The way that Mother Nature put you together can be seen as either a blessing or a curse depending on your own aspirations concerning your desired shape, health, fitness and your general state of wellbeing. Because nurture also has an important role to play in what you can achieve in ways of change and formation, there is still plenty of good news.

There is reliable evidence to suggest that no matter what body type you are, through selective fitness regimes, nutrition, and modified lifestyle you can achieve your desired outcome. The first step in making any progress is to identify which of the common body type designations is the closest to your own – and that is the purpose of this article.

The different body types

Depending upon which school of thought you follow, it is suggested that there are three different body types. The latest work has been targeted at how body type is driven by hormones and in that area, it is suggested that these lead to the three distinct structure types that include Ectomorph, Endomorph, and Mesomorph.

Knowing what you are up against

Understanding your body type will give you a better idea of why specific physical things occur and more importantly what may be holding you back in either gaining or losing weight/body mass. If fitness or muscle building is your target this type of understanding could be vital to your success as it identifies the areas of nutrition and type of exercise that is likely to benefit you the most. It may be of benefit to take a brief look at these three types, what they are likely to look like and what they mean in terms of lifestyle.

Ectomorph

If you are skinny and small boned you probably fall into the Ectomorph category – and the chances are that you can eat like a horse and never put on an ounce of body mass or gain any weight. If this is you, you might find this Ectomorph Diet and Workout Guide to be a useful reference point.

While you may be the envy of people that suffer the opposite, bulking up muscles and acquiring the reserves that provide stamina can prove difficult for you.

In simple terms, Ectomorphs are blessed with a high tolerance to the effects of high carb diets and burn calories off faster than a Saturn Five Space Rocket consumes aviation fuel. High carb foods particularly pre and post workout will help to retain body fat a little faster than the Ectomorph is able to burn it off. Weight gainer formulas and high carb meals are the name of the game along with light training regimes.

Endomorph

If you are an endomorph you are likely to be characterised by a larger bone structure and general body mass.

You will probably have real difficulties when it comes to shifting body fat but muscle strength comes much more readily to you through repetitive and intensive training routines. Storing energy for stamina under endurance (including those long workouts) is almost a natural given for you and insulin is your public enemy number one.

The fewer carbs the better for you and a high protein diet will go easily towards muscle building. Breakfast is your danger zone and carbs including cereals, bread, or any kind of baked goods are out of bounds. Go for meats, fish, eggs, or even chicken instead and low carb veg is your best friend if you need to sate those hunger pangs. Your routines should be long and intense with as much cardiovascular as you can handle because you will need to burn off those carbs.

Mesomorph

The Mesomorph body type slots in somewhere between the skinny, fast burning Ectomorphs and the larger framed Endomorphs. They are generally considered to be of average build and are endowed with a large proportion of lean athletic body mass. The great news for you if you are a Mesomorph is that your body type has a natural predisposition to bodybuilding (click here for a diet and workout guide.)

A balanced diet is the name of the game if you are a Mesomorph and pushing it either way (excess carbs or protein) can easily upset that balance. Unlike the Ectomorph, you won’t get away with eating anything you like without banging on some unwanted body fat. Your body responds quickly to weight and resistance training and a dedicated regular regime will reap big rewards in physique, overall health, and your general wellbeing.

Ultimately your body type certainly affects your ability to gain muscle and how you should structure your diet. Make sure to do your own research and craft a plan that best suits your own individual body.