The Best Diet and Fitness Advice for Your Body Type
Nowadays, people seem to describe their bodies using a wide variety of terms, such as apple, pear, lanky, athletic, stocky, and voluptuous. [Citation needed] The list might be endlessly extended. To a certain extent, it appears futile, and it may be emotionally destructive, to categorize the contour of one’s body. After all, our physical selves are merely our physical selves, and it is utterly pointless to place an excessive amount of importance or care into how they seem. Everyone and everything, including their appearance, possesses a one-of-a-kind beauty all their own. When it comes to how you approach nutrition and exercise, however, it turns out that taking into account your somatotype is beneficial in more ways than one.
The somatotype approach to health goals seeks to personalize nutrition and exercise recommendations for an individual based on that person’s particular body type or form. Some fitness and nutrition experts believe that taking into account your natural body shape, fat distribution, and metabolic tendencies (which are all encapsulated in somatotypes), when attempting to get fitter, can help you have greater success. However, this method is not universally accepted as an approach to body composition, fitness, or weight goals. As a result, we reached out to a few professionals in the field of health to educate us on somatotypes and tell us what the scientific literature has to say about the appropriate dietary and physical activity routines for each body type.
Keep scrolling to find out more about endomorphs, mesomorphs, and ectomorphs, as well as the best nutrition and exercise advice based on your body type, and to learn how to determine your body type.
The Somatotype Approach Offers a Number of Benefits
According to Marsac, it is helpful to examine your body type when you are working toward your goals of weight loss and fitness because the dietary and activity guidelines for optimal health are not universally applicable. According to her explanation, “each distinct body type reacts and responds differently to calorie intake and activities.” “Knowing which method to follow will assist a person in developing a plan that is more practical and will increase the likelihood that they will be successful in accomplishing their goals.”
Although the somatotype method to directing your nutritional and exercise behaviors isn’t flawless, it does assist adapt the approach to your body composition goals, which is something that Byrne acknowledges. “Choosing the optimum diet and exercise plan to meet your specific goals is where body type concerns come into play,” he explains, “and this is where they are vital.” You will be able to start losing weight and improving your fitness with tried and tested ways that are likely to respond better to you if you are aware of the characteristics of your body type. This will lessen the amount of trial and error that you have to go through.
Endomorphs
According to Marsac, “[the] endomorph body type is defined as having a larger body fat percentage in conjunction with decreased muscular mass.” [Citation needed] Endomorphs often have a shorter stature, a more spherical physique, and a slower metabolic rate than mesomorphs.
Recommendations for a Healthy Diet
Marsac says that these types of bodies tend to be more sensitive to the number of calories that they take in. According to Byrne, endomorphs often have a lower tolerance for carbs, which means they are more likely to acquire weight even with a relatively modest calorie surplus. This is because endomorphs are more likely to store carbohydrates as fat. Marsac says that the “dietary suggestions for this body type would be to ingest an adequate amount of protein while maintaining a calorie deficit.”
According to the recommendations of our in-house specialists, there are a few reasons why getting a proper amount of protein is so vital when working toward body composition goals. According to Byrne, “Protein is more satiating, which means you’ll be less likely to snack on carb-rich, sugary meals. Additionally, it will enable you to better manage your overall daily calorie intake because you’ll have less desires.” Marsac further states that “enough protein is essential not just to maintain present muscle mass, but to grow muscle mass, allowing for ‘body recompositioning,'” which is the process of reducing body fat percentage while simultaneously building muscle.” Endomorphs should aim to consume between 1.6 and 2 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight on a daily basis, according to her advice.
The ratio of carbs, proteins, and fats that make up your daily caloric intake should be divided among the three basic macronutrients in a flexible manner, according to the recommendations made by our in-house experts. According to Marsac, once the protein needs of endomorphs have been satisfied and the percentage of the total daily calories that must be consumed to meet those needs has been calculated, the remaining calories can be divided between carbohydrates and fats; however, the specific ratios may vary somewhat from person to person. “While it is advisable to take a balance of both, if a person feels adverse effects such as nausea or lightheadedness, it is a sign that their body is seeking more carbohydrates. On the other hand, some people feel more satiated consuming higher fats than carbohydrates. That’s fine with me, too,” she replies. As long as the combined total of both does not go above the allotted number of calories, there is no requirement that they be consumed in proportion to one another.
Because carbs are more likely to lead to weight gain in endomorphs than in other somatotypes, Byrne typically advises endomorphs to place a higher priority on fats than they do on carbohydrates when it comes to this divide. He recommends concentrating your carbohydrate consumption around your workout window (both before and after your workouts). This makes it more likely that your body will use the carbohydrates for energy rather than storing them in adipose tissue as excess body fat, and it also increases the possibility that your body will use the carbohydrates for energy.
Exercise Recommendations
Building muscle and reducing body fat are two of the primary aims of exercise for endomorphs. This is due to the fact that an increase in lean body mass leads to a higher metabolic rate, which in turn helps you burn more calories throughout the day, even when you are at rest. According to Byrne, “most endomorphs will respond better to high-intensity interval training (HIIT) and weightlifting to burn body fat and increase muscle mass, which will aid to exhibit a slimmer physique.” HIIT stands for high-intensity interval training. Weightlifting is a form of weight training.
In addition to strength training, “aerobic workouts, particularly those that target body fat—high-intensity interval training (HIIT), speed training, and metabolic conditioning training—are also advantageous,” says Marsac.
According to Byrne, endomorphs typically have a higher body mass index regardless of their percentage of body fat “owing to having a broader frame, more muscular mass, denser bone structure, and also more body fat.” This is the reason why endomorphs prefer to carry more body weight. As a result, he advises that individuals participate in cardiac activities that are gentler on the joints and have lower impact. Even while engaging in HIIT-style training, he recommends choosing cardio activities such as yoga, Pilates, cycling/spin, swimming, SkiErg, and rowing. “Even when undertaking HIIT-style training, it’s good to select for cardio choices like these,” he says. “It is also beneficial for endomorphs to maintain their heart rate up when undertaking resistance training in order to stay in a fat-burning state. As a result, circuit-based training is something that many endomorphs respond extremely well to because it keeps their heart rate up.”
Exercise is a great way to maintain a high level of energy expenditure, which is helpful for endomorphs who frequently seek to reduce the number of calories they consume on a daily basis. According to Byrne, “the vast majority of endomorphs will gain from more training sessions each week (four to five), with each session being shorter in duration (twenty to thirty minutes)” “This should be reinforced with extra activities to keep energy expenditure high and can include a daily step target or sport-based leisure activities,” the author writes. “These activities can include running, cycling, swimming, or weight lifting.”
Ectomorphs
Byrne characterizes ectomorphs as having a naturally slender build, low levels of body fat, and bones that are of a smaller size. They struggle to put on muscle and have a tendency to be of a lankier, more wiry build. Additionally, they have a rapid metabolism.
Recommendations for a Healthy Diet
“Ectomorphs do not often gain weight or excess body fat very quickly since they have a metabolism that is faster than endomorphs and a generally higher tolerance to the amount of carbohydrates they consume. Although this may have some positive effects, Byrne points out that ectomorphs “may have difficulty building muscular mass and increasing strength.” According to Marsac, ectomorphs should place a greater emphasis in their diet on the consumption of protein and carbohydrates to assist the growth of their muscles. “The recommended daily intake of protein should be somewhere from 1.8 to 2.2 grams per kilogram of body weight,” According to her, a person’s daily caloric intake should consist of approximately fifty percent carbohydrates and the remaining calories should come from fat. Consuming sufficient amounts of carbs on a daily basis is made simpler by foods such as potatoes, rice, and oatmeal. Marsac believes that you also need carbs, and Byrne adds that a caloric excess of 300–500 calories per day will also boost muscle development. While many people link muscle growth primarily with protein, Byrne and Marsac say that you also need carbohydrates. Byrne suggests following a diet in which protein and fat each account for approximately 30 percent of the total calories, while carbohydrates make up the remaining 40 percent of the diet.
Exercise Recommendations
Ectomorphs have a naturally higher proportion of slow-twitch muscle fibers, which, combined with their naturally leaner and more lanky build, means they tend to excel at aerobic exercise and may prefer low-intensity steady-state (LISS) cardio workouts such as jogging, cycling, and elliptical trainers. Byrne says this means that ectomorphs have a tendency to excel at aerobic exercise and may favor LISS cardio workouts such However, this does not indicate that this kind of activity is good for meeting body composition objectives and increasing muscle mass. Marsac recommends that people with ectomorph body types avoid engaging in excessive amounts of cardiovascular activity, such as going on lengthy runs, because this inhibits the development of muscle.
According to Byrne, ectomorphs should prioritize strength training in order to gain muscle and keep the intensity of their cardio workouts moderate in order to reduce the amount of calories they burn. “Due to lower levels of body fat and lean muscle mass, ectomorphs will benefit more from strength-based resistance training and LISS-style training three to four times per week,” he says. “This is because these individuals already have a higher percentage of lean muscle mass.” “LISS cardio is required to maintain energy expenditure low (which will then be employed for growing muscle tissue) in order to burn less calories while simultaneously guaranteeing that you are still consistently training your cardiovascular system.”
Byrne suggests performing two to three LISS workouts of forty to sixty minutes each each week. These workouts can consist of activities such as jogging, cycling, swimming, or hiking, among others, as long as the intensity is kept reasonably low. Byrne offers the following piece of advice: “A full-body resistance-based workout should also be employed three times per week,” with the emphasis placed on developing one’s strength through the performance of complex exercises that target numerous muscle groups. The squat, the deadlift, the lunge, the overhead press, the chest press, and the row are all examples of these.
Marsac emphasizes that the strength training in question ought to center on achieving hypertrophy of the muscles. “The goal of hypertrophy exercise is to expand the number of muscular contraction fibers as well as the glycogen storage capacity of the muscle.” This appears to be complex activities (such as squatting, deadlifting, bench pressing, and overhead pressing), followed by isolation exercises targeting the same muscle group, according to what she says. For example, on days that a person squats, isolated exercises such as leg extensions and hamstring curls should be included in their routine.
Mesomorphs
Mesomorphs are defined by their naturally athletic build and their ability to pack on muscle in a very short amount of time.
Recommendations for a Healthy Diet
“Of the three somatotypes, mesomorphs are seen as having the most potential in terms of their genetic make-up. This indicates that they are able to make the most efficient use of macronutrients to increase their lean muscle mass while, on the whole, developing or maintaining a very low amount of body fat, as Byrne explains. “Mesomorphs, as a result, have more leeway when it comes to choosing their diets; nevertheless, this does not mean that they can abuse calories by consuming huge amounts of ‘junk’ food,” Rather, it simply indicates that there is more leeway in the particular breakdown of macronutrient percentages for optimal body composition, and that a balanced split between protein, fat, and carbohydrates may be the healthiest combination.
Marsac adds that the dietary advice ought to be altered according to the particular sport or athletic goal that a mesomorph is aiming for. She states that in order to promote the preservation of muscle mass, a protein intake of between 1.5 and 2 grams per kilogram of body weight is likely to be necessary. Carbohydrate intake should be increased for individuals who require more stamina and endurance, such as runners, rowers, or cyclists. On the other hand, fat consumption should be increased for individuals who are participating in powerlifting and strength competitions for the purpose of strength support.
Exercise Recommendations
Because of their naturally muscular frame, mesomorphs typically respond quite well to strength training. [Case in point:] According to Byrne, they are free to organize their resistance training in any manner that they deem appropriate, whether they choose to concentrate on total-body exercises, upper/lower-body split workouts, push/pull, or even specific muscle groups. “For cardio, a combination of LISS or HIIT can be used depending on personal desire, but the most obvious results will come from a training plan focusing on three to five days of weight training,” observes Byrne. “For flexibility, a mix of LISS or HIIT can be used depending on personal taste.” “I’m not arguing that you will build freakishly large muscles as a mesomorph; rather, you will create a leaner, more toned physique without the need to spend numerous hours on the StairMaster!”
Marsac adds that an optimal program of exercise that includes both strengthening and conditioning is balanced, and that mesomorphs can benefit from some more specialized routines. Work with dumbbells, lunges, and box step-ups are all unilateral exercises that mesomorph body types can benefit from. This is because mesomorph body types already have a solid foundation.
Challenges Presented by the Somatotype Approach
Byrne argues that the primary disadvantage of placing an excessive amount of emphasis on one’s somatotype is that it causes one to disregard the fundamental training and dietary guidelines that are common to all somatotypes. “Just because an ectomorph, for example, has a higher metabolism does not mean that they are immune to acquiring weight and body fat if they consume too large of a calorie surplus,” he explains. “This is especially true if they consume too many calories in excess of what their bodies need.” “Also, people can change their body type through training and dieting,” so an ectomorph could become an ecto-meso by building enough muscle mass, while an endomorph could become an endo-meso by speeding up their metabolism and nutrient utilization through HIIT-style training. “Also, people can change their body type through genetics,”
Marsac thinks it’s crucial, and he agrees with you, that you shouldn’t let your existing or natural somatotype limit your efforts and the health goals you want to achieve. Marsac observes that because some people believe they are doomed to always have the same body type and “will never change,” they never even make an effort to alter their appearance. “A person’s somatotype is not a permanent indicator of their physiological make-up; rather, it is a reflection of their current physiological state.” Changes in a person’s body type can be brought about by making adjustments to their eating and exercise routines, as well as other aspects of their lifestyle.
Because of this, the experts we work with recommend that people take into account their body type when making decisions about their diet and exercise routines, but that they should not allow themselves to be constrained by it because body types can change to some extent over the course of one’s lifetime. No matter what your starting body type is, if you lift weights to raise your strength, maintain a calorie surplus or deficit to gain or lose weight, and do cardiovascular exercise to increase the amount of energy you burn, you will see changes in both your physique and your fitness levels.