Common Body Types & How They Affect Your Fitness

Fitness is one of the most variable, diverse and unique things in your whole life. Absolutely everyone is different, and your fitness is not as black and white as you might like to think. That goes for your body type too. Everyone feels like they know someone who can eat what they want and gain no weight, and everyone knows some people find it difficult to lose weight. The thing is; neither of them means you’re healthy, unhealthy, or even fit. There’s WAY more to it than that. That’s where body types can come into play.

Your fitness is made up of a cocktail of things. Your genetics, fitness, diet, environment and your lifestyle, in general, can all have a massive impact on your physique. With that being said, there are some things that are a little more out of your control and that are difficult to change.

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• Common Body Types
  • Ectomorph
  • Mesomorph
  • Endomorph
• Your Health

Common Body Types

With all of that in mind, we can generally put ourselves into three different body structures. These body types are not law. You can make changes to your life and change the way you are, and none of them means you’re healthy. We cannot state this enough.

To understand more about them, we need to look into them and what they can mean for your fitness and physique.

Ectomorph

The first body type we need to look at is the ectomorph. This is the first thing we mentioned above. It’s for people that seem to maintain a low weight no matter what, and likely find it extremely challenging to put on any mass; body fat or muscle. (That does not make you healthy!).

This is going to be one of the more challenging body types of the three to change. For this kind of physique to build muscle, it’s going to take a lot of work. Weight training and a high-calorie diet are the best ways to go about it. That doesn’t mean that eating everything you see is good for you, but eating more calories while keeping a healthy balanced diet is going to be the way forward here.

Mesomorph

If your body type is mesomorphic, (or you’re a mesomorph) you may well be the middle of the road physique, and that’s not a bad thing either. Chances are you can lose or gain weight relatively sensitively, and you may need to keep an extremely close eye on any changes that are happening.

This is the kind of structure where you’re looking at average height for average weight, and generally speaking, your body is open more to your diet and training than the other two. Most of the population falls into this one.

Endomorph

The final of the three common body types is the endomorph. This tends to be the kind of body type that is generally larger. Bone structure is wider, features may be larger, and generally speaking, it’s hard work to lose weight, even with a healthy diet. Again; this does not mean you are unhealthy!

To build muscle, things might be easier. To lose weight, things might be a real challenge. A common issue is that people assume cutting calories as much as possible is the best way to lose weight, and the logic is there. The issue behind that is it is not a good way to lose weight, and ultimately, it won’t work. If you do want to lose weight, stick to the healthy way of doing it.

Your Health

One huge thing that we have been reiterating throughout is that your body type does not define your health, in any way, shape or form. It may be an indicator of it; it may not be. Only you can really know that.

As long as you are maintaining a healthy, balanced diet and consuming a healthy number of calories, you’re on the right track. Everyone is different, and physique is not what makes you healthy. Your health is your own, and you need to do what’s best for you, not what you think it should be according to others.

Don’t forget to check out our article on how genetics play a part in your weight too, here

For more tips on how to be healthier inside and out, don’t forget to check out NHS resources either, like these 10 tips.

Before beginning any exercise or nutrition program, consult your physician, doctor or other professional. This is especially important for individuals over the age of 35 or persons with pre-existing health problems. Exercise.co.uk assumes no responsibility for personal injury or property damage sustained using our advice.

If you experience dizziness, nausea, chest pain, or any other abnormal symptoms, stop the workout at once and consult a physician or doctor immediately.