If you have been working out for months and the results you were after still haven’t appeared, you may be doing the wrong exercises for your body type. Often, people ignore that each person has a unique set of needs and do not plan their muscle building program properly.
Body type highly influences how you respond to your muscle building program, so generic exercises don’t work in the same efficient way for every person. However, with specifically targeted workout programs for your body type, an adequate diet and a lot of motivation, you can succeed in re-sculpting your body.
Have you ever wondered what body type you actually fit in? If you aren’t familiar with the three main body types – ectomorph, mesomorph, and endomorph, you should start now, and understand how you can get closer to your specific goals.
What is your body type?
There are 3 different body types that one can fall under ectomorph, mesomorph, and endomorph. Of course, there are also combinations of body types, and it is your genes that are responsible for whether you’re slim, tall, fat, or muscular.
ECTOMORPH
Ectomorphs are generally quite skinny and they have to eat high-calorie foods in order to gain some weight. In other words, they have a super fast metabolism and they won’t experience fat problems while trying to build muscle. On the opposite side, they must work out intensely and take some supplements for muscle growth, eat before going to bed and try to stick to the right diet. Other specific features of ectomorphs are:
- Linear body
- Lower body and smaller chest
- Smaller joints
- Narrow frame and bone structure
- Small shoulders
- Long thin limbs
Muscle building tips
If you are a skinny person, this is what you should do to gain more weight and muscular mass:
- Keep your training short and intense
- Perform squats, bench presses, and deadlifts in order to stimulate a large number of muscles
- Eat carbohydrates and try to increase your daily calorie intake (your diet should contain sweet potatoes, rice, pasta, yams etc. )
- Take some supplements; these will definitely help you gain weight
- Eat something before you go to sleep
MESOMORPH
Mesomorphs are naturally athletic and represent the best category for successful muscle building. In fact, they are the opposite of the Ectomorph and have more large muscles and bone structure. They can easily gain and lose weight, and also have a perfect metabolism which keeps their fat levels under control. Other characteristic features are:
- Smaller waist
- Medium sized joints
- Well defined muscles
- Naturally lean
- Wider at the shoulders than at the hips
- Rectangular body shape
Muscle building Tips
If you were lucky enough to be born with an athletic physique, it means you won’t have a hard time trying to keep yourself fit. This is what you should do:
- Be careful what you eat because you may easily gain weight; however, try to follow a balanced diet in order to maintain your muscular mass
- Work out using weights
- Train longer periods of time and preferably more often
- If you feel that some supplements would bring you benefits, try to improve your results with Creatine
ENDOMORPH
This type of body is the most solid one and gains fat quite easily. Endomorphs have strong muscles, especially on the upper legs and they are strong in leg exercises. This body type has the following characteristics:
- Larger frame
- Soft and round/pear shaped body
- Generally short
- Shorter limbs
Muscle building Tips
Because you have the most solid body and you must keep your weight under control, here are some tips for your body type:
- Follow your weight training with cardio and intense interval-based exercises
- Focus on your upper body
- Don’t take any supplements if you get plenty of protein in your diet
- Don’t eat before bedtime
Combinations of body types
As you may have noticed, these body types aren’t set in stone at all. Therefore, there are people who appear to be both ectomorphs and mesomorphs, or mesomorphs and endomorphs. But, truth to be told, it doesn’t matter what body category you fit in as long as you do your best to achieve the body shape you want.
Now that you have discovered the 3 major body types, all you have to do is figure out which body type you fall into. Which body type sounds more like you?
Remember, no matter what your body type is, you can always achieve the physique you’re willing to by working hard. Good luck!
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