Somatotypes: Your Body Type and You

Sorry it has taken so long to get this blog out. It is official corn watering season on the farm, and between that, Icon, and everything else that goes on in my crazy life, it has been hard to sit down and get this all done. But here we go! All about Body Types!

Overall, there are 3 body types that everyone falls into, or, as Ill explain later on, may be a hybrid of. But suffice to say, there are 3 distinct body types. While each body type has their positive and negative points, it will help you maximize your fitness results by realizing what you are “built” to do.

We will start with the smallest group, the Ectomorphs:

Ectomorphs are naturally skinny. They have smaller frames, and their bone sizes are smaller than most. They usually tend to have long limbs, small waists, and bones protrude. If you have ever heard some of your lifting friends classify someone as a “Hardgainer”, they would fall into this group. They can eat all day long and never gain a pound. They don’t ever get fat, and burn calories quickly.

Ectomorphs are your typical endurance athletes. You will see them in Triathlons or Marathons. Their low body fat percentages (3-10%), smaller muscle mass, and longer limbs help them to run long distances and stride out and have less to carry.

Western Culture has placed the ectomorph body type is the most sought out. However, Ectomorphs often complain that they do not have the muscle mass (men) or the curves (women) that other groups have.

Ectomorphs will almost never complain about weight loss, so we will go into weight gaining. Ectomorphs need to make sure that they are eating calorie dense foods. If size or shape is wanted, they need to do less cardio and more low volume, high weight, low set, low reps lifts. They cannot afford to push it hard and get their metabolism burning. Keep your heart rate down, and take rests between sets. Do not perform supersets. Focus on one exercise at a time. Other things to focus on:

·         Get your ZZZZZZ’s in

·         Slow Down. Do not elevate your heart rate (KEY!!! That is why I said it twice)

·         Eat like a freak. Eat every 3-4 hours. Make sure you are eating High Calorie Foods.

o   Complex Carbs are very important!

o   15-20% Fat

o   30% Protein (lean protein)

As for Famous individuals that are Ectomorphs:

For the Men: Brad Pitt, Tobey Maguire, Chris Rock, Bruce Lee, Frank Zane, and Zyzz

For Women: Cameron Diaz, Kate Moss, Audrey Hepburn, Gisele Bundchen, Anne Hathaway, and Gwyneth Paltrow

 Mesomorphs:

Known as the “Genetic Freaks”. Guys that walk in the gym, lift a few weights, build muscle like crazy and are shredded. Women that squat a day, jog a little, and are bikini season ready. Pretty much the group everyone hates. They are naturally aesthetically pleasing looking people.

Mesomorphs are where you see your sprinters/crosstrainer type individuals. They have a fairly decent amount of strength and power. They can gain strength, size, curvature, etc very very easily. They can keep control of their body weights relatively easily.

So there has to be a downfall to perfection right? There is. The biggest downfall of Mesomorphs is they don’t ever reach their full potential. They ride on the mediocrity of their genetics, never really pushing themselves. While the other two groups usually have great amounts of determination to become thinner or gain weight, Meso’s are often very content with themselves and never actually obtain what they really could have. However, when they do, the world is at their fingertips. Here are some pointers on Mesomorphs:

·         Go all out. You have the Genes to get you where you want, now use them! Set Goals. Eat right. Work Hard.

·         Watch what you eat. Mesomorphs tend to have issues with carbs and can gain weight faster than Ectomorphs. A good, balanced diet will help you achieve your goals.

Famous Mesomorphs??

For Men: Vin Diesel, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Mark Wahlberg, Lou Ferrigno

For Women: Jillian Michaels, Jennifer Anniston, Halle Berry, Erin Stern

Last But not Least, the Endomorphs:

Endomorphs are usually bigger framed and bigger set than their other two counterparts. They have wide hips, big bones, and are known for having large amounts of natural strength. These are your typical linemen, heavy lifters in the Olympics, or your Field people in Track and Field.

Endomorphs may have more power and strength, but their downfall is their size. Hips are usually wider than their chests; their bones are larger and stronger to help support their larger body weights.

Endomorphs also have a very slow metabolism. They gain weight very easily, and struggle with Carbohydrates and Fats. Because of the slow metabolism, they tend to have less energy, are more tired, and often lose motivation to exercise quickly. My best advice for this type is:

·         Find things to motivate you. Write goals and wishes on an index card and put it in your pocket, wallet, or purse. Keep it with you. Read it daily. When you want to eat something that isn’t healthy, pull it out and remind yourself what your final goals are.

·         SUPERSETS: Tie different lifts together. For instance, if you are training Back and Biceps when lifting, do one of the lifts, and go right to the other. Do not give yourself any downtime. This will help condition you, keep your heart rate up, and help you shed pounds faster.

·         12-15 reps: Go High rep, low weight lifts. Same theory as above. Keep that heart rate elevated.

·         CARDIO: Make sure you are doing lots of Cardio. Keep your heart rate up above 65% at all times.

o   Try other forms than just straight running. Do HIIT Training (High Intensity Interval Training)

o   Jump Roping

o   Sprints

o   Swimming

·         Don’t get down on yourself. Keep digging, keep moving, keep trying!

·         Stay away from Carbs. If you have read my previous blogs, you should know that Carbs and Fats are your friends. Make sure you are still eating them, but do not base your diet off of them. Integrate a lot of Protein into your diet.

o   Keep Cheat Meals LOW! 1-2 per week!

·         Exercise every day. Make sure you keep moving.

·         Make Exercise a LIFETIME commitment. Work hard each day.

Famous Endomorphs you ask?

For Men: Jack Black, Robin Williams, Russell Crowe, Jay Cutler

For Women: Oprah Winfrey, Jessica Simpson, Janet Jackson, Kathleen Turner, Kirstie Alley

Surprised by a few of those? Interesting Stuff!

So there you are, the 3 Body Types.

Now that you have this information, realize that it is rare for one person to be only one of these 3 types. Imagine the bell curve below is a certain body type:

As you can see, the frequency of being exactly like that type increases the further you go to the right, until you hit the center, then it decreases again. While the red and lighter orange may have traits like that body type, they aren’t as close as the darker orange in being exactly like that body type. So in essence, the people that fall in the red or lighter orange part of the bell curve are Hybrids or have traits from a different body type.

Thus example B:

Imagine the left side of the blue curve makes up Ectomorphs, the right makes up Endomorphs, and the center red line makes up Mesomorphs. Some people that are strongly Ectomorph could possibly have a little Mesomorph. They would be called a Ecto-Mesomorph (If they are more on the skinny side) or a Meso-Ectomorph is they are more on the built side. The same applies for the other side of the curve, where people could be Meso-Endomorphs or Endo-Mesomorphs.

Do not think in absolutes. It is rare to be on one side of the bell curve or the other. If that happens, you will need to find the inner fight and will to make your dreams come true. But also remember to make your dreams a reality. If you are an Endomorph, you probably won’t be a world class long distance runner. If you are a Ectomorph, you most likely will not be a world class power lifting champion. Be happy with who you are and what you can do with your body. Each and every one of us are unique. It may take a little time to find something fitness wise that you like to do that fits your body type, but you will find it. It might be Yoga, Sprinting, Long-Distance Running, Tae-Bo, etc. There are so many ways to stay active J

Here is a link to a quick test you can take! Just answer the questions, and it will reveal the body type you are most like: http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/becker3.htm

As for yours truly, I am a Meso-Endomorph. I have mostly the frame of a Mesomorph with slightly more fat to get rid of as well as the slow metabolism. So for you Endo’s out there, I feel for you! It isn’t easy. As I have gone through this journey, there are a lot of setbacks, a lot of depressing days, a lot of sad days, temptations with foods I love, but I am getting where I want to be. It is taking a lot of time, but I know I want it, and I will keep fighting for perfection. Fitness needs to be a lifetime deal for me. I am hoping I am taking the right steps in life now to keep up with my fitness goals and keep with my healthy lifestyle. I know it will be hard, and I will be on this Journey all my life, but what a great Journey to be on! I hope that those of you out there, my readers, can take some of what I have talked about, and what I am yet to talk about, and my feelings and my experiences and help fuel your own to go forward as well.

When I was in Colombia, South America, I contracted Dengue Fever. Long Story short, after coming close to death, I realized that one of the most important things we can have in this life is our health. If it is gone, there isn’t much to living. We can’t enjoy other things in life with bad health. We can’t enjoy times with our families. We can’t enjoy experiences. In reality, our Health is all we have got at the end of the day. With that kind of logic, doesn’t it make sense to make sure that you work out to take care of yourself?

I wish you luck my friends. No matter where you are on the bell curve, I believe you all have it in you to achieve whatever fitness goals. Just keep fighting each day, remember your goals, and work towards them each day. If you don’t ever start, you won’t ever get there. It’s up to you to put the keys in the ignition and go! Until Next Time!