BODY TYPES

A 4-minute read

Are you a hardgainer or softgainer? Sooner or later, this is a question you’re going to have to answer. Can you eat what you want, when you want – and still stay skinny? Or does your stomach grow when you so much as look as carbs? Either way, you can move past these issues by identifying which of the three body types used in fitness and bodybuilding you belong to. In this article, we explain how you can tell which type most accurately describes you – and how this insight can turn you into a beast! 

TRAINING FOR ECTOMORPHS: LESS IS MORE!
Sure, you find it hard to gain mass, but don’t lose your head. The solution is simple: an uncompromising focus on building muscle – but never to excess! The ectomorph exercise plan needs to be include fewer reps but with heavier weights.

The combination of compound and targeted exercises will really boost your gains – so kick cardio out of your workout plan! At the same time, it’s important to stick to your plan right from the start to avoid muscular failure.

Your body type means you quickly become overtrained and overexerted! Train 1 or 2 muscle groups per workout for a maximum of 60 minutes at a time, with a limit of 4 sessions per week. Your body type means you need plenty of recovery, so rest days are essential. However, it also means no more compromises in the gym!
 

NUTRITION FOR ECTOMORPHS: EAT LIKE A KING!
Or, to put it another way: eat, eat and eat some more! Ideally, you should take on food every 2 to 3 hours. At the end of the day, you need to have eaten more calories than you’ve burned off. Only then will you effectively gain mass and be able to watch your muscles grow. Love carbs? Go for it!

Complex carbohydrates from potatoes, rice, oats, pasta and wholemeal bread are the basis of the ectomorph diet plan. Make sure you get enough protein and create a calorie surplus by eating plenty of healthy fats. Careful, though: just because you can pile your plate high with calories doesn’t mean you have a free pass to eat junk food. 
 

SUPPLEMENTS FOR ECTOMORPHS: BULK UP!
As a hardgainer, weight gain supplements are essential! When it comes to ways to cover your abnormally high caloric requirements, they are the gold standard. In addition to an ideal combination of carbs and protein, you can give your workouts a little extra results with high-quality creatine, which is an effective means of beefing up your short-term muscle!

TRAINING FOR ENDOMORPHS: TRAIN LIKE A BEAST!
Your high body fat percentage is probably what’s bothering you, so get on the treadmill as often as you can. Cardio has an important place alongside hard workouts in the endomorph exercise plan. Boost your metabolism, raise your basal metabolic rate and get rid of that troublesome fat. HIIT workouts are another excellent way for you to get in shape.

It’s essential that you supplement these cardio sessions with intense strength training. Your muscles have the ideal conditions to grow, so you can do split training, try out supersets and push yourself all the way to muscle failure. Although you might develop love handles quickly, the good news is that you’ll gain muscle just as fast. Take advantage of this and train like a beast!
 

NUTRITION FOR ENDOMORPHS: EAT LESS AND EAT BETTER!
Unfortunately, when it comes to nutrition, you really don’t have an ace up your sleeve – you’re going to need to keep a close eye on what and how much you eat, whether you want to or not. Of course, anyone who wants to achieve gains needs a certain caloric surplus. But, if you notice you’re putting on weight in fat not muscle, dial down the calories!

You should be putting plenty of protein on your plate and throttling back on fatty foods. Many softgainers are very sensitive to carbs, so try to make them a rarity on your plate. Low carb is the key! If you’re already carrying extra fat from the outset, you’ll need to follow a strict diet. The main thing is to cut back the calories and get plenty of protein.
 

SUPPLEMENTS FOR ENDOMORPHS: LOW CARB, BABY!
You can probably guess what’s coming: you need low-carb, low-fat training aids. This makes whey isolate the ideal choice for your body. In addition to being low in both carbs and fat, make sure your supplements don’t have any bloating or water-retentive effects (like creatine does) – and you’ll be on the right track.
 

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TRAINING FOR MESOMORPHS: ALWAYS HARD SPLITS
Not only will intense split training push you to your limits, it’s also your fast track to peak performance! You can regenerate faster than others and withstand greater punishment, so make sure to try 5-day split training with decent-sized weights and plenty of sets. Variation is a must in the mesomorph workout plan, so incorporate both targeted and whole-body exercises with short recoveries – and give it your all!
 

NUTRITION FOR MESOMORPHS: BALANCE IS THE BYWORD
A balanced, varied diet might not sound like a magic bullet, but you don’t have a lot to worry about anyway. Your main focus is building muscle, so a slight caloric surplus should be your primary aim. You’ve hit the jackpot: unlike the other body types, you don’t need to concentrate on avoiding fat. By relying on the holy trilogy of complex carbohydrates, small amounts of healthy fats and plenty of high-quality protein, you’ll eat your way to becoming a hulk.
 

SUPPLEMENTS FOR MESOMORPHS: THE FINISHING TOUCHES
Don’t forget to fine-tune your nutrition! Concentrated whey, creatine, plenty of boosters before hitting the gym and high-quality amino acids will give you an added hit of motivation and catapult you on your journey to the perfect body!