How to Train for Your Body Type

Based on the composition of your body and how it stores fat, you can be categorised as one of three body types. Those body types are:

Ectomorph: Like a ruler. Ectomorph’s have a skinny appearance, typically with low body fat. 

Endomorph: Pear shaped. Endomorph’s are wider at the hips, typically with a higher tendency to store body fat there.

Mesomorph: Apple shaped. Mesomorph’s are bulkier up top, typically storing fat around their chest, shoulders and major organs. 

I don’t like to categorise people. My psychology background leads me to favour the individual differences of people over classifying them into categories; however, there are benefits to categorising people that I can’t deny. 

Categorising yourself into a certain body type helps you to understand the characteristics of that body type. Understanding these characteristics allows you to create a framework for training in a way that suits your body type.

There are many different ways to categorise body type. We can continue categorising until we become completely individualised. For the purpose of this article however, I will stick to these three common body types —ectomorph, endomorph and mesomorph. 

For each of the body types, follow these training and eating tips to eliminate body fat (and in the case of ectomorph’s, develop muscle and be healthy). 

Ectomorph Training Tips

• Lift heavier weights (once you can competently perform the move, of course!)

• Perform 4-8 reps of each set 

• Do 3-5 sets

• Take longer breaks between sets due to the higher number of reps and sets

• If you do cardio, do more HIIT (high intensity interval training) style workouts and speed training

Ectomorph Eating Tips

• Eat vegetables with every meal

• Drink lots of water to help hydrate your cells

• Eat large portion sizes slightly larger than your fist

• Make protein the main component of your meal

• Eat protein with every meal Ie. red meat, chicken, seafood, eggs, cheese, lentils, chickpeas, beans

• Eat lots of healthy fats Ie. fish, avocado, nuts, coconut/olive oil

Endomorph Training Tips

• Do bodyweight strength training 

• Perform as many reps as you can if doing 1 or 2 sets or at least 15 reps if doing 3 sets

• Do 1-3 sets

• Take less than 30 seconds recovery time between sets to stimulate your cardiovascular system

• Do as much cardio as you can, particularly long-slow cardio lasting for 60 minutes 

• Continue to do some HIIT training 

Endomorph Eating Tips

• Eat vegetables with every meal to get all the essential vitamins and minerals

• Eat fruit but no more than 2 pieces per day

• Eliminate bread, pasta, cereal and refined sugar all together

• Don’t eliminate cold turkey - cut back

• Start eliminating by swapping rather than stopping

• Drink lots of water to help you feel full

• Keep portion sizes to the size of your fist

• Wait 10-15 minutes if you’re still feeling hungry and pay attention to how you feel 

• Eat protein with every meal to help fill you up Ie. chicken, seafood, eggs, lentils, chickpeas, beans

• Eat healthy fats with every meal Ie. fish, avocado, nuts, coconut/olive oil

Mesomorph Training Tips

• Do bodyweight strength training 

• Supplement bodyweight strength training with some weighted training once you can competently perform each move

• Lift weight (whether that’s external weight or your body weight) that causes you to fatigue between 8-12 reps

• Do 1-3 sets

• Rest for 30 seconds to 1 minute between each set

• Combine a mixture of HIIT training with longer cardio lasting for 30-60 minutes. 

Mesomorph Eating Tips

• Eat as much vegetables as you can get your hands on

• Eat protein once or twice a day Ie. red meat, chicken, seafood, eggs, lentils, chickpeas, beans

• Eat healthy fats with every meal Ie. fish, avocado, nuts, coconut/olive oil

• Keep portion sizes to the size of your fist

• Drink lots of water

Body shapes can be classified in many ways. The three most common categories of body shapes are ectomorph, endomorph and mesomorph. An ectomorph is typically skinny with low body fat. An endomorph is typically larger around the hips and excess fat will usually be carried there. A mesomorph is typically bulkier around the chest and shoulders and excess fat will usually be carried there. These are just categories and everyone is different; however, these categories can help you to understand the characteristics of your body shape. You can use these characteristics to  understand your body better and create a framework to train in a way specific to your body.

What body shape are you? 

Leave your answer to that question in the comments section below.