Workout to suit your body type

We all come in different shapes and sizes, therefore the results we achieve through training are different. Our maximum potentials are different and the speed in which we attain results will be different.  Have you ever wondered why your friend only needs to look at a dumbbell before he starts swelling up with muscle? Or why your sister can drop a dress size in a week just by controlling her eating?  While you fight tooth and nail just to lose a couple of pounds. It all comes down to the different body-types.

There are 3 categories known as the Somatotype which are used to describe someone’s body shape, Ectomorph (long limbs and slender), Mesomorph (broad shoulders) and Endomorph (round physique). You will generally tend to fall into one of the categories but it is not unusual to have a blend of 2. What I have done is break down the respective groups and suggest workout methods to help you achieve your goal.

Typical traits of an ectomorph:

•          Small “delicate” frame and bone structure
•          Flat chest
•          Small shoulders
•          Thin long limbs
•          Lean muscle mass
•          Finds it hard to gain weight
•          Fast metabolism

Ectomorphs struggle to gain weight easily so if you fall into this category and your fitness goal is to gain size then you will need to really increase your calorie intake substantially, eating loads of protein and supplementation is recommended. In terms of exercise you want to focus on compound movements working the larger muscle groups. Exercises for you are Squats, Deadlifts, Bench press, Pull ups and dips, working in a rep range of 8-12.

Typical traits on a Mesomorph:

•         Athletic
•          Hard body with well defined muscles
•          Rectangular shaped body
•          Strong broad shoulders
•          Gains muscle easily
•          Gains fat more easily than ectomorphs

Mesomorphs gain muscle easily and are best suited to weight training; the only problem is they can put on fat quickly. If your desire is to gain muscle but stay cut then I suggest you watch your calorie intake and include High Intensity Interval Training with your weight sessions. Interval sets of 1min sprints followed by 3mins jogging at a slower pace repeating for 20-30mins or incorporate a circuit session in your weekly regime also where you do a sequence of exercises packed together without rest in between, normally done by a measure of time rather than reps.

Typical traits of an Endomorph:

·        Soft and round body

·        Gains muscle and fat very easily

·        Is generally short and “stocky”

·        Round physique

·        Finds it hard to lose fat

·        Slow metabolism

Endomorphs carry the most fat so to trim down, dietary habits are important and you’ll need to do loads of cardio as well as lifting light weights doing high repetitions of 15+. A cardio exercise that is highly recommended is Boxing which is great for toning and burning the fat plus loads of fun.

Written by

Erron Dussard

STONEiMAGE Management LTD

@Stoneimage

Is it all in the genes?

• Do we all have a pre-set that physically we are stuck with from birth passed down from family generations before or are we in complete control of our physical state?
• Why is it easier for some more than others to lose weight or why is it within weeks your friend is sculpted like a god/goddess while you are still looking the same even though you do the same workout?
• If my parents have gained significant amount of weight as they've got older is this my destiny? or on the other end of the scale my dad is an adonis so naturally when I grow up I will be too.

All these questions touch up on the subject of genetics................ 

There is a lot of research going on at the moment to try and identify what it is in genetics that has one group of people respond significantly better to exercise than others. 

I train a numerous amount of different people who come in all different shapes and sizes. Some clients respond to weight training and gain muscle quickly while others don't, some can lose weight quickly while others struggle and with the different shapes comes muscle gains in different areas of their bodies, whether that be bigger bum, legs, chest, shoulders etc. 

When at the start of 2011 I done the STONEiMAGE Experiment where I ate a 5000kcals high fat diet a day for 8weeks my body changed but the changes weren't as drastic as I predicted, was this down to genetics I wondered.

Before

after 8weeks

I found it hard to put on weight, funnily enough I lost weight which was due to the muscle mass drop even with all the high fat, sugar and calories I was taking in without exercising. Even now when I go a small period without training or eating enough I start to lose weight, not talking pounds I'm talking kilos in no time at all. I realise that my body has a pre-set of the weight it wants me to be and will always go back to that setting when I stop training. I have a naturally slim build, broadish shoulders with long limbs similar to my father and no matter how much weights I do I will never resemble the hulk. What is your natural build? What is the build of your parents?

I believe we all have a pre-set that is mostly down to genetics but we can alter our physical appearance if we lead a particular lifestyle whether that be good or bad. Like my earlier blog about somatotypes our natural builds we inadvertently affect the way in which we respond to exercise. Luckily for me my bloodline is full of male and female sport enthusiasts and my dad often likes to boost that he had a natural 6pack without any specific exercise and even up to this day he still has a decent amount of muscle definition even at 50. So its fair to say that genetically i'm blessed but what about those who don't have a bloodline of physically fit and active ancestors surely they should not just assume they're doomed to slobbery, evolution will tell you that we can make alterations. Do you come from a bloodline of athletes? Does your body shape mirror that of your parents?

As a species we have evolved physically throughout the years, you only have to look at how the 100metre sprint times have dropped over the last 50yrs dropping from 9.98 in 1968 - 9.58 in 2009.

With that being said with new technology and new exercise methods have allowed us to physically move forward so that would suggest that genetics can evolve and be changed if you alter your lifestyle and exercise or do something different to the past generations.

Written by

Erron Dussard

STONEiMAGE Management LTD

@Stoneimage