Geschatte leestijd: 3 minutenWhether you want to gain or lose weight, build muscle mass, or engage in a cutting phase, your path to achieving your goals is largely determined by your body type. You’ve probably heard of it before; some people seem to gain weight just by looking at cake, while others can eat cake and other unhealthy foods without gaining an ounce. Or the guys in the gym who train heavily every day but don’t seem to make any progress in muscle growth.
The various body types require different approaches to nutrition, training, and rest. If you want to achieve your fitness goals, it’s important to know your body type. Based on that, you can determine your training, adjust your diet, and also incorporate active rest. We distinguish three body types: ectomorph, endomorph, and mesomorph. Before we delve deeper into this, we must mention that not everyone can be 100% ectomorph, endomorph, or mesomorph. Often our bodies are composed of multiple body types. You can read below about which body type, or combination of body types, you may have.
Ectomorph
We start with the ectomorph, also described as ectomorphic or hardgainers. These are people who have a narrow and thin body build, often with a flat chest and narrow shoulders. The limbs are often longer, and the upper body is slightly shorter. An advantage of the ectomorph body type is that the metabolism is generally quite high. This means that calories can be burned quickly, which keeps you slim. If you’re an ectomorph looking to gain weight, it can be a bit more challenging due to your height and fast metabolism.
If you want to gain weight and you have the ectomorph body type, consuming more calories is the only remedy. Creating a positive energy balance will ultimately result in weight gain. There are different formulas you can use to calculate how many calories you need, but below we have one simple version of the calculator that can help you get started. Note: this calculator does not distinguish your activity level, so keep that in mind when calculating your calorie needs.
- Weight (kg)
- Lose Weight
- Maintenance
- Gain Weight
Now that you know what your calorie needs are, you can choose to consume around 400 – 500 calories more than your needs every day. When you notice your weight starting to increase, you’re on the right track. If the extra 500 calories don’t lead to weight gain, you can increase this further. Be sure to maintain a good balance of carbohydrates, proteins, and fats.
Mesomorph
The second body type we want to discuss here is the mesomorph. Mesomorphs typically have a large chest and broad shoulders. This body type is often athletic, powerful, and naturally muscular. In the past, this was one of the best body types for a career as a bodybuilder.
Thanks to their natural predisposition, mesomorphs have little trouble with muscle growth. Naturally, this body type is strong and quite athletically built, which can contribute to faster muscle mass development. Furthermore, mesomorphs can easily gain weight, especially compared to ectomorphs. However, this can also be a danger if calorie intake far exceeds daily needs. This is unlikely to happen quickly, however, due to the large amount of muscle mass in this body type. Muscles also require energy at rest, as they are living tissue, unlike fat mass. This means that the calorie needs of a mesomorph are generally higher than those of an ectomorph.
Endomorph
Lastly, we address the endomorph body type here. The endomorph is essentially the opposite of an ectomorph. This body type is characterized by a short and stout build, with large arms and legs. Often, the metabolism of the endomorph is also very slow; of all three body types, the metabolism of the endomorph is often the slowest. Furthermore, the legs are often very strong. The definition of the muscles is often lacking, as the endomorph typically has a higher percentage of body fat.
Due to the slow metabolism, endomorphs can gain weight quickly. This means that growing, whether in fat mass or muscle mass, is often not a problem. Many powerlifters have this body type, given the genetic advantages.
On the other hand, it’s very difficult for endomorphs to get lean and lower their body fat percentage. This is not impossible, but it will require much more effort than for a mesomorph and especially compared to an ectomorph. There are also supplements available for this body type if you want to lose weight or engage in a cutting phase. First and foremost, you can achieve this by limiting your calorie intake, but by using, for example, fat burners, you can give this process a helping hand.
