Workouts For Your Body Type

Posted July 25, 2007 at 12:31 PM by Shannon Clark

Section: Her Fitness, Training Programs, Her Health, Special Features

While you and a friend may have the same goals when it comes to your fitness program, that does not necessarily mean you should be approaching the exercises you perform in the same way.

Part of creating a fitness plan that’s going to deliver you results is learning what type of body you have and how you can best work with what you’ve got.  Different movements are going to affect the body in various ways so it is important to match up the ones that are right for you.

Below are the three different body types and what you will likely want to focus on with each one.

Ectomorph

Ectomorph body types are those individuals who are naturally thin and are able to easily eat a fair amount of food without putting on weight.  They generally do not carry a lot of muscle mass on their body and tend to be taller in nature.

Usually ectomorphs have the goal of adding body weight rather than losing it so their fitness plan should be tailored towards this.

If this is your situation, you should avoid performing too many longer duration cardio sessions because this will only cause you to start breaking down your muscles rather than building them back up.  Focus instead, if you want to perform cardio work, on doing shorter, sprint-like sessions that have you work hard for thirty seconds to a minute and then resting for a minute or two. These are more anabolic in nature and will work better with your body.

Then, with your weight lifting sessions, focus on using the low rep range, doing 3-6 reps per set.  Lift as heavy of a weight as you can and be sure not to add too much volume. This will allow you to really increase the intensity of your workouts without causing you to expend too many calories during them - since you need those calories to help go towards weight gain.

Also, be sure you are getting enough total rest because this is when your body is going to build itself back stronger and bigger.

Mesomorph

The next body type is the mesomorph. These are individuals who tend to carry a large amount of muscle mass and do not have trouble gaining more.  If they eat more than they need they will put on a combination of muscle and fat, however usually it will predominately be muscle.  They often are slightly shorter and have a fully developed muscular system.

Training wise, mesomorphs will want to focus on lifting weight that is slightly lighter in a higher rep range.  Shoot for about 8-12 reps per set. Do note, however, that there is really no need to start doing endurance weight training in the 15+ rep range, thinking that this will help to lengthen your muscle. This is a common myth in the weight lifting world and the truth is that lifting in such a rep range really is not advantageous in any way so it would make no sense to do this in your program.

You will also likely want to add some cardio work to your program as this will help keep muscle gains slightly lower.  You probably don’t have the body type that enjoys long runs but doing 3-4, 30 minute sessions per week, if limiting any more muscle building is a goal, could be beneficial.

Endomorph

Finally, the last type of body build is the endomorph, which is characterized by a body that has a higher body fat composition and the tendency to gain weight easily.  Usually this person will gain some muscle mass as part of this weight gain, however it will mostly be composed largely of body fat unless dietary protocols and proper exercise techniques are followed.

This type of person should not shy away from weight training as it will help to increase the basal metabolic rate and help them burn more fat all day long.  Additionally, the weight training will help to sculpt their body more, giving their already present curves a better appearance. When performing the weight lifting exercises, they should work in the 6-8 rep range as this is what is best for hypertrophy and strength. 

Cardio will, however, be a much more important part of this person’s workout than the ectomorphs.  It will create a larger daily calorie burn and help to keep body fat levels at bay.  They should alternate between higher intensity sprint sessions, so they can again get the benefits of an increased metabolic rate, and then supplement those with longer moderate paced sessions to also allow for recovery. 

One thing to note, however, is that performing hour long sessions of cardio daily or twice daily is not a good idea as eventually the body will just adapt to this much cardio and you will stop seeing results.

Diet will also play a very large role for weight loss or maintenance for these individuals so it is another thing that must be taken care of.

So make sure before starting on any fitness routine that you analyze the type of body you have and the best workout to go along with it. If you are unsure, make sure you ask a personal trainer for help as they should be able to guide you and get you seeing results as quickly as possible.

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