Nutrition Tailored To Your Body Type

By Phil Sims

One big problem I see with a lot of the bodybuilding nutrition articles I read is that many offer a simple “eat these foods” nutrition strategy leading readers to assume that one single meal plan will work for EVERYBODY!

That’s just complete NONSENSE!

You know that even on a very BASIC LEVEL, skinny “hardgainers” CANNOT follow the same calorie targets as someone with a SLOWER metabolism or they’ll just STAY SKINNY and never see the true potential for their muscle gains.

But even beyond this, your personal “BODY TYPE” can play an important role in how you should be eating as well.

Here’s what I mean…

There are basically 3 TYPES of “bodies” based upon overall structure and metabolism.

They are the “Endomorph”, “Mesomorph”, and the “Ectomorph”.

I’ll go further into these 3 general body type configurations in just a bit, but first you must understand that there ARE differences in how each person who falls into these categories should eat to reach the same goal…adding muscle mass while maintaining naturally lean levels of body fat.

Think you already know which category YOU fall into?

Maybe…but there’s a problem here…

Often times, people call themselves “skinny” ectomorphs simply because they have a “hard time” gaining muscle.

Or someone may tag themselves as having a “slow metabolism” because they step on the scale and know they need to lose 30-40 lbs.

The REALITY may be that NEITHER of these people may be correct in their assessment. Instead, they could simply be WAY off in either their TRAINING or their DIET…or BOTH!

Labels such as “hardgainer” or “big boned” can quickly become excuses for lack of knowledge or commitment to a proper exercise and nutritional program.

Below is all the info you’ll need to be able to define your body type, and then tailor your nutrition to your specific needs.

Endomorphs

Endomorphs: You gain muscle easily but have a tendency to gain fat along with it. You really have to watch what you eat in order to avoid gaining too much weight and have a hard time losing body fat.

Endomorph Characteristics:

• Soft body
• Flabby
• Underdeveloped muscle tone
• “Rounder” shape
• Trouble losing weight
• Generally gains muscle easily but can’t see definition due to above average body fat level
• Higher than average insulin sensitivity

Endomorph Nutrition Tips:

Endomorphs typically have trouble losing weight, mostly due to a slow metabolism. Eating 4 to 6 small meals a day will help to speed it up, making it easier to lose weight even when consuming the same amount of calories.

Meals high in carbohydrates should not be eaten one right after another, since this will train the body to use carbohydrates as a primary source of fuel rather than fat.

The majority of calories consumed by endomorphs should be eaten early in the day, and late night meals should be completely avoided.

Keep the protein intake high since it’s not easily stored as fat on your body, but focus on fresh fruit and vegetables as you move into the evening and closer to bedtime. This is when your metabolism slows way down and weight is most commonly gained when meals are eaten close to bedtime.

Eating fresh fruit will help you feel “full”, but not load you up with extra calories that will be stored as fat while you sleep.

Limit your “dry carb” intake (like breads, pasta, etc.) at least 3 hours before going to bed and instead, take in some cottage cheese or yogurt with fresh fruit to provide your body with protein it can use during the night to help your muscles recover…and grow!

Also, drinking lots of water is essential for all body types…but especially for endomorphs. It will help to speed up metabolism as well as rid the body of toxins, making weight loss and muscle mass gain much easier in the long run.

Mesomorphs

Mesomorphs: You have a naturally “athletic” build and can gain muscle with little effort and without much additional body fat.

Mesomorph Characteristics:

• Athletic build
• Hard, muscular body
• “Mature” appearance
• “V-shape” appearance with wide shoulders and thinner waist
• Upright posture
• Gains or loses weight easily
• Grows muscle quickly and can maintain with minimal effort
• Naturally higher levels of testosterone and growth hormone Mesomorph Nutrition

Tips:

Mesomorphs are the ones who have it pretty easy with their diet and can easily follow a more “balanced” approach.

To maximize their gifted genetics, they should consistently eat a healthy diet, spread out between 4 to 6 meals each day, with a more balanced approach to their nutrient intake.

Although mesomorphs have it much “easier” and have a wider buffer zone for foods they can safely eat and still see results, this can often lead to OVERCONFIDENCE and result in an inefficient diet.

Many mesomorphs tend to overconsume in alcohol and fast foods while straying away from their exercise schedule because they feel they don’t need to be that diligent.

The mesomorph should instead focus on using his awesome genetics to their full potential and make the rest of us as envious as possible.

Ectomorphs

Ectomorphs: You’re the “skinny” type and have a difficult time gaining any weight at all, seemingly regardless of how much you train or eat.

Ectomorph Characteristics:

• Thin
• Flat chest
• Delicate build
• Body has “young” appearance
• Has trouble gaining weight
• Muscle growth takes longer
• Easily loses muscle gains even when progress is shown
• Dominant thyroid gland with need for high activity
• Possible problems sleeping

Ectomorph Nutrition Tips:

Gaining weight is usually an issue for men with this body type because of a hypersensitive hormonal system that demands lots of energy to maintain. This need for energy taps into the body’s fat stores as well as muscle tissue for its needs so you’ll need to add a lot more calories than other body types to feed your energy requirements AND “feed the muscle”!

Because ectomorphs have such a high metabolism and less muscle, eating more protein (which is the most thermogenic of all the nutrients) can make it even harder to gain weight so a shift to a more CARBOHYDRATE-HEAVY diet will allow the body to avoid tapping into muscle and protein intake for their energy needs and jumpstart the growth of lean muscle tissue.

Gaining weight becomes much easier when you change your focus from just eating “more food” throughout the day, and instead focus on eating smaller meals that are packed full of dense calories such as nuts, natural dried fruit, low fat cottage cheese, and whey protein shakes.

Since ectomorphs have sensitive energy needs and often feel crashes throughout the day and can crave sweets for a quick pick-me-up. These smaller meals will create a constant “feed” of muscle building protein, carbs, and healthy fats to give your body the nutrition it needs to build muscle and avoid energy crashes.

A lot of “skinny guys” feel that they can eat food all day long and still not gain any weight. This can lead to an improper diet because they feel they can easily eat “junk food” without the fear of gaining fat.

But eating high calorie foods with no nutritional value will only make it harder to achieve an ideal body, so aim for foods that are rich in calories, vitamins, and nutritional value and don’t resort to fast food as the path to a “bigger body”.

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