Train for the right body shape – whether you’re ectomorph, endomorph or mesomorph and you can outsma

2, Endomorph Body Type

Endomorphs are adept at storing fuel, with muscle and fat concentrated in the lower body. The endomorph is the hardest body type to have in terms of managing your weight and overall fitness, but to get a more balanced physique, you should focus on developing your shoulders and stripping away excess fat from your lower body. A low- to medium-intensity cardio plan will help you shift fat, as will a 1,750-calorie-a-day diet that’s high in fibre.

Are You an Endomorph?

If you have trouble shifting weight, the chances are you’re an endomorph, characterised by a relatively high amount of stored fat, a wide waist and a large bone structure.

The good news is that, evolutionarily speaking, you’re a bad ass: when food was scarce, natural selection favoured humans with fat-storing metabolisms. The bad news is that, now sofas and milkshakes are readily available, those genes are supporting you. Some experts suggest heredity factors might account for as much as 70% of your body mass index (BMI).

First, the good bit: there’s no point in spending hours plodding away on a treadmill. First thing trying to lose weight is to ditch the long, slow, steady-state cardiovascular work. Then doing more interval-based conditioning to strip away fat. Sprints and box jumps are great, but if you’re heavy to the point of being worried about your joints, then moves like the sled push are slower but just as intense.

You need to lose it from everywhere to see results around your waistline.

What Endomorphs Should Be Doing....

While much of the endomorph’s focus should be on shedding fat through aerobic exercise, we’re of the opinion that weight-training is best because it carries on burning calories long after your final set. What’s more, the calories you ingest during the recovery period will help your muscles grow rather than fuelling your gut. Therefore, we recommend doing four days a week of hypertrophy training (heavy weight, low reps) alongside your cardio.

Combine hypertrophy work – basically, muscle-building – with conditioning to strip away unwanted body fat. A four-day split might go something like: Monday, upper-body hypertrophy; Tuesday, lower-body conditioning such as sprints or sleds; Thursday lower-body hypertrophy; and a Friday ‘repetition’ day on the upper body, when you’ll do lots of reps at relatively low weights.

What to Eat..

From a nutrition perspective, a low-carb diet that still includes oats and brown rice should be complimented by a high protein and fibre 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.

Endomorphs who are sub-15% body fat should aim for 2.5g carbs, 3.5g protein and 1.3g fat per kg of bodyweight on training days. On rest days reduce the carbs to 2g. Endomorphs are more susceptible to gain fat on high carb diets, so start low and only increase carbs if progress stalls.

What Else?

There’s evidence that extra weight around the midsection indicates high stress levels or a low ability to handle stress, try to minimise the effects of the stress hormone cortisol by getting plenty of sleep and avoiding over training and avoid sports drinks, they’re full of carbs,and they’ll spike your blood sugar through the roof, of course, steer clear of the booze.

Get used to using your body,work on bodyweight moves such as the press-up or chin-up, and moves that force you to use good technique such as the Turkish get-up.

The Endomorph

Do!!!

• Train with intensity

• Watch your carb intake

• Build your shoulders

Don’t!!!

• Do endless crunches

• Jog for hours

• Drink sports drinks