February 28, 2007
Ectomorph, Mesomorph, Endomorph, How to fine tune your diet and training to fit your body type.
No matter how you eat or how you train you will always have to deal with your genetic make up. That fact of life is what makes body building so addictive to so many individuals. Being the very best you can be is what the lifestyle is all about. A successful bodybuilder does not look at their genetic make up as a limitation but rather a challenge to overcome and perfect. Easier said than done you say. Let’s go through some basic do's and don’ts and examine how basic it can be once you know what and how your body type responds to diet and training.
The Ectomorph: If you have heard it once you have heard it a thousand times, HARD GAINER!
The definition of a ectomorph is one who is delicately built, fragile, lean, lightly muscled, small shoulders , ok you get the drift. But that’s why you took up body building to begin with. So how as an ectomorph can you speed up your progress? First as always we need to look at your diet. Your protein needs are going to be higher. I would suggest 2 grams per lb of lean muscle mass. Second don’t be afraid to add a few more complex carbs into every meal. You need to be eating every two hours, that’s a must. Remember the cleaner you eat the more efficient your body will become at synthesizing all that protein you are ingesting. As for your works outs HEAVY, HEAVY, HEAVY, that’s the key to success. A word of caution! Getting caught up with trying to add an extra wheel or two to the bar before you are ready is something everyone is guilty of. Don’t fall into that trap. Proper execution and slow deliberate reps go much further than sloppy uncontrolled injury prone reps. No more than 6 to 8 reps and give your body extra time to recovery. As for your cardio keep it brief and intense, twenty five minutes to half hour max, three times per week as an interval routine. You, more than anyone need to live, eat and breathe the lifestyle. Do so and it will pay off sooner than you think.
The Mesomorph: athletic, mature muscle mass, well proportioned, and has a very good foundation for bodybuilding. Gains seem to come easier to the mesomorph but a word of caution you gain body fat much easier than the ectomorph so keep a watchful eye on those extra pounds. You need to show the same attention to your diet though your protein requirements per my suggestion would be more in the neighborhood of 1.5 grams per lb of lean muscle mass and your carbs could stand some moderation. Your training approach can be much more diversified in the beginning paying attention to the fine details as well as the mass building. As for your cardio you are the lucky one who does not need to depend on the extra caloric deficit it creates to drop body fat. Use your diet as your most effective tool for that. You have been genetically blessed with a good start. This is the time to imagine yourself as a sculptor and use the tools you have been given wisely. Potential is simply that, it still takes patience and dedication to realize that potential.
The Endomorph: Your shorter arms and legs along with your ability to hold onto mass very easily give you the illusion of being very stocky. I say it’s an illusion because a tapered look is hard to come by but not impossible if you use illusion to your advantage. Be objective when critiquing your physique and pay attention to those body parts that will give you a more tapered look. A wide back will make that waist look smaller pull ups, pull ups, pull ups, are a must and controlled high rep lateral raises will help add that width to your shoulders. Your legs, chest and arms seem to fill out very easily, so easy on the mass building in those areas. Concentrate rather on higher reps, and do exercises that shape and define, and the mass will come. Creating thickness is not your issue, therefore special attention needs to be paid to your diet. Your metabolism seems to always be sluggish; therefore constant stimulation is a must. LEAN, LEAN protein 1 to 1.5 grams per lb of lean muscle mass every two hours for you and go easy on the complex carbs. You are very carb sensitive and don’t need to let that get to far out of hand. Dropping it once you have over done it is more difficult for you. Cardio is a useful addition to your fat burning arsenal. You might need to create an extra caloric deficit on a daily basis. Again go for the interval training one minute on two off and realize that you have the mass everyone wants you just might need to work smarter to attain the ripped look that everyone is looking for.
No matter what your body type, if bodybuilding becomes your passion simply visualizes the end result you desire. No one is perfect, that is the addiction. We all must deal with some sort of limitation but with the proper consistent approach success will be yours.
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15 Comments »
February 12, 2008
james :
hi im a endoporth body type,if i train really hard with heavey weights isit possible to replace the fat with muscle
February 16, 2008
Michael Ferencsik :
One thing to remember is that no matter what body type you have it is impossible to turn fat into muscle. What is possible to do is that you can stimulate lean muscle mass through proper weight training and drastically reduce body fat by eating a proper diet. You can find out how to do both with my new e-book and diet system. Go to musclemaximization.com for the details.
February 24, 2008
keanu :
hi mr ferencsik.i want to build mass.but a have a ectomorph body type.my luck.i dont know how often i shoild train to build max mass.perhaps you can gave same routine advices.thanks.ps. its a damm good side.
March 7, 2008
lonnie :
what supplements do you take.
March 9, 2008
Michael Ferencsik :
Lonnie: I keep it really simple. I deversify my isolate protein powder drinks. I go from whey, another is a blend of ( soy,egg,rice) and the other is an egg white protein supplement. I feel each has diffrent benifits and not trying to over do one source will prevent any chance of building up a possible food allergy.I also use an arginine supplement and CLA as well as a natural food source multi vit/min. Thats it , like I said I keep it really simple. Hope this helps.
Michael Ferencsik :
Keanu: First of all your not alone . There are a great deal of natural bodybuilders who are ectomorphs and have mind blowing physiques. Try doing a good basic mass building routine. Concentrate on multi joint exercises that build over all mass. Your priority should be to hit it hard and then get plenty of rest and watch your diet. I have taken a great deal of time to detail the answer to your question in my new e-book . You can find it at musclemaximization.com.The book will give you the programs and exercises that you need to put on the overall muscle mass that you are looking for. I wrote this book because it's impossible to help and answer everyone personally. Check it out I know you will glad that you did.
June 16, 2008
Jerad :
Hi Michael,
I am a mesomorf (with some endomorph qualities). Im 5'10", wiegh 163 lb's and have 11.2% body fat. I am looking to get down to 8%. My biggest problem is getting rid of the fat on the bottom portion of my stomach and love handles. I hit the gym about 5 days a week, cardio twice and weights 3 times. I do most heavy weights (3 sets of
for each muscle group. I seem to be getting more mass, but the cuts arent really coming as fast as i would like them to. Any suggestions on helping me get the desired look (like yours)?
July 21, 2008
Cathleen :
Hi,
I'm a 21 year old, ectomorph female. 5"9 115 lbs. While a lot of women wish they were my size, I am very unhappy with my build. No matter how much I eat, I dont gain and I have no clue where to begin in order to get the look I want and become healthy. Not to mention, my posture is terrible and I dont want to be one of those old women who are scrunched over by the time they are 60. Unlike you men out there, i'm happy with the female athlete look instead of getting big like Arnold. Could you provide some tips on where to begin?
July 22, 2008
Michael Ferencsik :
I glad you took the time to ask this question! I have been training both men and woman now for almost thirty years. The one rule I have is that I do not train them differently. I say that because there are times like in your situation that some woman desire more lean muscle mass. They are trying to creat that lean muscular ,athletic look .Woman respond pretty much the same way but of course it's relative to their genetic potential. So where to start? If any male or female is attempting to put on mass I always suggest to start with a good overall mass routine based on, multi joint movements. The bench press or incline, squats , dead lifts , over head push presses, pull ups, close grip benches. These should be performed no more than once or max twice per week. Three sets of each exercise and no more than 6 to 8 reps. Try it for a 6 to 8 week cycle. Try doing your cardio no more than three times per week and for no more than a half hour at a time. Also try addressing your eating program and thinking about taking in about 1.5 grams of protein per lb of lean muscle mass and a total of 250 grams of complex carbs per day. Break this all up into about 8 meals.. Its one of the best ways to build up your strength and mass . This program is detailed in my Muscle Maximization Manuscript found on the home page. or at musclemaximization.com
November 12, 2008
pensive :
you are so incredibly inspiring! I used to frequent another bodybuilding site until, even after progressing well for a few years, I see the impossibility of attaining the freaky size i wanted- and am NOT willing to go the steroid HGH route at all. I see now to tweak things, I need to back off even more on the carbs, even the good ones.
Thanks again!
Michael Ferencsik :
You need to be commended for taking the high road. Natural bodybuilding demands that we follow the lifestyle 24/7. No free lunches,or dangerous short cuts. In the end it's all worth it. Lets face it ,it's all about your health, first and foremost.
If at any time you have questions pertaining to your diet or training please feel free to contact me. My objective is to help as many natural athletes that I can to achieve their ultimate goals.
Congrats again on placing a value on perfecting your physique and not focusing on nothing else but freaky mass.
Keep up the good work and thanks for helping support the natural bodybuilding lifestyle. I have an outreach program that will be having live tele- seminars supporting drug free sports ,look for them on muscleagainstdrugs.com. The site will be live in a week and the first seminar is scheduled for Nov 24th. see you there.
pensive :
Thanks again, I'll be watching for it. I appreciate your being so approachable. I've been studying health and nutrition, specific to bodybuilding the natural way, for a few years. I'd love to open an all natural gym, but the competition for members is incredible. One question I could pose I guess, is do you feel that either a local all natural gym could work in a smaller city setting with places like Peak Fitness, and The Rush fitness complex close by? Or, would online personal training be a route?
I'd love to able to help others in sincerity, while still being able to feed my family.
Again, thanks for your time.
Michael Ferencsik :
Great question! Having owned a gym and being involved in the fitness industry for the past thirty years I can tell you carving out a niche is imperative.I think promoting a Natural atmosphere can be very lucrative. Weekly training seminars, eating clean cooking classes, anything to promote the natural bodybuilding lifestyle.Making it obvious that the drug free athlete is the only athlete welcome makes a very strong statement. A great way to promote the facility to the youth in the community.
I think if thought out very carefully it would be a great success.
November 21, 2008
Edgar Rossal :
I am a 44 yrs old mesomorph man who was absent in the gym for a year.
Just a few days ago I started once again. I gained some fat since I gained 12 pounds in one year without exercising. I weigh 185 lbs
now. My height is 1.73 mts
I been working out since 1995 and this last year was the first time I abandoned the gym. I heard that I have to start now like a beginner but I feel like I can re take more or less the same routines and weights that I was handling. Do I have to start like that, even if I feel like I can keep doing what I was doing? I am doing 40 minutes cardio 3 times a week in order to loose the fat I gained in a year too.
Thankls in advance
Edgar Rossal
Any advice?
Michael Ferencsik :
Edgar: I always say the best advise is to listen to your body. Be realistic and don't over do it, you will bounce back a great deal faster than you think. You do not have to workout like you are just starting out. You have already developed a good deal of nuro - muscular connections and memory.
Buffer your workouts slightly for a few weeks, but push yourself and in no time you will have the confidence, strength and endurance to continue where you left off.
Any further questions please feel free to contact me. Also check out my training manual at musclemaximization.com. I know you will really enjoy the insight and different programs. it also has a copy of my Metabolic Burn diet DVD attached to it free of charge, both are in a down load format.