Some persons may have more negative effects from regular high-intensity interval training (HIIT) than positive ones.
Your body's unique response to exercise, food, and lifestyle changes may be the stumbling block keeping you from attaining your health and fitness objectives, even if you've been eating clean and putting in some time. Endomorphs, mesomorphs, and ectomorphs are the three different body types, and each has its own unique dietary and exercise needs.
A routine that is simple to maintain is optimal. The key is to train smarter, not harder. You need to learn to cooperate with your body type rather than fight against it. You can't do that without first establishing your baseline conditions.
Different Body Types
Although the concept of a person's innate body type divides people into three categories based on their shape: ectomorph, mesomorph, and endomorph.
While it's true that these body types tend to run in families, it's also true that most of us fall somewhere in the middle.
Ectomorph:
Slim and long with diminished muscle bulk
Endomorph:
People with larger frames and more body fat tend to have a pear shape.
Mesomorph:
Various forms of physical activity have varying effects on various body types. Exercise won't have the same effect on someone with an ectomorph body type as it would on someone with a mesomorph body type, and vice versa for someone with an endomorph body type who is more stocky and compact. An ectomorph may shed pounds rapidly through exercise but have trouble gaining muscle mass with weight training.
Don't give up! Setting realistic goals is the first step towards achieving success in your fitness programme, according to Jacque Crockford, a certified personal trainer and member of the American Council on Exercise (ACE). This is because different body types may require more time and more consistent effort for long-term changes to occur.
If you know your body type and how different types of exercise affect it, you can tailor your workouts to maximise your strengths and minimise your weaknesses, moving you closer to your fitness objectives in less time.
What Body Type Am I?
When you know and accept your body type, you may adjust your weight loss and exercise strategies accordingly.
Body Shapes That Are Ectomorph
The ectomorph body type male has a small chest, narrow shoulders and hips, and long, lean limbs. Ectomorphs are defined by their high levels of endurance and rapid metabolism.
Ectomorphs have such fast metabolisms that they can slim down with minimal exercise. Crockford warns that people with this body type may have trouble bulking up and staying heavy.
Ectomorphs, in order to gain muscular mass, should lift larger weights and take longer rest periods in between sets.
Workouts That Help Ectomorphs the Most:
- Disciplines that test a person's stamina over time, such as long-d
- In-line skating
- Marathons and triathlons
- Competing with a racquet
- Cycle indoors
- Interval training
- Muscle contouring
Resistance training until failure with compound movements (as opposed to isolation workouts like bicep curls) that work for many muscle groups at once.
Weight lifting's endgame: Build lean body mass, increase muscle strength and growth, and enhance bone density by performing strength training in the 8-12 rep (1-3 sets per exercise) range with higher weights. To increase your muscular mass all over, you should perform compound exercises such as the lat row, chest press, and leg press.
Do push-ups for your upper body, squats and lunges for your legs, and any other bodyweight exercises you like. Focus on abdominal exercises to accentuate your curves and narrow your waist.
Workout Purpose:
Long, steady-state aerobic exercises are often favoured by ectomorphs, such as marathon running. However, if you want longer, leaner muscles, you can't beat slow, steady cardio. High-intensity interval training (HIIT) is preferable for the maintenance of cardiac fitness and the development of fast-twitch muscle fibres necessary for explosive movements. Perform 30-45 minute workouts 3-5 times per week.
Body Type Endomorphism
The endomorph type male has a larger-boned body type, characterised by a pear or hourglass shape, a narrow chest, and short, stocky limbs. Endomorphs have a high percentage of body fat and muscle, and their weight is often distributed in the hips, thighs, and lower abdomen. Endomorphs' slower metabolisms make it easier for them to put on weight.
Normal weight loss requires more than just a change in diet. Both aerobic and resistance training are beneficial for this purpose.
Best Exercises for Endomorphs:
- Running/Walking
- Aerobics
- Swimming, Rowing, Cycling, and Powerlifting
- Distance skiing on skis
- Snowshoeing
- Plyometrics
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Fast-paced, high-repetition, high-intensity circuit training
Aim of Weightlifting:
Gain definition by performing high-repetition sets (up to 15 reps per exercise) across numerous sessions (two to three sessions per exercise). To strengthen your lower body, upper body, and core, try a routine that combines smaller weights with stretch bands, medicine balls, and bodyweight exercises. Planks and dead bugs are great core workouts for getting a flat stomach.
Workout Purpose:
Use high-intensity interval training (HIIT), Tabata exercises, jumping rope, and running to burn fat and speed up your metabolism. Endomorphs need a caloric deficit of 250–300 calories per day in order to reduce fat, which can be achieved with daily exercise lasting 30–40 minutes.
A Body Shape Called Mesomorphism
Mesomorphs body type males are rather lean all over despite being athletic, sturdy, and strong with a medium bone structure and high muscular mass. They have broad shoulders and a slim waist, and their high metabolic rate makes it easy for them to shed or gain weight.
Because of their natural agility, mesomorphs make quick work of rigorous training. Crockford believes that mesomorphs don't need steady-state cardio workouts to shed body fat "because they may have an easier time losing/gaining weight compared to the other types."
High-intensity interval training and weightlifting are two of the most effective ways to build muscle and lose fat.
Top Routines for Mesomorphs:
- In-Door Cross-Training Cyclist
- Low-intensity, sustained aerobic exercise like sprinting
- Combat sports
- Interval training with weights, sports, and/or rugby
Weightlifting's Endgame:
To promote strength and stamina without promoting muscular mass gain, a combination of strength training and endurance training should be performed. Perform 1-3 sets of each strength-training exercise with 8-12 reps, and perform higher reps with lesser weights when training for endurance. Include bodyweight exercises and those that test your balance, stabilisation, and coordination.
Workout Purpose:
3-5 times a week, for 30-45 minutes each session, alternating between steady-state and HIIT.
