LA fitness news

Working With Your Body Shape

There are three basic body types - ectomorphs, endomorphs and mesomorphs.

By and large, endomorphs are pear-shaped. They have large bones, their hips are usually wider than their shoulders and they have short muscles. They tend to gain weight much more easily than the other types because they have slower metabolisms. The primary exercise goal of endomorphs is to burn calories, which means that they need to be doing loads of cardiovascular work and some strength training. Their diet should be rich in protein and lower in carbohydrates.

Ectomorphs have a faster metabolism than the other categories. They often want to gain weight but have a hard time doing so. A high resistance-low repetition, weights-based programme and a diet high in protein is the way to go. That doesn’t mean that aerobic exercise can be forgotten - ectomorphs still need to look after their cardiovascular system just like the rest of us. The diet of an ectomorph wishing to gain muscle should be calorie and protein-rich.

Mesomorphs tend to have strong, muscular, athletic builds. Their shoulders are generally wider than their hips and they can pack on muscle and lose weight relatively easily. A moderate diet containing both protein and carbohydrates is ideal and a balanced strength training and cardiovascular programme will get the job done.

Which one are you?