fats,

Starting the day with a high-protein breakfast is a great way to jumpstart metabolism and keep insulin levels in control. Endomorphs typically have a difficult time losing fat with diet alone, so a well-rounded fitness program is a must. Slower metabolism and extra body fat make it much harder for endomorphs to stay lean.

Workout: Four days of weight training throughout the week, One or two cardio days should also be included, and Weight Training Should Be The Main Focus Of An Endomorph’s Workout. Incorporate high-intensity interval training (HIIT) two to three days a week limiting to 30 minutes per workout. Incorporate 30 to 60 minutes of steady-state cardio, two to three days a week. Endomorphs should work all the major muscles groups — arms, legs, abs and back — two to three days a week.

Stretching, Yoga, Pilates and other related activities aren’t cardio workouts. And while they possess immense benefits, they won’t help you lose fat. It’s good to include them in your exercise routine, but don’t substitute your cardio for it. For endomorphs, almost daily cardio is really important. Follow a cardio workout you love and have fun doing. You need to incorporate it into your lifestyle not only to achieve the body you want but also to maintain it.

As an endomorph, you need to work out long enough and hard enough to lose weight.

There are no hard-and-fast rules to what your body can achieve, and being active, following a healthy routine is always good!

The best exercise is the one you enjoy most. If you like it, you’ll do it. In general though, If an individual tends to build muscle quickly and is looking for a slimmer look, they incorporate cardio and yoga with their strength training routine, versus lifting weights on a daily basis. A leaner body type looking to gain muscle should focus more on strength training and less on cardio.

You should know that regardless of your body type, you should first focus on appreciating the body you have. If you want to look different, then put in the hard work to get the results. Yes, it’s sometimes difficult but if you’re willing to put in the hard work it can be done.. If your workouts are bringing joy to your life and allowing you to find peace and balance, then you’re doing something right.

I would love to know your thoughts on my post and any feedback is always appreciated..

Stay Happy And Healthy!

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