If you’re frustrated after following a “one size fits all” weight loss plan that didn’t work, you’re not alone.

There’s no one size fits all approach to body change. Knowing your body type is the ONLY way to get long-term results and take your physique to the next level.

While there are general principles that everyone can practice, when it comes to taking it to the “next level,” you have to adjust these principles based on YOUR body type to make them work for YOU.

Everyone is genetically predisposed to being a certain somatotype (body type). With training, environmental influences, and nutritional changes, we can dramatically change the look and shape of the body type we have been genetically given. If you want to see significant changes in your body shape, you need to train in a way that compliments and works WITH your body rather than against it.

Know Your Body Type: Ectomorph, Endomorph & Mesomorph

Learning your body type will help you train smarter and take your results to the next level!

Weight Loss For Your Body Type: Ectomorph

What you might be doing wrong:

Three days of strength training should be coupled with two days of low-intensity activities like leisurely walks, yoga, stretching, or foam rolling. First, ditch the treadmill. Ectomorphs often gravitate to long, slow-distance work, but it’s the worst thing they can do. Including in your routine classic bodybuilder moves such as bicep curls may be tempting, but that’s another mistake.

Weight training workouts are KEY for ectomorphs. I often see ectomorphs focusing on isolation moves, whereas big, compound movements such as the squat will involve more muscles and give you the hormonal boost to build muscle. I still use isolation moves, but they’re supplementary to the main workout moves. For an ectomorph, 80% of moves should be for working big muscle groups.

What you should be doing:

Compound movements or hybrid exercises, sets in the 8-12 rep range, and a lot of volume are what you’re looking for. There’s no need to live in the gym to put on muscle. If you’re working out 4-5 days a week, you’ll burn off any hard-earned muscle. I tend to limit my ectomorphs to three workouts a week, keeping the actual training time after a warm-up of less than 30 minutes.

What to eat:

In terms of nutrition, a diet high in calories, carbs, protein, and fat will aid you in your quest for muscle gain. This should not be mistaken for eating anything you’d like. Instead, it just means you should eat more of what is healthy. The good news, you don’t have to steer clear of carbs such as oats, sweet potatoes, brown rice, etc. Fats found in nuts, seeds, and avocado will also bring the right results. Ectomorphs should respond well to carbs, which will spike blood sugar and help to drive protein to their muscles. Stick to the complex kind, such as sweet potatoes and brown rice. Aim for 1-2g per lb of bodyweight per day of protein at the minimum, but be wary of overdoing it.

Weight Loss For Your Body Type:  Mesomorph

What you might be doing wrong:

Mesomorphs often won’t train as hard as they can, so I usually give them timed workouts to provide them with goals to aim for and raise their workout intensity. And it WORKS!

What you should be doing:

I get mesomorphs to train athletically. I might do sprints, metabolic conditioning, or other plyometrics in addition to their hybrid weight training. They respond well to low reps and power moves. Alternatively, interval sprints will pump up their metabolism and strip away fat.

What to eat:

Although the usual caveats apply, the good news is that your body will respond well to whatever healthy food you put into it. You can eat a moderate amount of carbs and err on the side of more when it comes to protein. A basic guideline for mesomorphs to follow would be to consume meals containing 40% complex carbohydrates, 30% lean protein, and 30% healthy fats. So, for example, a plate that contained vegetables such as cauliflower and broccoli, grilled chicken, and olive oil with brown rice would represent a staple dish for this body type.

Weight Loss For Your Body Type: Endomorph

What you might be doing wrong:

First, the good bit, there’s no point in spending hours plodding away on a treadmill. I first tell someone trying to lose weight to ditch the long, slow, steady-state cardiovascular work. Then I get them to do more interval-based conditioning to strip away fat. Sprints and metabolic conditioning are AMAZING. And if you’re doing hundreds of crunches to try and shift your gut, ditch them now. ‘Spot-reducing’ fat doesn’t work. You need to lose it from everywhere to see results around your waistline.

What you should be doing:

While much of the endomorph’s focus should be on shedding fat through hormonal responses to high-intensity exercise, weight training is best because it carries on burning calories long after your final set. What’s more, the calories you ingest during recovery will help your muscles grow rather than fuel your gut. Therefore, we recommend doing three days a week of high-intensity hybrid weight training (heavy weight, low reps) alongside your sprints or metabolic conditioning. Combine hypertrophy work (muscle-building) with conditioning to strip away unwanted body fat.

What to eat:

From a nutrition perspective, a low-carb diet that still includes oats and brown rice should be complemented by a high protein and fiber intake. Nutrients such as green tea and spinach will help with the fat-burning process. You’ll have to watch what you eat more strictly than people with other body shapes. Get your carbs from vegetables and steer clear of white bread and rice. Focus on the 2 P’s, protein, and produce.