The 3 main metabolic body types you should be aware of
Understanding these will help you fine-tune your health and fitness plan, to best suit your needs; in correspondance to your body type.
Introduction
How frustrating is it when you either, struggle to lose weight, or struggle to gain muscle? It’s Very frustrating isn’t it.
Do you scramble around the internet scratching your head, as to why you aren’t losing weight? Do You look at your friends losing weight, getting lean; or gaining muscle much easier than yourself? Prompting you to start thinking ‘what is wrong with me’, making you want to quit health and fitness altogether? If so this blog is the perfect blog for you.
Comparing yourself to others isn’t conducive to a healthy mind, even a healthy body — especially nowadays, in the age of social media; constantly being bombarded with peoples success stories. Not only does constant comparisons to others physiques affect your mental health. There is actually scientific reasoning as to why you should focus on yourself; giving reason as to why you may not be progressing as quickly as your contemporaries. This will be the main topic of this blog — the 3 main body types that you should take heed of: ectomorph, mesomorph, and endomorph. Hopefully, passing a compass into your hands — pointing you in the right direction on your health and journey.
1. Ectomorph
This is the category that I fall into. An ctomorph is typically raw-boned in stature; their exterior being more skeletal compared the other body types — aka thin. These individuals — including myself — are not overly muscular, don’t have much in the peck department; have a very fast metabolism, and have the proclivity to be highly energetic — facilitating them — or should I say, us — to do more strenuous cardiovascular activities; long-distance running, cycling; boxing, and other endurance sports of this nature.
Ectomorphs can generally eat more without putting on cosmic portions of fat. Take it from me; binge eating mountainous quantities of food — portions that the mountain from Game of Thrones himself would chomp down. maybe not that much, but you catch my drift; I was eating elephantine amounts of food for my size; gaining little, to no weight.
Logically, You would think my weight would be augmenting dramatically, morphing into a mini version of the mountain from Game of Thrones in quick time. To my own — as well as others — confoundment; I wasn’t gaining weight. I later discovered that this was due to me being an ectomorph, after learning about the three main metabolic body types.
Ectomorph features:
2. Very lean
3. Accelerated metabolism
5. More chance of being hyperactive — I most certainly accord with this feature
6. Woman usually have petite breasts and aren’t as curvy in the hip region
7. At risk of being skinny fat
How Ectomorphs should train:
Ectomorphs should ensure that they mix in strength building exercises to their routine — Calisthenics, Plyometrics, even adding bit of weight training in there — assuming they are already doing a lot of cardio. Although I only do the former myself, not the latter. I would also recommend upping your calorie intake if your desirous of building muscle.
Here’s a video that got me started doing push-ups and helped me build a better physique, along with the cardio I do: https://youtu.be/hfwhTR_ly4M.
2. Mesomorph
Mesomorphs, in my opinion, have the most naturally appealing build aesthetically out of the 3 body types discussed. Mesomorphs generally gain muscle much easier than the other types; however, there’s a caveat, as they tend to store fat much easier than the aforementioned ectomorph. Due to their great genetics, mesomorphs can fall into the trap of slacking in the exercise department from time to time. in order to stay fit and healthy year round, mesomorphs should consider being 20% body fat or under on a permanent basis.
Mesomorph Features:
1. Stocky stature
2. Gain muscle effortlessly
3. Aesthetic build
4. Tend to have bigger guns, and I am not talking about Pistols’ here
5. Stronger naturally
6. More probable to Store fat in the lower body
How Mesomorphs should train:
Mesomorphs will feel and see the affects of exercise at a rapid pace. Mesomorphs should have a good balance of cardio, strength and hypertrophy training to leverage their genetics; being in as optimized shape as possible. Mesomorphs should lower carb intake, eat healthy fat and proteins packed foods, if muscle growth is at the forefront of their desires.
Mesomorphs shouldn’t take their advantages for granted. They should grab the bull by both horns. Instead of getting complacent; letting the bull crash into them at full speed — in order to become the best version of themselves possible!
3. Endomorphs
Endomorphs are the most unfortunate of the three metabolic body types. This is due to the fact that they store fat much easier — having a leisurely metabolism. Does this mean you should just quit and never go to a gym again if you’re an Endomorph? Yes — only joking. All jokes aside — Of course it doesn’t; This should give you all the more reason to train harder and be more disciplined. Instead of being subjected to the inertia of quitting.
If you lose weight and get into good shape — you’ve done something much tougher; deserving much more plaudits than your Ectomorph and Mesomorph counterparts. As I said don’t worry about what others are doing. Just because you may not be seeing the same instantaneous results, does not mean you aren’t working as hard. Stay focused on yourself and your progress as an individual; trust me, you’ll the see the returns on your investment over time!
Endomorph Features:
1. Bigger Boned
2. Attain fat easier
3. More susceptible to excess body fat
4. Augmented levels of hunger in comparison to other body types
5. Slower metabolism
6. Difficulty in ridding of fat
How Endomorphs should eat and train:
Endomorphs should focus on lowering their calorie intake; cutting down on processed, high-fat containing, high-sugar content, gassy, and high-carb content, food and drink. In a metaphorical sense, Endomorphs should look to slow down the speed of their calorie car. But not abruptly crashing into a wall at full speed — in the form of crash diets. By just moderately lowering the speed, upping the gears progressively in the form of exercise is more conducive to achieving long-lasting progress.
Training wise, endomorphs should look to increase their cardio; mixing in some weight training — my personal opinion — train as hard as you can! Don’t worry about what others are doing and how you look in reflection to them. Who cares what others’ perceive of you; being fit is vital for your health and your mental vitality. And as included in the word itself; vitality is vital! Trust me, no matter how you look, if you get to a place where you are fitter than most ectomorphs and mesomorphs — even if you don’t look as athletic and aesthetically pleasing as them — it’ll fill you with confidence! Just look at Andy Ruiz — knocking out Anthony Joshua in mid 2019.
Now he’s a multi-millionaire; nudging his name into the epochs of prestige; in a boxing sense, becoming a unified heavyweight champion of the world. This is a modernist David vs Goliath story; or to be put aptly in the theme of this blog — a real Endomorph vs Mesomorph story.
To reframe from my divulsion — As stated previously, I am an ectomorph — High Intensity interval training — with HIIT training, being a pillar of my fitness structure. From one ectomorph to the endomorph’s reading this — I highly recommend integrating HIIT training into your fitness regime!
This can be done via: hill-runs, high incline sprinting on a treadmill; jump rope Training — varying the pace as you go; or circuit training. You should also consider introducing calisthenics and weight training to your routine too. For a more in-depth routine: check out acefitness’s blog on the subject.
Conclusion
In summary, it’s important to understand which of the three body types you are. whether it be: Ectomorph, Mesomorph, or Endomorph. This is so you can fine-tune your diet, and not get down trodden by certain things; such as, not getting muscle — ectomorphs’, not losing fat quickly — Endomorphs’ or even having less stamina than average ectomorph — mesomorphs’.
Whatever body type you have — challenges will come along the way. Yes they may differ in size. Hard work; however, is a ubiquitous requirement for prolonged, fixated success, among all 3 body types!
Referernces
https://www.drberg.com/blog/metabolic-body-types
https://gethealthyu.com/the-3-metabolic-body-types-explained/
