Achieving results in fitness must be viewed as a journey. Before you can travel your first mile, you must know your starting point and destination. How you eat, what supplements you take, and how much cardio and weight training you do are your driving directions.
#1 What is your goal? There are only four goals in fitness: fat loss, muscle gain, performance and health/maintenance. So clearly define to yourself what your goal is before you start your journey.
#2 Who are you? You can initially categorize who you are by one of three genetic types: Ectomorph, Endomorph and Mesomorph. Your genetics are your starting point and will dictate what path you must take to reach your destination. This is important because many people follow trend diets and unprofessional fitness advice that may have worked for others but will not work for everybody. Monitor your progress and make adjustments as your genetic type and lifestyle may not be identical to the ‘average profile’.
Let’s take a look at the three different body types:
THE ECTOMORPH: Ectomorphs are naturally lean and thin. They can eat all sorts of unhealthy foods and stay slim. However ectomorphs are also low in muscular strength and find it difficult to gain muscle mass. Here are some common characteristics of an ectomorph:
• Fast Metabolism
• Naturally thin or wiry
• Find it hard to gain weight
• Naturally lower in strength levels
• Often high energy levels and tend to be overactive
But what about fat loss for the ectomorph? Virtually every definition of an ectomorph talks about a skinny person. Yet it is quite possible for an ectomorph to gain fat – particularly after adolescence. However the primary problem will always be gaining muscle. This becomes tricky under calorie restrictions for a fat loss as the ectomorph tends to burn more muscle than fat.
So how does the ectomorph burn fat? While appropriate calorie control is important for all fat loss regimes, the ectomorph has to be particularly careful – calorie intake set too low will burn muscle (probably much easier than in other body types).
For the ectomorph, calorie restriction should be no more than 20% of daily calorie burn and cardio may be the only means to burn fat alongside muscle glycogen.
THE MESOMORPH: Mesomorphs are the people we all love to hate and are secretly jealous of. They have the following characteristics:
• Naturally muscular
• Naturally lean
• Broad shoulders
• Lose fat easily
• Gain muscle and strength easily
• Efficient and fast burning metabolism
These people are generally gifted bodybuilders and athletes. A low carb diet is not recommended for the mesomorph as it may lead to decreased energy and muscle loss. Higher insulin levels in mesomorphs tend to contribute more to muscle gains than fat storage.
THE ENDOMORPH: This body type stores fat very easily and finds it hard to lose the fat. An endomorph often has a sluggish metabolism and must be particularly careful with their diet. Here are the common characteristics of an endomorph body type:
• Tend to be naturally overweight
• Gain fat easily
• Find it difficult to lose fat
• Larger around the waist
• Possibly sensitive to carbohydrates (particularly processes and refined carbs)
• Slow metabolism
• Body shape is more rounded
• Often has reasonable strength levels
If you are predominately endomorphic, you will probably find that diet alone (i.e. diet without exercise) will not be enough to bring down your weight levels. Because you have a slow metabolic rate, it must be boosted with aerobic exercise and weight training. You will probably need to be careful with carbohydrate consumption as higher insulin levels tend to be contribute more to fat storage and muscle gain.
A balanced, lower carb diet could be beneficial as long as it is cycled with a normal carb profile diet once every two days (1-2 days low / 1 day normal).
Source: Power Blenz Poster Coach
I am actually an endomorph, and if I do not train, I gain fat very easily. What body type are you?
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Originally Posted by 00ragincajun00
yeah, I got a big ol butt.
