By Granito diaz – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, Link

What Body Type Are You and How Does It Affect Your Weight Loss?

Most people who want to achieve weight loss know that they will have to change their diet and exercise regularly. What they don’t realize is that their Body type may affect their ability to achieve their goal. People are born with an inherited body types made up of skeletal frame and composition.

For women these body types have been categorized to the following shapes.

• Apple
• Pear
• Hourglass
• Inverted Triangle
• Rectangle

The problem is that these descriptors don’t give any real insight to your body. Researchers developed more insight and have categorized these body types in three general classes:

• Endomorph
• Mesomorph
• Ectomorph

We will dissect these three body types in a minute but it’s important to understand that most people are a unique combination of the body types and the success or failure of your weight loss efforts may depend upon your understanding of your body type. That’s because different body types respond to diet and exercise in diverse ways.

Once you have determined which category your body best fits in, you and a personal trainer will be able to put together an exercise and diet plan that are customized to help you reach your goals and maximize your

Endomorphs

• Blocky
• Thick rib cage
• Wider/Thicker joints
• Hips as wide or wider than clavicle
• Shorter limbs

A person with an endomorphic body tends to retain fat. They have tremendous difficulty losing excess weight while also being able to pack on the pounds with surprising speed. A soft, rounder body and a shorter build are common. People whose body fits in this category generally do not have well-defined muscles, but this does not mean they aren’t strong. In fact, endomorphs tend to be quite strong, especially in the lower body. This means that they naturally excel at exercises like the squat.

Weight Loss

Endomorphs are in luck if their fitness goal is to put on muscle mass. Their stockier build even helps them to appear to gain size in a shorter amount of time. The potential downside to their ability to gain weight is that it is extremely easy for them to pile on fat. Accordingly, the endomorph must incorporate plenty of cardio workouts into their weight training. A high protein diet that avoids eating too many carbohydrates can help the endomorph meet their goals for fat loss. Focusing on vegetables and whole grains can be a recipe for success.

Mesomorphs

• Wide clavicle
• Narrow waste
• Thinner joints
• Long and round muscle bellies

A person with a lean, athletic build is a classic mesomorph. Their bodies tend to be hard and symmetrical with well-defined muscles. Of all the body-type categories, this is the one that packs on muscle the easiest. Gains may be seen within only a few weeks of training. The bone structure of the mesomorph tends to be large with accordingly large muscles. Gaining and losing weight is simple for them. Their profile is typified by wide shoulders and a narrow waist. Mesomorphs tend to have only a moderate appetite, which is partially why they are able to stay so lean.

Weight Loss

Mesomorphs don’t have to do as much cardiovascular training as endomorphs do. However, weight training remains important. A judicious balance of the two should lead to fat loss and muscle gain. It’s best for mesomorph body types to make carbohydrates no more than about half of their diet. It is similarly important for them to eat sufficient lean protein to ensure that they can add or maintain muscle mass.

Ectomorphs

• Narrow hips and clavicles
• Small joints
• Thin build
• Stringy muscle bellies
• Long limbs

Ectomorph body types have long, angular frames with narrow shoulders and a flat chest. They find it difficult to gain any kind of weight, especially muscle mass. With a speedy metabolism, it can be difficult for ectomorphs to strike the right balance with their diet. After following an intense workout regimen for months, they may find that they have made little gains toward putting on muscle mass.

Weight Loss

Ectomorphs generally need to use heavier weights if they hope to gain muscle. It also may be advisable for them to do little or no cardiovascular workouts. Of course, the other vital fitness component for the ectomorph is a healthy, high-calorie diet. Without an excess of calories, the ectomorph will never put on size. Nutritional supplements also may be necessary.

Conclusion

Ultimately, it is not possible for a person to change the type of body they have because this is determined by genetics. This does not mean that there is no point in trying to lose weight or gain muscle. The reality is that the individual is in control of how much fat and muscle their frame carries. Through the judicious use of exercise and a smart meal plan, anyone can transform their body to become the best possible version of themselves. The first step toward achieving this goal is a visit to My House Fitness to meet with a personal trainer.

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