Understanding 3 Body Types for Weight Loss and Muscle Gain: ECTOMORPH, MESOMORPH, AND ENDOMORPH
Often people don’t understand why they can do the same workout, eat the same foods as others and not have the same results with their weight and muscle gain or loss. The answer lies in the three body types. Everyone falls into 1 or a combination of these categories and it can explain a lot and how you can adjust your weight training program or diet. Ectomorphs, mesomorphs, and endomorphs must follow a very different regimen to see success.
The Ectomorph Body Type
Ectomorph are often below the average weight for their height and have a skinny appearance. Ectomorphs tend to have very high metabolisms and often complain of relentless eating with little to no weight gain. Ecto’s have a light build with small joints and lean muscle. Usually ectomorph’s have long thin limbs with stringy muscles. Shoulders tend to be thin with little width.
Common Ectomorph Characteristics Include:
- • Small joints and shoulders
• Skinny or thin appearance
• Hyperactive
• Fast metabolism
• Can eat whatever they want
• Get full easily
• Small or flat chest and buttocks
• Difficulty building muscle
• Difficulty gaining weight
• Low body fat
• Narrow frame (“pencil frame”)
Ectomorphs find it very hard to gain weight. They have a fast metabolism which burns up calories very quickly. I know this type the best since it is mine. Ecto’s need a huge amount of calories in order to gain weight and muscle. To gain muscle, workouts should be short and intense focusing on big muscle groups with minimal cardio. Supplements are definitely recommended. Ectomorphs should eat before bed to prevent muscle catabolism during the night. Generally, ectomorphs can lose fat very easily which makes cutting back to lean muscle easier for them.
Notable Ectomorphs:
- • Brad Pitt
• Bruce Lee
• Toby Mcquire
• Chris Rock
• Edward Norton
• Kate Moss
• Audrey Hepburn
• Cameron Diaz
• Calista Flockhardt
• Gisele Bunchen
Ectomorph Training Tips for muscle gain:
• Train heavier with repetitions in the 5-10 range
• Take longer rest breaks (due to higher weights used)
• Do compound lifts
• Avoid doing cardio
• If you must do cardio be sure its Sprint 8 or HIIT style cardio
Ectomorph Dieting Tips for gaining weight:
- • Consume protein powders (Organic grass-fed whey protein,
collagen, hemp protein – click photos for links) and weight gainers for added calories
• Try high-density foods such as almonds, avocado, beets, or almond or peanut butter
• Break calories up into several small meals if you cannot stomach big meals. Your anabolic window (muscle building window) is 3 hours so you can eat more healthy protein every 3 hours to absorb protein and build muscle.
• Find healthy carbs/protein filler food such as quinoa, quinoa pasta, beans, and nuts.
• If you are not dairy intolerant drink organic raw milk and raw cheese, homemade kefir or homemade yogurt. - Frequent high-calorie meals are recommended in order to gain or maintain weight. In between meals almond butter and banana shakes, quinoa pasta, sprouted beans, wild caught sardines in water instead of canned tuna are all recommended
- It is important not to skip any meals especially breakfast unless you are trying to lose weight. (no intermittent fasting)
- It is also important not to get caught in the trap of eating fried foods, sugary and dessert foods, processed foods, and other unhealthy food just because you are not gaining weight. It can lead to sickness, disease, addiction, and unhealthy lifestyle. These unhealthy foods can all be replaced with healthy versions with creativity and google searches. For example, Mayonnaise can be replaced with hummus, salad dressings can be replaced with avocado oil and apple cider vinegar, mashed potatoes can be replaced with cauliflower mashed. This goes for all body types, but ectomorph’s since they won’t gain the weight from them just suffer the unhealthy repercussions.
- It is a good idea to have standby food prepared as you can lose weight easily and this type gets hungry often and will eat a lot.
- To prevent weight loss, eat within 30 minutes after your workout.
- Also note that your body will only absorb 20-50 grams at the max of protein, so overeating in big meals with a lot of protein will only turn to sugar and defeat the purpose.
• Try high-density foods such as almonds, avocado, beets, or almond or peanut butter
The Mesomorph Body Type
The mesomorph is the high school jock that seemed to put on muscle just by looking at weights while also maintaining a very lean physique. The mesomorph is somewhat in between the ectomorph and the endomorph and as such, display qualities from both. He has a larger frame (bone structure) as the endomorph does, but a low body fat percentage as the ectomorph has. A mesomorph has large muscles and a naturally athletic physique. Mesomorphs are the best body type for bodybuilding. They find it quite easy to gain and lose weight. They are naturally strong which is the perfect platform for building muscle
The mesomorph body type responds the best to weight training. Gains are usually seen very quickly, especially for beginners. The downside to mesomorphs is they gain fat more easily than ectomorphs. This means they must watch their calorie intake. Usually, a combination of weight training and cardio works best for mesomorphs.
Common Mesomorph Characteristics Include:
- • Symmetrical Athletic, muscular build
• Strong
• Wide shoulders
• Small Waist
• Low body fat
• Large musculature
• Gains muscle easily
• Seems to burn fat easily (but not as fast as ectomorphs)
• Eats in moderation
Notable Mesomorphs:
- • Arnold Schwarzenegger
• Sylvester Stallone
• Mark Wahlberg - • Jennifer Garner
• Tina Turner
• Halle Berry
• Angela Bassett
• Anna Kournikova
Mesomorph Training Tips:
- • Training in the 8-12 repetition rep range
• 1 min rest periods between sets
• Enough cardio to stay lean but not a lot - Meso female – If you are a girl and want to avoid getting big muscles, don’t do standard weightlifting. If you are a true mezzo, even high reps will give you muscle growth. In this case cardio workout such kickboxing, pole dancing, gymnastics and full body workouts like this are recommended. Intermittent fasting or at least not eating before bed can be helpful as well as very little to no meat protein.
Mesomorph Dieting Tips:
- • Break meals into 5-6 smaller meals throughout the day
• Eat enough calories to maintain muscle mass
The Endomorph Body Type
The endomorphic body type is the complete opposite of an ectomorph. This individual will usually be larger in appearance with heavier fat accumulation and little muscle definition. They find it hard to drop the weight even though they try several diets or workout programs.
The endomorph body type is generally soft, gaining fat very easily. Endo’s are usually of a shorter build with thick arms and legs. Muscles are strong, especially the upper legs. Endomorphs find they are naturally strong in leg exercises like the squat.
When it comes to training endomorphs find it very easy to gain weight. Unfortunately, a large portion of this weight is fat not muscle. To keep fat gain to a minimum, endomorphs must always train cardio as well as weights.
Common Endomorph Characteristics Include:
- • Large amount of fat accumulation
• Often fatigue easily
• Insatiable appetite
• Try various diet and exercise programs to failure
• Cannot seem to drop weight
• Eat larger meals or several smaller sized meals
• Low muscle definition due to adipose tissue
• Larger frame
• Soft round body
• Often short and stocky
• Find it hard to lose fat and slow metabolism
• Muscles not well defined
Notable Endomorphs:
- • Examples endomorphs include:
• Philip Seymour Hoffman
• John Goodman
• Jack Black - • Jennifer Hudson
• Queen Latifah
• Oprah Winfrey
• Beyonce Knowles
Endomorphs Training Tips:
- • Train in the 15+ repetition range
- • Take 30-45 second rest periods between sets
- Sprint 8 is recommended to build testosterone in order to burn fat and build muscle.
- • Do as much cardio as possible
- • Do compound lifts to burn more calories
Endomorphs Dieting Tips:
- • Portion your meals appropriately- 1 fist size equals one serving
- • Eat mostly vegetables
- • Eat no processed foods and get whole grains
- • Drink plenty of water to keep you full
- Intermittent fasting is recommended to lose body fat and to work out in the morning prior to breaking the fast for maximum weight loss and muscle gains.
- • Divide your daily caloric intake by at least 5 meals
- • Push food away before finishing what’s on your plate
More than any other type it’s important to follow a strict diet of no processed foods, fried foods, sugars, and exercise. What you consider a curse (gaining weight easily) would not be a problem in pre-industrial times since the foods and lack of exercise that cause all the problems were not available.
In order to burn the most fat, wait one hour to eat after workouts.
Lowering stress with meditation or chi gong is highly recommended to lower cortisol levels.
Body Type Combinations:
Most people are a combination of the above three body types. These combinations are either ectomorph/mesomorph or mesomorph/endomorph. It is not uncommon to find a pure mesomorph that gains weight like an endomorph for example.
It is rare to be one of the “pure breeds”. Being purely ectomorphic and short will put you at a great advantage to do professional horse racing as a jockey while being a pure endomorph might set you up for sumo wrestling. The negative stigma of body types is only there if you let it. There are many advantages pure breeds have over individual compromised as a combination.
The diagram below shows a pure ectomorph on the left leading up to a pure mesomorph on the right. The combinations exist in between the two body types.
Changing Your Body Type
If you are one of the many who are looking to make a transformation from one body type to another, it is extremely difficult, but not impossible. You will need to start a new lifestyle complete with nutrition and exercise. You may also find that supplementation can help achieve quicker results than just diet and exercise alone. If you are looking for a good way to improve muscle tone and decrease body fat, consider whey protein powder and BCAA such as collagen.
Disclaimer
By utilizing the information presented on this site, you agree to and understand that author, Bill Farr is not a doctor or any other type of certified health care professional, and his opinion is not a substitute for professional medical prevention, diagnosis, or treatment. Please consult with your doctor or your other health care providers concerning your symptoms and medical requirements before following any of the remedies or other suggestions he offers. His opinion is based on his own research and is to be used for educational purposes only. Bill Farr’s wellness plans and advice are meant to be used in conjunction with standard allopathic or osteopathic medical treatment and care.
