Disclaimer: Always consult your primary care physician about possible medical issues and before you begin any exercise program or specialized diet.
Eat for your body type? What, we have a body type? Yes, we have a body type and yes your body type does influence how you should eat to lose weight and to gain lean muscle mass. Knowing your body type can ensure you are following a nutrition plan designed to help you maximize your results and reduce the time needed to get the results as well.
But what are body types and how did they get discovered? In the 1940's, W.H Sheldon, an American Psychologist, developed a system called Somatotypes to describe physical characteristics of people. In Sheldon’s system, humans were classified as to body build in terms of three extreme body types: endomorphic, or round, fat type; mesomorphic, or muscular type; and ectomorphic, or slim, linear type. Sheldon's system did not stop at just physical traits however and attempted to predetermine personality traits and questioned the morality of individuals. Had Sheldon's system just stopped at the physical characteristics it would probably have gained popularity however his system fell out of favor in the 1950's. Take into consideration that while one body type was characterized as someone being lazy another characterized another person as being anxious and self conscious. The body shape and structure was fairly accurate while the psychological aspects he assigned to one group showed up in all the groups regardless of what was predicted. While the idea that personalities were predetermined by the somatotype was discredited, the physical traits and how the body carries fat and muscle as well as bone structure was accepted and has been beneficial in helping people eat and exercise more efficiently ever since.
So, what are the body types? As briefly described above, they are Ectomorph, Mesomorph and Endomorph and each one should eat a different ratio of Carbohydrates, Proteins and Fats to maximize health and wellness. While I could write pages upon pages about each of these body types, I will only briefly describe them and what their characteristics are then we will move on to the important part, how to eat for your body type and even how you should exercise for your body type as well. Let's get started.
Ectomorphs
First up, Ectomorph. Ectomorphs are characterized as having long, narrow bodies with narrow shoulders, small bone structure and are generally what might be considered "skinny". While at first glance one might consider this as an ideal body type, there are pros and cons that come with being and ectomorph. Let's discuss the pros first.
Ectomorphs Pros:
Fast Metabolism, tend to burn more calories at rest
High tolerance to carbohydrates, can eat carbs without gaining weight
Good at endurance sports
Slow twitch muscle fiber type - burns fat efficiently
Generally maintain a slim appearance despite poor eating habits (this can also be a con)
Looks thin even when they have a higher body fat due to low muscle mass (also a con)
Are able to maintain a good BMI without exercise (also a con)
Ectomorphs Cons:
Appear slim but with higher body fat (could lead to insulin resistance or other health issues)
Have lower bone mass due to less muscle mass and bone density (appear healthy when not)
May develop osteoporosis at older age due to smaller bones and overall bone mass
May be insulin resistant without any of the early signs (weight gain etc)
Have difficulty gaining muscle mass to aid in strengthening bones
May have poor posture due to smaller bone structure and muscles to support posture
Ectomorphs definitely have the edge when it comes to appearing healthy even when they might not be. With a culture which focuses on low body weight as a sign of health, it is easy to understand why an ectomorph may be content with having lower muscle mass and therefore lower bone density all while having an unhealth level of body fat. Body fat has a greater correlation with health issues than weight alone or even BMI. Therefore it is important for the Ectomorph to have a body composition analysis and take the appropriate action to exercise, build lean muscle and to eat healthy carbs and not just any carbohydrate they choose. I will cover general dietary recommendations for the ectomorph at the end when I cover each of the three groups dietary necessities together.
Curious to know if you are an ectomorph or what your body composition is? Come see us and take our body composition test on our state-of-the-art Inbody 570 to know what your body composition is comprised of: Body Muscle, Body Fat, Total Lean Body Mass, Water balance and more. And with our Eat for your Body Type Nutrition Plan we perform an in-depth analysis to help you determine what your primary body type is and what your secondary type may be as well. In my experience it is very rare to have someone be 100% one somatotype and are usually a blend. One area we excel at with our analysis comes directly from the InBody 570 body composition results. Fill out the brief form here and we can schedule a time for you us to meet!
Mesomorphs
Now on to Mesomorphs. Mesomorphs are generally muscular with more fast twitch muscle fiber type. They are generally good at sports and are strong and athletically built. Mesomorphs have wide shoulders, narrow waist and hips with muscular legs. Mesomorphs tend to stay fairly lean when young but can add body fat more easily than ectomorphs when the slow down in their 20's. Mesomorphs however can usually take the excess weight off when they decide to by making simple changes to their diet or by engaging in more physical activity. Now on to the pros and cons.
Mesomorph Pros:
Moderate to high level of muscle
Fast twitch muscle type which burns glucose easily
Good at most fast paste sports and sports that require explosiveness
Aesthetically appealing
Can gain or lose weight quickly (can also be a con)
Strong bones and bone structure - Less likely to develop osteoporosis
Mesomorph Cons:
While living an active lifestyle, mesomorphs can eat poorly with little consequence. This can lead to a false sense of security and poor life-time habits can form
Mesomorphs gain weight quickly once they slow down if they eat poorly
They gain weight evenly so they may have more body fat than it appears
Because they can gain and lose weight easily, they may not take action to lose weight until they have gained a significant amount and may develop weight related complications
Because of having strong muscles, they may have sports injuries due to tendons and ligaments not being equal to the muscle and bones they are attached to
While there are many on-line self-quizzes which may help you determine your dominant body type, We have developed an assessment designed to help you determine what is your percentage of each body type and then weigh that percentage to help customize your individual macro plan profile, caloric profile and exercise profile. Why struggle doing the same thing day in and day out hoping for a different outcome only to find yourself at the same place in 6 months, one year or even worse, in 5 years? Some of the questions to help identify your body type are shown to the right. We have the full list of questions to help you know not only your body type but your secondary body type. Fill out this form and allow us to help you determine how to get the outcome and result you deserve today!
Endomorphs
Endomorphs are characterized as having higher body fat than the other two somatotypes and have slower metabolisms. Endomorphs generally carry their weight in their upper bodies and are strong because in addition to carrying more body fat than the other two they are muscular as well. Endomorphs have strong bones and large frames which helps them carry the extra muscle and body fat. Endomorphs, while predisposed to carrying more body fat, can and do lean out when they apply proper nutrition to their diet and engage in daily aerobic exercise.
Endomorph Pros:
Strong bones, ligaments and tendons
Can work hard for hours
Burn both fat and glucose evenly
Can maintain good health even at a higher body weight than the other two
Have short but strong arms and legs
Have thick bones and will likely not develop osteoporosis
Endomorph Cons:
Slower metabolism - need to eat fewer calories
Tend to store carbohydrates as fats more quickly - especially sugars - stay away from sweets
Struggle to lose weight - slower metabolism = more difficulty losing weight
Tend to be less active overall, this may be due to the extra weight they naturally carry
Tend to use excuses like "I am big boned", "I am genetically predisposed to be fat" which does little to motivate them to take any steps to create lasting change
Ectomorphs, mesomorphs and endomorphs have different dietary needs. Knowing which body type is your most dominant type is crucial to helping you begin your weight loss/health endeavor. Most on-line, cookie cutter nutrition plans fail to properly determine your carb-sensitivity level and apply a broad approach to a very detailed process. Many do not properly take into account actual metabolic rate based on body type and again assume a simple one size fits all caloric approach will get anyone results. While any positive dietary changes will help and generally lead to a change in weight and to some degree body fat percentage, a more detailed, specific and scientific approach can and will reward you with quicker and easier results. Click here to fill out our on-line form to allow us to set up a time to meet and determine if working together on your health and fitness is right for you!
Diet
Now that we know the somatotypes and the general characteristic of each, let's get to the important stuff, the diet! Below is a general guideline for eating to your somatotype:
These recommendations make some very strong assumptions. First it assumes the person is 100% one body type. While this would make sense at first glance, most individuals are a blend of all three of the body types. Knowing what blend you are is important as it allows you to adjust your macronutrient profile to aid you in making the greatest changes as quickly as possible.
In my last blog, I created a profile to discuss how to determine caloric requirements for the individual Jim. Let's briefly revisit Jim's profile and gain an understanding how we could apply the body type profile and diet to Jim and how this would change is nutrition.
Jim is 23 years old. Jim is 6'2" and weighs 260 LBS. Jim is going to school full-time and works part time at a local call center where he sits at a desk 25 hours per week. Jim also likes sports and plays pick-up basket ball on Saturdays. In the rest of Jim's spare time he plays video games on-line. Jim rates himself a 4 on the activity index. Jim has decided he will go to the gym 5 days a week for 1.5 hours per day and will split his time at the gym doing 1 hour of weight training and 30 mins of cardio on the treadmill walking at 4 mph. Jim's body fat percent is 32%.
Jim's BMR is 2468. His Daily Activity Index rating of 4 gives Jim an additional calorie expenditure of 576 calories per day. With Jim's commitment to his exercise routine from above we can estimate his calories from exercise to be 879 calories per day on average. Finally, Jim's TEF (Thermic Effect of Food) based on his Body Fat Percentage of 32% is 157 calories per day. This brings Jim's TDCE (Total Daily Caloric Expenditure) to 4080 calories per day.
From what we learned from my last blog post, a pound of fat is approximately 3500 stored calories so for Jim to lose 2 LBS of fat per week, we will set Jim's goal between 2600 and 3000 per day. Now that we have this information we will determine Jim's body type profile. Based on Jim's profile, his TDCE may be different and we will need to reevaluate how many calories I will recommend for Jim.
We will assume based on his InBody 570 body composition scan, his answers to the Body Type Questionnaire we now know he is primarily an Endomorph with his secondary body type profile being Mesomorph. Knowing this is only half of the equation, the other have is the percentage of each. We will assume that Jim is 69.23% Endomorph and 30.77% Mesomorph. Because of Jim's primary body type is Endomorph, we will apply a .8615 multiplier to Jim's Basal Metabolic Rate bringing his BMR down to 2126 from 2468 (the original estimate) and his TDCE to 3734 down from 4080. I use a Multiplier of .80 for someone who is 100% Endomorph to adjust for the slower metabolism of a Endomorph. I do not use a multiplier for someone who is 100% Mesomorph and I use a multiplier of 1.20 for a full Ectomorph to compensate for the fast metabolism.
Now that we have Jim's body type profile based on percentages of endomorph and mesomorph we will apply these ratios to his Macronutrient Breakdown prolife. Jim's goal is to lose 2 LBS of fat per week so Jim's caloric goal and new macro profile is as follows:
Calorie goal: 2622 Gram Cal %
Ratio of Grams From Protein, Calories from Protein and %: 237 949 36%
Ratio of Grams From Carbs, Calories from Carbs and %: 186 744 28%
Ratio of Grams From Fat, Calories from Fat and %: 103 928 35%
You may be thinking this whole thing is very complex and want to just "not even try" but we do all the calculations for you. We take the complexity out and give you a very concise breakdown of what you need to eat calorically and break those calories down by Protein, Carbohydrate and Fat grams/calories. The whole process takes less than an hour and when you are walking out with your 16 week plan, you will know what to do every day. Click here to fill out our on-line form to allow us to set up a time to meet and determine if working together on your health and fitness is right for you!
With this Eat for your Body Type Macro Blueprint plan we give you the raw numbers and help you understand why they are important. Some of you may be concerned that you may not know "what" to eat. With all of the Mobile Device Apps available, we are certain you will quickly learn where you get most of your protein from as well as your carbs and fats. But to aid you in this process, we also provide you with a food list giving you some broad guidelines of where to get your foods with some quantities of protein, carbs and fats in each. This list uses what are known as Exchanges and is derived from the Diabetic and Dietetic association food lists. James trained with a Registered Dietitian and understands how to explain Exchanges and how to use them as well. We are confident that you can and will excel when you apply the appropriate dietary principles to your daily routine.
Exercise
Now that we know how to eat for your body type, let's discuss how to exercise. Based on some of the information above you can understand that Ectomorphs have what are known as slow-twitch muscle fiber types. Slow-twitch fibers are smaller in structure and resistant to fatigue. Slow-twitch Type 1 muscle fiber types have large amounts of Mitochondria (the power house of the cell) and because they can convert fat to energy with oxygen for long durations, they tend to be smaller in size. It is because of this higher concentration of Slow-Twitch muscle fiber types that Ectomorph tend to appear slim, skinny or even delicate. Ectomorphs are very effective at burning fat! However, when ectomorphs become sedentary and begin to overeat carbs, they can develop insulin resistance and the overspill of carbs being converted to fat overtakes the Ectomorphs ability to burn extra fat and the ectomorph can become overweight and even obese.
Normally an ectomorph doesn't come to see me for weight loss until they are over weight. When I meet with an ectomorph, their body fat % is usually more than 35% for women and 30% for men. One might ask, how did an ectomorph gain so much body fat? It is mostly due to inactivity primarily with diet being secondary. As long as the ectomorph is active, they tend to stay fairly lean. So how do I help get an ectomorph back to being lean? Let me show you.
Of course the first thing we do is determine the proper amount of calories coming from the appropriate grams of protein, carbs and fats. Next we will focus on exercise to help the ectomorph begin to lean out. Because ectomorphs do burn fat efficiently, initially, I will recommend they perform cardio exercise a minimum of 3 times per week for no shorter than 30 min. Next, I would recommend the ectomorph begin to perform weight resistant training a minimum of 2 times per week for 60 min or more. This type of training will continue until the body fat % drops to 30% or less for women and 25% or less for men. Once they have achieved this milestone, I recommend they shift their exercise to 2 sessions of cardio of 45 min per week and weight training to 3 days per week of 60 min or more. This will continue until they achieve a body fat % of 25% or less for women and 20% or less for men, then we shift to more of a serious 5 times per week of weight training with 15 to 20 mins of cardio post weight training.
The reason for this approach is to help the ectomorph maximize their muscles ability to burn fat to begin to reignite their metabolism by allowing their slow-twitch fibers burn fat efficiently. The weight training will be designed to help the ectomorph begin to build more lean tissue and to increase the other muscle fiber type which will allow them to burn more carbs as they eat them as well. The outcome goal is to increase lean muscle tissue by 10% to 15% from when they begin and to decrease their body fat % by the same 10% to 15% or more.
Wondering if you are an over-weight ectomorph? Come in and meet with Kaydee or James for a FREE Consultation to see if what we offer is right for you. Click here to fill out our on-line form to allow us to set up a time to meet and determine if working together on your health and fitness is right for you!
Next up, working with an Mesomorph. Mesomorphs are the "fit" overweight body type. I approach helping a Mesomorph in a straight forward method of 60% weight training and 40% cardio. I would recommend a minimum of 4 to 5 hours of weight training and 2.5 hours of cardio. I would recommend 45 min to 1 hour per day of weight training followed by 30 min of steady state cardio on either the treadmill on an incline or on the stair stepper. You may be surprised that there isn't too much complexity here. That is because the Mesomorph body type is designed to be muscular and active and when you introduce proper exercise with the proper diet, the Mesomorph body will do what it is designed to do.
Now that doesn't mean if the Mesomorph does become obese, that means greater than 30% for women and 25% for men. If this is the case, we will follow more of a Endomorph body type workout until they have achieved the milestone of 30% or less for women and 25% or less for men (we will cover the Endomorph body type training in a moment). Once they achieve this milestone they will shift to the 60% and 40%. Once they have achieved between 21% and 26% for women then can shift to more of a weight training dominate ratio of 70/30 or 80/20. For men, that happens when they reach between 15% and 19% respectively. Of course if the mesomorph does not want to increase their muscle mass, they can stick to a 60% weight training and 40% cardio split with lighter weights and circuit training being their focus. Now on the the Endomorphs.
Endomorphs have a slower metabolism as previously discussed and yet they tend to carry a fair amount of muscle in addition to their excess body fat (there is some websites that say the endomorph does not carry much muscle but that has not been the case with the endomorphs I have worked with, in fact it is to the contrary). Because Endomorphs gain and maintain muscle mass easily, we will primarily focus on limited weight training in the beginning with most of the exercise coming in the form of steady state cardio and 1 or 2 sessions of HIIT training per week.
An Endomorph may have a body fat% of more than 25% for a man or 30% for a woman and look like they are slightly overweight and not obese. Because endomorphs carry this excess fat all while being considered healthy by all other metrics, The endomorph may not show up to work with me until they are over 35% for men and 40% for women. The goal should to not get to these levels before taking action. I have worked with many endomorphs and helped them achieve sub 20% for men and sub 25% for women.
I should probably outline what body fat percentages are considered healthy now however this does not take into account the different body types. These are general numbers across all body types. Below is a breakdown of body fat levels for both men and women.
The chart above does take age into account. There are many online which is a simple breakdown by male or female. I like this chart and refer to it often when working with individuals.
So how would I recommend a Endomorph workout? Let's get into it. As I mentioned earlier, Endomorphs carry large amounts of muscle in the form of Fast Twitch type b2. Because of the dominance of this muscle fiber type, the ideal Endomorph body type workouts would be 2 full body compound exercise weight training sessions per week with longer rest periods between sets with the weight training part of the workout lasting approximately 1 hour followed by 30 min of steady state cardio on a treadmill or stair climber. I would also recommend 3, 45 min cardio/circuit training sessions on the other days at a much faster pace with no rest between exercises followed by steady state cardio for an additional 45 min on these days. I would also recommend walking on Saturday for a minimum of 2 hours.
As you can see, this style of workout focuses about 30% on traditional weight training and the other 30% on fast paced HIIT style training and another 40% on steady state cardio. These ratios and styles of workout allow the Endomorph to begin burning excess calories from fat while also helping their muscle utilize stored glucose and improve insulin sensitivity.
When I meet with someone, I may completely have them follow an endomorph body style workout and nutrition plan to start the body burning stored fat and to improve insulin sensitivity. It is only once they begin to make progress through gaining lean muscle and dropping body fat they we transition to a Mesomorph or an Ectomorph workout style and nutrition plan. Once someone has reached a level of body fat, they will almost certainly have insulin resistance. Our initial goal is to help the ecto, meso or endomorph begin to decrease their resistance to insulin by engaging in moderate exercise in the form of both weight resistance and cardio exercise all while reducing carbohydrates in the diet initially to allow the body to become efficient a processing carbohydrates again.
Once the predetermined milestones have been achieved, their workout and diet will likely change to continue to maximize their results based on their natural body type.
What I have described here is our Eat for your Body Type Macro Blueprint Nutrition Plan. The science, and attention to detail outlined here is second to none in my opinion and will certainly change your body, your health and your life when it's followed with dedication and precision to detail. Below is a simple breakdown of what you get with the Eat for your Body Type Macro Blueprint.
Eat for your Body Type Macro Blueprint 16 week plan:
Customized caloric and macro profile plan based on your unique body type: This is determined by our exclusive InBody 570 Body Composition scan reading, and our extensive Body type questionnaire only available with us.
Ectomorph
Mesomorph
Endomorph
Weekly Check-in's with Body Composition Scans on the InBody and review with your Certified Nutritionist.
4 Adjustments to your Blueprint based on progress with the last adjustment at your final weigh-in allowing you to continue on your own.
3 Body Fat Caliper measurements by a qualified nutritionist to do skin fold measurements to track actual subcutaneous fat loss. We use the three skin fold measurement technique. This one shows how your appearance has changed the most. We do this at our first appointment, on week 8 follow-up appointment and at the end of the 16 week plan.
We will also include circumference measurements each week to track your progress in all the areas you are most concerned about.
Everything in the Zone Macro Plan INCLUDED.
General Guideline for exercise for each Body Type.
All of this for only $299.99!
Want more help with specific exercise breakdown and guidelines? For just $100.00 get additional help with your exercise ratios and breakdown based on your unique and individual results.
Not is the time to take action and get the results you deserve. In addition, gain greater insight into your unique body type, metabolism and workout program. Click here to fill out our on-line form to allow us to set up a time to meet and determine if working together on your health and fitness is right for you!
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