Your Body Type: Ectomorph, Mesomorph, or Endomorph
Somatype, or only body type, is not just a curiosity. Information about what silhouette you are characterized by has an enormous impact on weight loss or improving the appearance with exercise. The ectomorphic body responds to physical activity slightly differently from the endomorphic, which means that they require different levels of effort and different types of exercise. What are the characteristics of each body build?
Ectomorph – characteristics
Ectomorph is a person who is characterized by a reasonably slim figure. They are relatively tall and have long arms and legs and narrow hips and shoulders. The bones of this somatotype are small, and the amount of body fat is not high.
What distinguishes ectomorphs from people with a different body shape is a good metabolism. This is both a disadvantage and an advantage; on the one hand, this person has no excessive weight gain problems. On the other hand, he or she encounters difficulties in maintaining a good physique. Ectomorphs are often too thin, and gaining weight is a great effort for them. This makes it challenging to build muscle tissue, which can be especially troublesome for men.
Fortunately, gaining mass and muscle tissue is difficult does not mean that it is entirely impossible. In order to get fat, ectomorphs should take in an elevated caloric intake given their faster-than-average metabolism. To be safe, it is worth consulting with a nutritionist about the exact amount.
As for the administration of macronutrients, ectomorphs should stick to the rule that about half of the daily food intake should be carbohydrates, about 30% is protein, and the rest – fats. Particular attention should be paid to the latter two if you aim to increase muscle tissue: protein is absorbed much less well with too much fat in the daily diet, thus making it difficult to build muscle.
Ectomorphic training should be based on weights. Recently popular cardio should be used only as a warm-up. To lead to the development of muscle tissue in an ectomorph, it is worth consulting a personal trainer.
The endomorph – key features
A rather squat body shape usually characterizes individuals of this build. They are short in stature and have a high body fat percentage. The bones of endomorphs are large, which makes their entire body appear even more stocky. People with this body type have a significant amount of body fat. Usually, this value is slightly higher for women, but it is not a rule. It is slightly easier for endomorphs to build muscle tissue than ectomorphs. However, it is much less visible due to body fat.
Men with endomorphic figures may tend to accumulate fat tissue in the chest area (so-called gynecomastia). Women, on the other hand, are characterized by a pear-shape (wide hips and relatively narrow shoulders), apple-shaped (fat deposits in the abdomen), column-shape (straight, somewhat squat, without clearly different body parts), or hourglass-shape (well-defined waist, ample breasts and hips).
In the case of endomorphic, diet is the most critical issue when it comes to weight loss. Although exercise will help firm the skin and tone the body, weight loss is not possible without a well-balanced diet. Endomorphs should eat about 50% protein, 30% fat (unsaturated), and 20% carbohydrates. It is also important to eat regular and relatively small meals so that your body can digest them.
When it comes to training, endomorphic individuals should focus primarily on burning body fat. This means that their main ally in the fight for a dream silhouette will be cardio: fast, intense workouts that engage most muscle groups. Similarly, as in the case of the ectomorphic body, it is worth using the support of a personal trainer who will be able to select exercises that will improve the silhouette without unwanted injuries.
What are the characteristics of a mesomorphic body?
This figure appeared in our list as the last one, not by accident. It combines some features of ectomorphs and endomorphs and is the most desired type of physique among athletes. A mesomorph can be recognized by its relatively lean, very proportional body build. A rather muscular build usually characterizes it. A figure is arranged in a “V” shape (narrower hips, broader chest, and shoulders) in men’s case. In women, the mesomorphic figure is found in some slimmer hourglass-type ladies (characterized by a very pronounced waist). When it comes to bone thickness and joint strength, mesomorphs gain’ both their joints and bone tissue are healthy.
The advantage of mesomorphs over other tropes is that they have both a fairly good metabolism (lower than that of ectomorphs) and ease in building muscle mass.
As in other types of figures, it is necessary to ensure that the diet is as balanced as possible. There is no need to maintain dietary restrictions here because maintaining a good figure comes easily to mesomorphs.
When it comes to training, a lot depends on the effect a given person would like to achieve. If you want to slim your silhouette – cardio should be the advantage. However, if a mesomorphic wants to increase muscle tissue – more use should be made of weight exercises.
