who are we
Mesomorph: You
find it supereasy to build muscle mass, and you are generally proportionally
built. Mesomorphs can lose and gain weight easily, are able to build muscle
quickly, and usually boast an upright posture. This body type tends to have a
long torso and short limbs. Women with a mesomorph body type are strong and
athletic. Mesomorphs excel in explosive sports—that is, sports calling for
power and speed. The reason for this talent lies in the type of muscle
mesomorphs possess. Mesomorphs have a higher percentage of fast-twitch fibres
and will gain muscle mass more quickly than any other body type. Basically your
genetic makeup suits power and strength. For training, focus on moderate
endurance training, high-intensity interval training (HIIT), and plyometrics. You
can add in Pilates or yoga to lengthen with strength. To maximise body
composition (lean-mass gain, body-fat loss) as a mesomorph, eat good quality
fats with moderate carbohydrates and consider timing your protein and
branched-chain amino acid intake. On non-training/exercising days, skip the
pre-training snack and just have the green tea or coffee in the afternoon. Eat
your usual pre-dinner and evening snacks.
Ectomorph: You
tend to be long limbed and not particularly muscular. You can be "skinny
fat," meaning you're a relatively low weight and/or small size yet still
have high body fat. Ectomorphs are the body type that is the most resistant to
weight gain because of a fast metabolism. In other words, ectomorphs are often
able to overeat while gaining little or even no weight. People with this body
type have little observable body fat, are only lightly muscled, and have a
small frame (and joints). Basically your genetic makeup limits your ability to
put on muscle mass. When training, focus on power and resistance training to
build strength. To maximise body composition (lean-mass gain, body-fat loss) as
an ectomorph, eat good quality fats with moderate protein intake of 25 to 30 g
per meal (four meals per day if you have a pre-training mini-meal) along with
good quality carbohydrates. On non-training/exercising days, skip the
pretraining and morning snack: Breakfast is hearty enough to carry you through
to lunch. If you have afternoon snacks, you may want to make your dinner intake
a bit lighter than what is written here.
Endomorph: You
are generally softer and rounder and tend to store fat easily. Endomorphs are
the body types that are most likely to feel like they drew the short straw.
Endomorphs naturally tend to have curvy, fuller figures and struggle to keep
their body-fat percentage in check. The most difficult challenge for endomorphs
is perhaps to find out that they are in fact an endomorph. Why? Once you know
you are an endomorph, you know that you were born this way. It can be difficult
to come to the realization that you are likely to gain weight very easily. You
have the type of metabolism that is not forgiving. However, this doesn't mean
you are destined to be overweight or even obese. As an endomorph, you have to
make a conscious, concerted effort to do the things your body should be doing
for you automatically. If your body isn't instinctively telling you to move
more, you have to make sure that exercise is part of your daily routine. If
your metabolism is sluggish, you need to eat the right foods that will fire up
your metabolism. Training-wise, high-intensity activities such as HIIT and
CrossFit are great, as are weight training and moderate endurance training. As
an endomorph, eat good quality fats and protein and limit your carbohydrate intake
to maximize body composition (lean-mass gain, body-fat loss) and to control
insulin and blood sugar. On nontraining/exercising days, have a flat-belly
breakfast within 45 minutes of waking up and skip the pre- and post-training
snacks. Be sure to temper your afternoon snack to your appetite.
Adapted from
Roar
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