Your body type influences how you will respond to your diet and training program. By understanding your body type, you can tailor your workouts and nutrition to achieve any muscle building or fat loss goal!
There is plenty of advice available as to what diet or training program you should use to achieve the results you want. Although a particular program may work wonders for someone else, it may not be perfectly suited to you and your individual body type. You might follow the program exactly and get nowhere near achieving the results you were promised.
In order to get the best results, you will need to know your body type so you can properly plan your own training and nutrition program. This article will aim to explain what the three major body types are and give a few guidelines for tailoring your training and nutrition program.
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Image courtesy of Govt. of Western Aust. Dept. of Health
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Ectomorph
An ectomorph is naturally skinny and typically a ‘hard gainer’. Ectomorphs have slender limbs, lean muscle and small joints. They tend to have both narrow waists and narrow shoulders.
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Thin
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Delicate bone structure
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Hard gainer
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Small shoulders
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Fast metabolism
Mesomorph
A mesomorph is naturally athletic and muscular. Mesomorphs have broad shoulders and a larger bone structure. They tend to be naturally strong and find it quite easy to gain or lose weight.
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Naturally muscular
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Strong, hard body
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Gains muscle easily
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Broad shoulders and square shaped body
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Gains fat more easily than ectomorph
Endomorph
An endomorph has a solid and stocky build. Endomorphs gain fat easily and usually have thick arms and legs. Endomorphs have large joints and tend to be naturally very strong.
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Soft, muscles less well defined
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Thick, stocky bone structure
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Gains muscle easily but also gains fat easily
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Round physique
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Slow metabolism
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Tailor Your Approach
The following are a set of general diet and training recommendations for each individual body type. These are a great starting point but they are not set in stone. The best way to find out what works for you is by experimenting with different methods!
- Ectomorph
- Highest caloric intake
- Highest carb intake
- Minimal cardio when gaining mass
- Mesomorph
- Moderate caloric intake
- Moderate carb intake
- Moderate cardio when gaining mass
- Endomorph
- Lowest caloric intake
- Lowest carb intake
- Lots of cardio when gaining mass
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Conclusion
Whilst one of these body types may fit you exactly, it is likely that you will be a combination of two body types for example you may be somewhere in between a mesomorph and an ectomorph or somewhere in between a mesomorph and an endomorph. All of these combinations can be selected in the TEG Nutrition Calculator. No matter what your body type, you can build a strong, muscular and ripped physique if you tailor your plan to suit your requirements.