Do you ever feel like you just look at a piece of cake and gain weight? Are you someone who has trouble losing weight once you’ve gained it? Maybe you’re someone who can’t gain weight no matter how much you eat.
While diet, exercise, and lifestyle play a role, it may also be related to body type and genetics.
In this article, we discuss how to identify body types and the best ways to train by category.
How to Identify Body Type
In the 1940s, Dr. W.H. Sheldon theorized the concept of body type or somatotype. Somatotypes consist of three categories: endomorph, mesomorph, and ectomorph.
It was initially believed that a person’s somatotype was unchangeable. However, the modern understanding of Sheldon’s original concept states that physiological characteristics determine the current somatotype, not the other way around.
Also, no one exists completely in just one somatotype. We all constantly flux and fall on a spectrum within all three types.
Despite this, it is still incredibly useful to understand your current body type to help determine training and nutrition needs. This can be determined by your own research or under the care of a fitness, nutritional, or medical professional, which is something we highly recommend.
To break it down, here are the three body types and the specific characteristics of each one.
Ectomorph
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Hips and shoulders are narrower compared to height
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Smaller muscles in respect to bone length
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May have a BMI that is too low to be considered healthy
Mesomorph
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Medium bone structure with shoulders wider than hips
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More athletic physique and musculature
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Fast metabolism; puts on muscle and loses fat with relative ease
Endomorph
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Stockier bone structure, midsection may be larger than hips
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Carries more fat throughout the body
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Slower metabolisms
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Gains fat quickly and loses it slowly
Now that we’ve identified which body type category you might fit into, let’s look at the potential workouts and nutritional tips that may work best for you.
Workouts for Different Body Types
By playing to your genetics and fitness planning, you’ll be seeing your desired body composition change in no time.
How to Train an Endomorph Body Type
With an endomorph body type, the overall goal is to get in shape and move into the mesomorph category. Again, if you are very new to fitness or have taken several years off, it might be wise to seek the help of a personal trainer or nutrition coach.
Keep in mind that changing body composition takes time. You will ideally replace fat with muscle over weeks, months, or years.
To get started, endomorphs will be focusing on cardiovascular training to improve endurance and shed fat.
This can be accomplished with:
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Metabolic conditioning with short rest periods
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Resistance circuits
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Plyometrics
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Steady-state cardio
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Anaerobic and aerobic training (walking and running, etc.)
In addition to cardio workouts, endomorph clients should work on increasing their non-exercise activity or NEAT (non-exercise activity thermogenesis).
Committing to a less sedentary lifestyle and moving more should be the primary focus for endomorphs.
Nutrition for Endomorphs
Due to a potentially slower metabolism and excess body fat storage, endomorphs should focus on nutritional tactics that will maximize fat loss while preserving as much lean muscle mass as possible.
Increasing protein intake to as much as 2.2 kilograms of body weight and lowering carb and sugar intake are beneficial. However, healthy carbs, fats, and fibers should also be incorporated in moderation.
The goal is a high protein diet and maximizing calorie burn.
Now that we’ve addressed the endomorph body type, let’s move on to the next phase; the mesomorph.
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How to Train a Mesomorph Body Type
There’s no denying that mesomorphs have a slight leg up over endomorphs and ectomorphs, as they are generally very athletic and gain muscle easily.
However, keep in mind that while some individuals in this category appear to be lean and fit with zero effort, they are typically the exception, not the rule. More often than not, very fit mesomorphs have developed athletic discipline and good nutrition over a long period of time.
A mesomorph body type is a strong indicator that an individual is ready to transition over to more advanced forms of training, like sport-specific training (e.g., powerlifting).
Whether it’s muscle gain or gaining speed for a marathon, the workouts should be tailored to the individual's specific fitness goal.
Nutrition for Mesomorphs
Similar to endomorphs, a high-protein diet is key. Depending on the intensity of the program, anywhere between 1.2 and 2.2 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight will work. A blend of healthy carbs and fats is also important. Caloric intake will need to be adjusted according to body composition needs.
Lastly, let’s move on to the ectomorph body type, as this type will have seemingly opposite needs as the previous two types.
How to Train an Ectomorph Body Type
Ectomorphs have the opposite problems as endomorphs, as their metabolism is naturally higher. This can make muscle growth difficult. Their body type can best be described as “lanky.”
An ectomorph's primary goal will be to prioritize strength training, focusing on techniques such as hypertrophy and maximal strength reps for ultimate muscle gains. They will also greatly reduce their focus on cardiorespiratory training.
Nutrition for Ectomorphs
Regarding food intake, ectomorphs should prioritize a mass-gains diet. As these individuals burn more calories much more quickly than the other types, ample calories are needed. Low-carb, low-fat diets are not recommended here.
Supplementation like mass-gainers may need to be incorporated as well.
Pro Tip: Check out our Iso Mass Xtreme Gainer for max bulking results.
Protein shakes will need to be spaced out over a few hours. This will signal the amino acid leucine to promote muscle protein synthesis all day long. An additional protein shake before bed might also be needed to minimize the fasting window.
Not Sure Where to Go from Here?
Finding your body type is an excellent starting point to help you gauge your short-term and long-term goals.
Keep in mind that endomorphs will focus on cardio and protein with an emphasis on lower-carb diets, mesomorphs will eat more protein and possibly more calories depending on specialized training needs, and ectomorphs will need to lift heavy and eat more for mass gains.
Still unsure about next steps? The Blog at Ultimate Nutrition offers resources on a wide range of fitness topics.
Whether your goal is to lose fat, lift heavier, or bulk up, it’s an excellent resource for finding what you’re looking for.
We also recommend you consult a fitness or medical professional when starting a new program.
Whatever your goals or body type, Ultimate Nutrition is here to help you reach your goals every step of the way.
The information provided in our articles are meant for informational and educational purposes exclusively and should not be considered as medical advice. It is essential to consult a healthcare professional before starting a new nutritional product and/or making significant changes to your diet and/or starting a new exercise regime. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, and/or prevent disease.
