Ever wonder why sometimes, you beat yourself up in disgust and frustration, after trying to figure out what went wrong with your fitness goals in the gym?
Well don't feel like the "Lone Ranger", its happen to me too. It took me a whole lot of countless hours of hard work through trial and error, before I stumbled on an article written by fitness guru, Phil Kaplan. The article was titled "The 3 Body Types". As I read the information, I began to have an inner sensation, that reminded of what it must feel like to grow a set of donkey ears and the pain of kicking yourself right square in the... well I'm sure you know what I mean. I continued to read and learn more. Of course, this revelation is not to be classified as the cure all for why I was not progressing in the gym, but it surely helped put some vital training issues in perspective.
I discovered that, although I was training with dedication and consistency, I had failed to realize or take into consideration, that every one's body and physical genetic makeups are different.
Here's a brief synopsis of the article:
The Ectomorph is long and lean. They fall into a category widely known by weightlifters as "hard gainers" or the 98 pound weaklings. In other words, they have a difficult time beefing up. As with most things, there is a good side to this body type in that, although they usually are not gifted with a lot of natural huge muscles, their bodies carry very little fat. This gives their body type an advantage. They actually with proper training and diet they can put on muscle without worrying about gaining FAT. They must train intensely, but relatively infrequently, to avoid over training. This group should stay with basic compound movements like, squats, bench presses etc. Everyone can benefit from aerobic exercise, but this group must keep that part of their training in moderation. Caloric in take should be high with adequate protein, carbs, and essential fat intake. (hopefully the good fats).
The Mesomorph is the athletic prototype. They show off the V-shape back, wide shoulders, little narrow hips and great muscular legs (hate those guys!). They're often natural athletes and are the ones usually with "healthy" body fat levels. They add muscle easily, even if they make a few errors in their training regime, they still gain muscle. Their metabolisms are usually sufficient enough to handle "less than ideal" nutrition provided they get adequate calories to meet their energy needs.
The Endomorph is usually a bit rounder in appearance. They appear to have a softer look, which is probably due to the higher proportion of overall body fat, mostly carried around the hips and stomach areas. Some people have called or stereotyped them as having a "pear shape". Technically, they have to really focus on their diet, especially those high in sugar and fat. Their aerobic training should be at least 4-5 days per week.
OK, now that you know what I know, DO NOT PANIC, there is after all some good news!!
Very few of us rarely fall cleanly into just ONE category. There are people who are actually a combination of the above body types. For example, some can be deemed, endo-mesomorph and ecto-mesomorphs. Sounds complex, doesn't it? For most people, a simple glance in the mirror, may be of some service to them in determining where you fit.
Remember this information is merely a tip to help you make a few adjustments in your training regimen.
It was an incredible and rewarding tip for me, because that year after reading and learning more about this information, I made some adjustments to my mental and physical training regime and then I decided to compete in a local all natural body building contest and as a result, I won 1st place in the masters division.
Hey, its a New Year, its out with the old and in with the new...., so let's get started!
Stay safe, be patient and never give up on yourself or your training!
Well don't feel like the "Lone Ranger", its happen to me too. It took me a whole lot of countless hours of hard work through trial and error, before I stumbled on an article written by fitness guru, Phil Kaplan. The article was titled "The 3 Body Types". As I read the information, I began to have an inner sensation, that reminded of what it must feel like to grow a set of donkey ears and the pain of kicking yourself right square in the... well I'm sure you know what I mean. I continued to read and learn more. Of course, this revelation is not to be classified as the cure all for why I was not progressing in the gym, but it surely helped put some vital training issues in perspective.
I discovered that, although I was training with dedication and consistency, I had failed to realize or take into consideration, that every one's body and physical genetic makeups are different.
Here's a brief synopsis of the article:
The Ectomorph is long and lean. They fall into a category widely known by weightlifters as "hard gainers" or the 98 pound weaklings. In other words, they have a difficult time beefing up. As with most things, there is a good side to this body type in that, although they usually are not gifted with a lot of natural huge muscles, their bodies carry very little fat. This gives their body type an advantage. They actually with proper training and diet they can put on muscle without worrying about gaining FAT. They must train intensely, but relatively infrequently, to avoid over training. This group should stay with basic compound movements like, squats, bench presses etc. Everyone can benefit from aerobic exercise, but this group must keep that part of their training in moderation. Caloric in take should be high with adequate protein, carbs, and essential fat intake. (hopefully the good fats).
The Mesomorph is the athletic prototype. They show off the V-shape back, wide shoulders, little narrow hips and great muscular legs (hate those guys!). They're often natural athletes and are the ones usually with "healthy" body fat levels. They add muscle easily, even if they make a few errors in their training regime, they still gain muscle. Their metabolisms are usually sufficient enough to handle "less than ideal" nutrition provided they get adequate calories to meet their energy needs.
The Endomorph is usually a bit rounder in appearance. They appear to have a softer look, which is probably due to the higher proportion of overall body fat, mostly carried around the hips and stomach areas. Some people have called or stereotyped them as having a "pear shape". Technically, they have to really focus on their diet, especially those high in sugar and fat. Their aerobic training should be at least 4-5 days per week.
OK, now that you know what I know, DO NOT PANIC, there is after all some good news!!
Very few of us rarely fall cleanly into just ONE category. There are people who are actually a combination of the above body types. For example, some can be deemed, endo-mesomorph and ecto-mesomorphs. Sounds complex, doesn't it? For most people, a simple glance in the mirror, may be of some service to them in determining where you fit.
Remember this information is merely a tip to help you make a few adjustments in your training regimen.
It was an incredible and rewarding tip for me, because that year after reading and learning more about this information, I made some adjustments to my mental and physical training regime and then I decided to compete in a local all natural body building contest and as a result, I won 1st place in the masters division.
Hey, its a New Year, its out with the old and in with the new...., so let's get started!
Stay safe, be patient and never give up on yourself or your training!
although i don't do training like you but i can relate to this my friend because i started to exercise last year but i stopped it and then my cholesterol gets so high. now i'm determined to continue it and really do it for myself and also my health. how are you my friend?
ReplyDeleteNice article, I have recently started to excersise and look after my body a bit more. I think I fall into the ectomorph category, I don't have much body fat, but I also lack muscle. I will follow your advice and concentrate on the basic compound weight training. Thank you (^_^)
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