THE MORPHS (BODY TYPES)

(IMAGE COURTESY: BODYBUILDING.COM)

THE MORPHS

      Some time ago, I went to a party with a few friends, I was looking at one of my skinny friends, the way he was eating was monstrous. He gobbled 2 – six-piece pizza and that wasn’t the only day. I asked him if he ate that much all the time and the answer was yes!

      

      Then I started doing some surfing & browsing. I found some interesting facts about Body Types.

      

      Body Type is the composition of muscle tissues and fat with their distribution across the body, along with their Metabolism strength. Most of us can be slotted into the general categories.

HOW MANY BODY TYPES ARE THERE?

      There are mainly three body types, namely:

• 1   Endomorph (The Fat Guy)
• 2   Mesomorph (The Well Built Guy)
• 3   Ectomorph (The Skinny Dude)

        Every person has traits of these body types, making them Fat or Skinny. Now let’s see each Body Type in detail.

ENDOMORPH

        Endomorphs are generally softer, curvy and tend to store fat easily. Without much physical movement and a balanced diet, they have a hard time to keep their fat percentage at check. 

        Those who are endomorphs, have the most difficult time when they realize that they are born that way and are likely to gain weight very easily.

        This does not mean that you are destined to be obese or fat. With proper diet and exercise you can keep yourself Fit & Fine.

TRAITS OF AN ENDOMORPH:

• ·        Generally Short
• 
  
• ·        Gains Fat and Muscle quite easily
• 
  
• ·        Round Physique
• 
  
• ·        Tough Time losing Fat
• 
  
• ·        Slow Metabolism
• 
  
• ·        Greater strength in Lower Body

RECOMMENDED DIET:

          The ideal intake should have a higher percentage of Protein and Fat, with Carbohydrates on the lower side of the scale.

• ·        Protein: 35%
• ·        Fat: 35%
• ·        Carbs:30%

(To find out the values, refer to the article “The Macronutrientic Ratio”.)

Here, the Fat percentage is higher because it is a form of raw energy, which substitutes the need for Carbs. The Carbs intake should be limited to the Workout window that is pre/post-workout.

Carbs include Starchy foods such as rice, wheat, potatoes, sugars, quinoa, etc. These are carb-dense foods and should be kept in a limited quantity.

TRAINING:

        

        Workouts should be intense, including both Cardio and Weight Training. Also, while building muscles, fat gain will also be higher. Do Weight Training 4-5 times a week, and Cardio 5-6 times a week. Perform different types of Cardio exercises such as running, cycling, skipping, swimming etc. to prevent boredom and to shock the body.

        

        Doing weight training will increase the EPOC (Excess Post-exercise Oxygen Consumption) which increases the metabolism after training for many hours even while resting, ultimately leading to more calories burnt and eventually more Fat burn, giving a well-defined physique.

ECTOMORPHS

Ectomorphs are generally skinny with a small structure, small joints, less lean muscles, and long thin limbs. They have a very high metabolism giving them a very hard time gaining any kind of weight.

To gain weight, they need a very high-calorie diet.

TRAITS OF AN ECTOMORPH

• ·        Small delicate skeletal frame
• ·        Small joints
• ·        Little lean muscle mass
• ·        Difficult to gain weight
• ·        Very fast metabolism

RECOMMENDED DIET

          The ideal intake should consist of high amounts of Carbohydrates and Protein. Fat should be taken moderately

• ·       Protein: 35%
• ·        Fat: 20%
• ·        Carbs: 45%

(To find out the values, refer to the article “The Macronutrientic Ratio”.)

        

        Here, the Carbohydrate ratio is high because it helps the muscle to fill their Glycogen stores, which are essential for muscle growth along with protein.

TRAINING:

        

        Workouts should have more Weight Training than Cardio. That is Weight Training should be 5-6 times a week and Cardio should be 1-2 times a week, but don’t completely eliminate cardio, your cardiovascular system needs a shock once a while.

        

        With this type of training, muscle gain would be not that hard and fat loss would be the easiest.

MESOMORPHS

        He is the one who stays in shape by just watching the dumbbells! A mesomorph is the combination of both ectomorph and endomorph. They have a proportioned body mass index, stature, lean muscle ratio, body fat ratio naturally.

Their Metabolism is just ideal to help them.

TRAITS OF A MESOMORPH:

• ·        Wide Shoulders
• ·        Small Waist
• ·        Uniform Structure
• ·        More amount of Muscle Mass
• ·        Lower amount of Body Fat

RECOMMENDED DIET:

          

        The ideal intake should consist of high amounts of protein, with moderate amounts of Carbohydrates and Fat.

• ·        Protein: 40%
• ·        Fat: 25%
• ·        Carbs: 35%

        (To find out the values, refer to the article “TheMacronutrientic Ratio”.)

TRAINING:

          

        Workouts should be balanced almost equally between Cardio and Weight Training. Both done on alternate days will work efficiently. Mesomorphs will gain muscles easily and will lose fat easily too.

CONCLUSION

        The body types are not generally pure breeds. They have traits of two or more types with different proportions. They are by default what they are, but can be mildly altered with supportive Diet and Training. Don’t let your Body Type hinder you.

        

        These are generalized tips only, they may or may not work for someone. Only you can decide your diet and training according to your requirements, convenience and how you feel. Use these for reference purposes only and keep them close to the real application.