Do you have a problem losing weight no matter how much effort you put into the gym? Or you are a skinny guy trying to increase muscle mass, but your muscles don’t want to grow? The answer to this problem can lie in your specific body type. You must work with your body instead of against it to achieve your goals. You need to know your body type, eat, and train in the gym according to your body type. Different body types require other training methods and diet plans. There are three main body types: Ectomorph, Mesomorph and Endomorph. This article will discuss how to eat and train specifically for your body type.

Most food groups for specific body types should be whole foods, nutrient-dense, and based on healthy eating guidelines. The only difference for each body type will be in macronutrient ratios. Each body type needs a different balance of carbohydrates, proteins, and fats. For example, eating oatmeal for breakfast for an ectomorph is better because he is more carb-efficient. And for the endomorph, because he can be more prone to insulin resistance, it is better to start the day with a protein-rich meal with no carbohydrates.

As to training, it is also should be different for specific body types. The goal for an ectomorph is to increase muscle mass, so they should be doing more resistance training and less cardio. Resistance training should also be included for an endomorph, but they should include more cardio training than ectomorphs to help them reduce fat. Also, HIIT is an excellent choice for them. Now, let’s look at each body type separately.

Ectomorph. Ectomorphs are naturally lean with long limbs, mostly struggle to gain muscle, have narrow shoulders and hips, and have quite a fast metabolism. Regarding nutrition, ectomorphs can typically handle more carbohydrates than other body types. Regarding the macronutrient ratio, their meals should include 55% Carbs, 25% Protein and 20% Fats.

We need more carbs to increase body weight; they can tolerate carbs pretty well. We need protein to build muscles, and everything else is fat (fat is also necessary for our body). Supplements like Gainer and Creatine are recommended, and ectomorphs can eat food before bed to prevent muscle catabolism at night. Workouts should be short, at most one hour. All training should be based on resistance training focusing on big muscle groups.

Endomorph. Endomorph has heavier bone structure, squarer torso, larger hips with wider waist and slow metabolism. People with an endomorph body type tend to gain weight more quickly and have more problems losing it. They can gain more muscles than other body types, but mostly, they come with some body fat. So, if an endomorph is quickly gaining fat, we must reduce the amount of carbohydrates, and the ratio of macronutrients will look like this: 25% Carbs, 35% Protein, 40% Fats. We reduce the amount of carbs because an endomorph may be more prone to insulin resistance, leading to weight gain and type 2 diabetes. Next, we need protein for building muscles, and everything else is fat. Carbs are better to eat just before and after training. Supplements are unnecessary for endomorph, especially if they have a high protein intake from their diet.

Because the primary goal of endomorph is to reduce the body’s fat, I must mention my article: “The secret of all diets“. The main secret of all diets is calorie deficit. We need to eat fewer calories than our body needs. And the main problem when you are on a calorie-restrictive diet is your feeling of hunger. When you consume fewer calories than your body needs, you always feel hungry, and it’s difficult to resist this feeling. So, the main enemy of the diet is hunger.

Now, how can we reduce this hunger level? Experimenting with a ketogenic diet and even carnivore, I understood that when you eat mostly protein and fat and reduce your carb intake to 10%, you feel less hungry for much more extended periods. You can eat even just two portions of food a day and don’t feel hungry. On the other hand, too low carbohydrate intake can slow your metabolism, and you will have no energy in the gym. For this reason, Endomorphs’ carbs should be about 20-25% of all their calories.

So, looking at everything above, you should eat more carbs to gain weight (you have an ectomorph body type). Carbs will help you to increase your appetite. You will feel hungry more often, can eat more and increase body weight. On the other hand, if your goal is to reduce body fat, you should eat more protein and fat. This will make you feel fuller for a more extended period of time.

As to training, the endomorph body responds the best to weight training. Gains can be seen very quickly, especially for beginners. But on the other hand, endomorphs are gaining fat very quickly. This means they must watch their calorie intake and remember cardio. A combination of cardio and weight training will work best for endomorphs. Also, HIIT training is an excellent solution to help them reduce body fat.

Mesomorph. Mesomorph body type is somewhere in between ectomorph and endomorph. They have broad shoulders, a narrow waist, relatively small joints, developed athletic musculature, efficient metabolism, and can gain mass and lose weight more quickly than other body types. Mesomorphs have moderate carb tolerance, so their macronutrient ratio would be 40% carb, 30% protein, and 30% fat. The best is to eat carbs around exercise.

As to exercise, people with mesomorph body type are generally defined as someone with a body type with a high level of muscle and strength. Even if Mesomorph wasn’t active for a while and lost some muscles, he will gain back muscle relatively quickly as soon as he starts training. Such people don’t have problems with losing body fat or gaining muscles. Mesomorphs will benefit from any training. It can be resistance training, cardiovascular training or HIIT. Of course, the best is a combination of both cardio and resistance training.

Other body types. If you want to improve your body composition according to the theory of different body types, you must know that we mostly don’t belong to one somatotype. We are all somewhere in between these three main body types. These other body types are called hybrid body types:

Ecto-Mesomorphs. This body type is primarily lean and muscular.

Meso-Endomorphs. This person is strong, but the muscles need to be more well-defined. A good example is the shape of a rugby football player.

Ecto-Endomorphs. It is a naturally thin person with extra fat due to lack of exercise and a poor diet.

Can you change or improve your body type?

First, it is important to say how these body types are created. Your body type mostly depends on your physical, dietary, lifestyle choices, genetics, and surrounding environment. You can have a predisposition for a specific body type (because of genetics), but it is easily changeable. The human body is always looking for homeostasis, and depending on your genetics, lifestyle, and dietary choices, a specific body type can be created during life.

So, if you are unsatisfied with your body type, let’s say you are an ectomorph (a skinny guy) and want to look bigger with more muscles. In this case, you need to change your diet and training. You should eat 55% of starchy carbohydrates, 25% protein, and 20% fat. You should include supplements like Gainer and Creatine, and even eat food before bed to prevent muscle catabolism during the night. Workouts should be short, at most one hour. All training should be based on resistance training focusing on big muscle groups. Of course, changes will take time and consistency, but it is possible.

Remember that muscles can be gained at around 0.5 kg a month, and healthy fat loss is about 0.5 kg a week. You need to set realistic goals and not rush results. Just be patient and consistent. After a desirable body composition is achieved through lifestyle modification, physical training, and healthy changes to your diet, and it will be maintained consistently as a habit – your new body type will become the norm for you.